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Summary: Exposes the Huge Contrast Between the Past and the Present
Review: "Princess Sultana's Daughters," the sequel to "Princess," uses the princess's daughters to mirror the great gaps that exist in Saudi society between those who wish to keep the country in the 6th century and those who want to bring it into the 21st. Unfortunately, the religious fanatics, symbolized by the ever-present "mutawain" (religious police)are determined to keep the people backward, uneducated, and living in fear.By their public beatings, canings, beheadings, and other tortures, the powerful "mutawain" serve to subjugate the public. Their violations of human rights inspire fear and keep the educated moderates from speaking out. Those who do speak out, even children, end up as prisoners in Saudi jails, are executed, subject to torture, banned, fired from their jobs--all for trying to exercise a freedom that we take for granted--the freedom of speech. Even Americans working in the Kingdom are not exempt from the mutawain's abuses; a few years back they broke up a children's Christmas party at an American school, smashing furniture, destroying the stage, and terrorizing the children. Ms. Sasson speaks from first-hand observation, having lived in Saudi Arabia for over ten years. While there, she befriended many Saudi women, among them Princess Sultana; for obvious reasons of personal safety, the Princess and the other women Jean writes about had to retain their anonymity. I know from personal experience the abuses that Saudi men are able to heap upon their wives and daughters--all in the name of religion--which most of these men misinterpret. As with Christian or any other fanatics, many of these so-called Islamists (of the Wahhabi sect--a 19th and early 20th century version of Islam--not the Prophet Mohammed's version), interpret the religion to their own liking. I have had my child kidnapped to Saudi Arabia by her non-custodial father, Abdulbaset Ahmed Mohammed Al-Omary. Saudi Arabia does not recognize any of the mother's custodial rights, even though the Prophet Mohammed severely condemned anyone who came between a mother and her children. Ms. Sasson writes about my daughter, Heidi, in one chapter of her newest book, soon to come out in the United States. From being married to a Saudi here in the USA, I quickly learned that the Princess's description of women's lives in the Kingdom are totally accurate. All of Ms. Sasson's books about the Princess are very important catalysts for social change, especially for those of us (American and Saudi mothers) who have girl children living in Saudi Arabia.
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Summary: A sad book
Review: Although a very well written book, it seems to be more fiction than fact. Sultana hardly seems to be the kind of person who would resort to telling the truth. Her character in the book emerges to be a very unreliable and unpredictable one and it would be foolish to believe the story word for word. Coupled with the need for secrecy, the book might actually be giving a very distorted picture of the actual events. Another sad aspect is the mention of the terrible slaughtering of animals that the author seems to applaud in the name of sacrifice. Also the glee with which Abdullah and Kareem hunt animals seems to make a mockery of her claim that Abdullah is a very noble child. The book seems to highlight the fact that religion seems to be the cause for a lot of misery on this planet.
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Summary: availability of this title in dutch language
Review: could anyone out there tell me if this title "Princess Sultana's Daughters" has already been published in dutch language ?I would really like to read this book. The Pricess is an example for all of us and she made me (Philip) think even more positively about my marriage Thank you for quick answer.
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Summary: i am really taken back with the life styles of saudhi arabia
Review: i read both these books and was really shocked .couln't believe that a saudhi princess was having such a rank in her own country and was so badly treated by her father.i would like sultana to write one more book of what happened next . are her daughters now married and what type of life are they living. after reading the story i myself wanna go to saudhi arabia to have a look .i really pity females that are born in such a society.i feel the men of saudhi arabia should read both of these books and should realise how they touture females.
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Summary: Excellent book
Review: I've worked for the royal family in Saudi Arabia for the past twenty-five years, and I can say with all honesty that this book depicts the lives of Saudi Princes and Princesses very accurately. This is a natural outcome for a family that has low morale values and encourages its members to indulge in life's materialistic leisure in every possible way at the expenses of the Saudi people. While at the same time leaching the religious police to tighten the iron grip on the their poor citizens in the name of Islam. However, let not confuse Islam with the practices of the royal family, the religious police, or the religious fanatics in the country. The majority of Saudi men and women live according to the principles of their religion in what they consider it to be a near perfect way of living, despite the obvious lack of freedom, human rights violations, and social and economic injustices that they suffer.
