Hi all
I just read a really interesting book, Princess, about a Saudi princess' life story. Sultana* had an expat in the middle east read through her diaries,to create her biography, with the purpose of showing up Saudi society for it's true self. The thing that I remember the most is the attitude of the men towards females. The are hypocrites to extreme; many of them beings sickly immoral, but will stone or otherwise kill there own daughters and sisters at the slightest hint of impurity. Any testimony off a woman is automaticaly deleted if a man's differs. Even if evidence runs with the woman. there were several shocking, true to life stories such as her friend being locked in a silent, windowless and lightless room, with food put through a panel in the door, and no company, indefinitely. That is the punishment her father dictated, and that's what happened, for living with an American lover in the states. her family tricked her in to coming home. Another girl was stoned to death after being raped. The boys involved said it was the 13 year old's fault- she had tempted them. Really, she had been upstairs while her brother had been holding a drunken party, and went down to ask him to turn the music down, and . But what she said didn't matter...
I was glad of the fact that it was all non graphic, and true to life, if it had of been fiction i would of stopped reading it. However, the subject matter, which is of a volatile sort that can often be sickly related, was presented in a matter of fact, non-glorified way that made the book "suitable".
I found this book an interesting and stimulating read. I enjoyed it because it makes me think.
Cherry
*Sultana is an Alias used in the Book
Sunday, 8 July 2007
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