Princess Sultana's Daughters
By Jean Sasson
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
Readers of PRINCESS were gripped by Jean Sasson's powerful indictment of women's lives behind the veil. Now, in the compelling sequel, Jean Sasson and Princess Sultana turn the spotlight on Sultana's two teenage daughters, Maha and Amani.
As second-generation members of the royal family who have benefited from Saudi oil wealth, Maha and Amani are surrounded by untold opulence and luxury from the day they were born. And yet, they are stifled by the unbearably restrictive lifestyle imposed on them, driving them to desperate measures.
Throughout, Sultana and Sasson never tire of their quest to expose the injustices which society levels against women. Princess Sultana once more strikes a chord among all women who are lucky enough to have the freedom to speak out for themselves.
PRAISE FOR THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER PRINCESS:
"Absolutely riveting and profoundly sad …" —People
"A chilling story … a vivid account of an air-conditioned nightmare …"—Entertainment Weekly
"Must-reading for anyone interested in human rights." —USA Today
"Shocking … candid … sad, sobering, and compassionate …"—San Francisco Chronicle
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Reviews for Princess Sultana's Daughters
150 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Princess Sultana's story continues in this second book that can be read on its own. This book focuses on her daughters and the life she tries to create for them. Sultana is a women's rights advocate but is also held back by her status as a woman to do much. This dynamic makes her worry about her daughters' future. This book gives an inside peak at Saudi Arabia and its culture. It's interesting. It's riveting. And it's definitely worth your time to read.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5U
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Inhaltsangabe:Prinzessin Sultana Al Saud, die Nichte des amtierenden König Fahd, Frau von Karim Al Saud und Mutter von einem Sohn und zwei Töchtern, beschreibt das leben in ihrem Land Saudi-Arabien, das sich zweifellos im Umschwung befindet.Prinzessin Sultana setzt sich stets mit persönlichem Interesse und Engagement für die Rechte der Frauen ein. Der Tatsachenbericht ist zugleich faszinierend und erschütternd. Mit verhältnismäßig wenigen Dialogen erzählt sie über die demütigen und mitleiderregenden Sitten, angefangen von den schmerzhaften Mädchenbeschneidungen und Kindstötung, aber auch die grausamen Geheimnisse innerhalt der Familie mit Geld und Reichtum werden nicht ausgelassen, wobei Sultana immer um Gerechtigkeit bemüht ist.Zugleich erzählt sie auch die Erlebnisse bei der Pilgerfahrt zum Mekka, die verbotene Liebesbeziehung ihrer Tochter zu einer Freundin und der tiefe religiöse Wandel in ihrer Tochter Amani. Gefangen in ihren kleinen Welten voller Verbote, Hindernisse und Demütigungen versuchen sich die Frauen der Al Saud-Familie mehr und mehr Luft zu machen, teilweise mit fatalen Folgen.Mein Fazit:So sehr mich dieses Buch auch interessierte, so war es etwas schwer verdauliche Kost. Prinzessin Sultana verzichtete auf detaillierte Beschreibungen der Geschehnisse, denn dann hätte ich es sicher nicht zu Ende gelesen. Es erscheint einem als „westlicher“ Zivilisierter unwirklich und grotesk, als würde von einem anderen Planeten berichtet. Ich bin sicher, würden in Deutschland solche Zustände und Sitten herrschen, gäbe es zweifellos einen Bürgerkrieg. Dank dem anhängenden Personenregister kann man den auf- und abtauchenden Namen Persönlichkeiten zuordnen. Aber man muß schon genau lesen, wen es in den einzelnen Geschichten genau trifft.Um die Welt der Muslime zu verstehen, wäre es sicher hilfreich, dieses auf Tatsachen beruhende Buch zu lesen. Es sollte jedoch nicht als Lektüre vorm Schlafengehen benutzt werden.Anmerkung: Die Rezension stammt aus August 1999.Neu veröffentlicht am 17.03.15!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This book is a lot like a Chinese meal: thoroughly enjoyable at the time, you can't put your chopsticks down until its finished, but later you don't feel full and wonder at the insubstantiality of it all.
This book has been called a fake. Lots of books about women in Arab countries have that accusation leveled against them, far too many for it to be true all the time. This book doesn't read like a fake anyway. In a work of fiction, arguably, the enormous wealth would have been less taken for granted and phrases like, "one of my husband's Lear Jets" is unlikely to have appeared so casually. I did like the descriptions of the practice of Islam by this Saudi family and their friends. They weren't terribly strict in its practice and when one had stepped outside the fold to the point of endangering their lives, the family did rally round and help them. Love was more evident than the harsh fundamentalism of many books set in Saudia Arabia.
Its a real page-turner and a fast read, good for a plane ride of about three or four hours. I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for something light but not fiction and who enjoys memoirs, especially of women.