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Anonymous
Posted July 28, 2002
This book was pretty good but I'm kind of disappointed in the way it portrays all middle eastern women as opressed and being forced to cover. I am a 15 year old arab girl who is a practicing muslim. I wear the traditional head covering and I was not forced to wear it as most people might think; i chose to wear it myself. The story of Princess sultana is heartbreaking but i know many Saudi women who have had wonderful childhoods and haven't been forced to marry. There are many independent Saudi women who are doctors, lawyers, and are very educated and not at all opressed by their husbands or fathers or brothers. I think this book stereotypes all Saudi men as arrogant and inhumane. Don't get me wrong, there are some men that treat women as described in Princess Sultana's biography. This book also does not show the true face of Islam which teaches its followers to respect women. Nevertheless, the story of Sultana is heartbreaking and I can't begin to imagine how painful it must have been for her. For anyone who reads this, please remember this is the story of one woman, not all have been put through what this woman has gone through.
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted June 19, 2010
This is a great and very insightful book, at times disturbing and sad but it is a book that makes you grateful for the freedom we have and touched by the bravery of other women who are not as fortunate.
8 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 31, 2010
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I found this book to be so enlightening. It shows you about the Religion of Islam and gives you a sight on the horrible daily life of some middle eastern women, no matter if they are royal are not. Some parts were upsetting; some were very interesting. Overall, this book was great! I recommend it to everyone who's interested in learning more about the Middle East or anyone who's interested in women's rights. Very inspirational.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 11, 2008
This subject is so interesting. Not just about Arabian women, but about Arabian male mentality as well. It really makes you think about how valuable freedom and education are - much more valuable than having plenty of stuff. This book is well written, and offers an interesting description of what having extreme wealth and oppression is like. A look into an amazing culture who seem to have little regard for people, except for prized sons. I really want to read the sequels.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted September 29, 2008
You will not be able to put this book down. PLEASE READ if you are considering buying this book. It is amazing to learn what people in other countries/different religions have to go through. Knowledge is power!!
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 6, 2006
This book was great ..im not that much of a reader but when i read this book i just could'nt put it down. I would be in class reading ..in hallways reading..did'nt matter were I was I would still be reading. I recommend this book to all Muslim girls and women.Im muslim myself and this book really inspired me to open my mind.
6 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.EXCELLENT BOOK. I RECOMMEND IT HIGHLY
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 28, 2002
This was a wonderful, quick read. It will make you mad as hell, and at times you'll find yourself laughing out loud at Sultana, the Arabian Huckleberry Finn. I am concerned about the legitimacy of the authors claim that this is an autobiography of a Princess as told to the author. There is so much detail that it seems the princess would easily be found out by the Evil Religious leaders. This book reminded me a lot of Memoirs of a Geisha. I believe it was painstakingly researched and that it paints a true picture, but is far from being biographical.