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Summary: getting a little "out there"
Review: i hate to say it...i was totally into the first book "princess" even though my arab boyfriend warned me not to believe all that i was reading...but i fought with him and told how very true i knew it was...i even made him read it...well...now i feel sooo STUPID...the sequel just proves that my boyfriend was right alllll along and i was a wide eyed impressionable american, willing to believe anything about another culture and religion...it is very exciting to read folks...ONLY if you keep in mind that it is a fascinating FICTIONAL title....this is NOT possible my fellow americans...please believe me....please....the first book was outrageous enough...but this...this is too much...hehehehhe....jean...please...dont take us for idiots....one a lesbian....the other a fanatic...comeeeee onnnnnnnn.....i implore you readers to meet arabs...saudis...talk to them...get a true personal story....although things seem to be extremely difficult through our "western" eyes...and sometimes things there are difficult....ms. sasson has an imagination of great fictional writer.....study the middle east...study islam...LEARN LEARN LEARN....don't be ignorant and rely on the words of others...sometimes it is simply NOT TRUE....please don't allow these books to cloud your opinions of arabs and islam....please resist this....islam is a great religion and arabs are wonderful people...women AND THE MEN....very warm loving people...not ALL arab women are oppressed and unhappy....the large majority are very content with their lives AND their culture....bad things do happen there...but please folks, remember that veryyyy bad things happen here also...don't buy into stereotypes!!!!
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Summary: ANOTHER ONE SIDED BOOK OF SULTANA BY JEAN SASSON.
Review: RANKS OK .I,VE READ BOTH BOOKS PRINCESS & DAUGHTERS OF ARABIA BOTH I FEEL ARE ONE SIDED WITH MINOR REFERENCES TO THE OTHER SIDE. ALTHOUGH THIS BOOK TOGETHER WITH PRINCESS PROVIDES A PIECE OF LIFE OF A SAUIDI PRINCESS.
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Summary: Unbelievable in this day and age!
Review: I found that this sequel to Princes Sultana was every bit as good as the first book! What I found hard to believe was the way her daughters lived their lives after all Sultana had gone through...I would have thought Sultana would have influenced their decision more! Not only that, but her only son turned out to be just like all the other men in her life! I think that if I had grown up in Sultana's country I would have been dead long ago......there is NO way I could take the verbal and physical abuse she and women like her have!
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Summary: A Sequel Worth a Second, Third,......Reading
Review: As two people who lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, my wife and I read and enjoyed Jean Sasson's first "Princess" book, albeit with sadness because it is all so true. We are glad to know of and admire Jean Sasoon's courage and determination in making the world aware of the plight of women in Saudi Arabia -- Saudi's own women and women of other nations. We hope to hear more on this issue in yet another book.
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Summary: Memories
Review: I am an arabic young woman, and i loved the book. Princess Sultana conveys her opinions and she had the courage to stand up and tell the world what she was going through. Such activities of torture and harm which were described in the book, are not allowed in arabic countries and they are unacceptable in out faith as Muslims. Our Prophit Says that a boy and a girl are equal in everything. As for the practice of having more than one wife has a reason, which is because of the need of a husband to have children if his wife is barren, so he marrys a woman other than his wife and he keeps his original wife for a very important reson and so that loved ones are not seperated , because having mistresses is not allowed in our faith. BUT that does not mean he is allowed to be unfair between wives (Ex. spending more time or money on one more than the other) , Islam INSISTS on the importance of fairness between wives. and that men who will not be fair with their wives are not allowed in islam to marry a second because he would be harming his wife. Arabic women are educated and are working in very high positions. the world has changed a lot since her diary has been written and published, and arabic countries have became so much better. the things that sultana's family were doing are not right things, and they must not be mistaken to be the way that arabic families are. You must keep this in mind when reading this book.
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