I felt quite theloneliest figure ever to have lived." Only Sultana could have summed up herlife with that statement, and Sasson masterfully lets it hang in the air. My eyes followed the movements ofmy husband and son entering the mosque hand in hand without me. Men I loved, men I detested, leavinga legacy of shame in their treatment of women. Kareem and Abdullah, yesterday, today and tomorrow,immoral practices passed from father to son. Sultana narrates,"Nearly 30 years had passed yet nothing had changed. Any doubt as to the shocking reality of her life areresolved with her stimulating passages and first-hand accounts. Written in the first person withSultana as narrator, any emotions felt are graphically exhibited and flow intothe veins of the reader. With the birth of alonged-for son, Abdullah, their lives seem to blossom into an even deeper love.However, unexpected events nearly destroy their relationship, and from that pointon, her happiness steadily declines. Her husband, Kareem, offers a contrastbetween the typical Saudi man and a slightly improved one. Her marriage to anold, cruel man ends in suicide attempts and finally divorce, a rareoccurrence.Ī dim light is cast upon the dark story of Sultana's marriageto someone who is not only being married for the first time and is just a fewyears older, but who loves her deeply. The magnitude of the problems women face in SaudiArabia are reiterated by the many marriages between older men and teen girls.Sarah, Sultana's sister, is one of the unfortunate brides.
All females in her family are constantly ridiculed and tortured by Ali,who (even after experiencing life in the United States) is a stubborn,narrow-minded man. An unimaginablysexist person, he lies to their father who adores him and thus gets Sultana introuble. Sultana's firstrecollection of male dominance relates to her older brother, Ali. Throughthe trials she and her mother, sister, friends and other women face, theextremity of the situation becomes evident. Sultana, through Sasson, introduces her predicament: thecomplete authority men hold over her life and other women in her country. I was born free, yet today I amin chains." I have requested an Americanfriend and writer, Jean Sasson. As a woman ina land ruled by men, I cannot speak directly to you. I cannot reveal my true name for fearharm will come to me and my family for what I am about to tell you. "In a land where kings still rule, I am aprincess. The intensity of the tale is made clear inthe first few lines: If an ounce of compassion exists in your heart, Princess: A True Story of LifeBehind the Veil in Saudi Arabia will make a shiver run down your spine.
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