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 6, 2008
This book is truly a one of a kind. The author has smuggled the diary of a real life Princess out of the country ...the Princess is in fear of her life if found out by her family. ...wonderful reading!! I could not put it down...I love the 2nd one too
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 21, 2008
The Non Fiction book, Princess, written by Jean Sasson, illustrates the harsh life of an upper-class Saudi Arabian woman, Princess Sultana. Men control the Saudi culture and treat women, no matter their social status, without respect. Throughout Sultana¿s turbulent life, her spirit never wavers as she struggles to break free from the invisible bonds that bind her to her culture. Sultana discovers that the only way to succeed is to never give up, and this becomes the main theme of Princess. I loved reading this book because it made me focus on the fact that American women are free to be independent and should not take their lives for granted. Princess sheds light on the horrible treatment of women and even young girls in different countries. Sultana witnesses this during a vacation with some relatives in Cairo. One afternoon, she returns home to find her older brother and his friend ¿raping a young girl, no more than eight years old (78).¿ It later becomes clear that the girl¿s mother brought her daughter to the house in exchange for money. Sultana learns that her brother sees nothing wrong in his behavior and that their father behaved similarly when he came to Cairo. For the first time, Sultana suspects that all men are evil. I particularly like the parts of this book when Sultana displays her cleverness. For example, when Sultana learns that her husband-to-be wishes to meet her, she formulates a plan. If she finds this man suitable, she will be charming and well-mannered. However, if she does not like him, she will be rude. In this way, Sultana cleverly controls the outcome of the meeting. Later in the story, Sultana prevents her husband from taking another wife by escaping with her children to Paris. She hides there until he becomes crazy with worry, ultimately accomplishing her goal. This book emphasizes the inequality between men and women in Saudi Arabia. The culture regards women solely as objects of pleasure or as bearers of treasured sons. The Saudi women have almost no say in their lives and must bear the wrath of brothers, fathers, and husbands. When a friend of Sultana¿s is forced to marry, she resists her husband but discloses that she had had a Western lover. Her male relatives punish her by imprisoning her in a windowless room where she will have to stay until she dies. The treatment Saudi women receive is somewhat similar to the treatment of slaves in countries like our own. The Saudi women have no choice but to obey the command of males, just as slaves have to obey their masters. If the women rebel, they must pay a painful price. After reading Princess, I particularly appreciate that women in America have the same opportunities as men and are viewed as equals and with respect. All in all, Princess has made me value my life all the more, and I am extremely glad I read it.
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 5, 2008
I'm only a 7th grader yet this book is opening me and my fellow classmates'eyes about the real world and how lucky we are and less fortunate some people are the world is very cruel to some. As you read this book you really get into it and grow mature and sensitive towards others I encourage you to read this book!!!!!!!!!!!
4 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 16, 2008
i couldn't put the book down. not only was the book entertaining and captivated my full attention, but it was very informative. i learned much about the life of saudis and the islamic culture. i had to order the other 2 books in the series right away before i finished this book!
3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 11, 2008
this book is a very sad one and very heart touching one it also gives us info that someone is in need so please read this book
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 13, 2007
you certainly don't have to be female or liberal to be taken aback by this tale, since i am neither. i don't know if anything has changed since this was written, or if it ever will. the saudis have the oil and the money to ignore pressure from outside their kingdom. as bad as the royal family is, if they were overthrown by extremists, it would probably be worse.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted March 23, 2007
Unbelievable!! You have to read this book. How even to this day not only women but young girls are abused by their husbands and fathers because one sole reason 'they are females'... I'm pretty sure that the Koran doesn't say that women should be abused and treated like animals. I wonder when would this STOP!! Can't wait to read the other two books
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 6, 2007
This is one of the best books on women's issues I have ever read! I look forward to readin the rest in this series and others like them. You realize how far women still need to go. Also you see how men have an unprecedented need to control women and do so 'in the name of religion'.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 17, 2006
I just finished reading the book 'Princess.' It was required reading in my Women's Literature class and I was immediately sucked in..the whole class was! You will read some disturbing things that open your mind to the culture and men of Saudi Arabia: anyone and everyone should read this book.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 21, 2006
This book was great. It made me greatly appreciate my freedoms as a woman in the United States. The book was so well written that at times, i felt as if I was standing next to Sultana witnessing her life. This book made me experience emotions such as anger, sadness, sympathy, exuberance, curiosity, and much more. It has become one of my favorite books!
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 12, 2012
This is a book that everyone, especially women, should read. It makes a deep and lasting impression that you won't soon forget. An eye-opening nonfiction account of life as a Saudi Princess that will dispel any preconceived notions you might have. Riveting.....I couldn't put it down!
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 6, 2012
This book is a little out of date, but definitely and eye opener to the day to day terror that some women in the world experience. The story of a Saudi Arabian princess is told to reveal injustice toward women. This includes women of the royal family and women who are brought in as domestic help from other countries. I like the fact that this is addressed as a cultural issue and not a religious issue by the storyteller.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Overview
Sultana tells of appalling oppressions, everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights ...