Princess: True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (Hardcover)

Certainly, during my twelve years of living and working in Saudi Arabia, I was fortunate to meet many lovely Saudi citizens, and yes, many kind men who treated their own women with respect. However, despite this, none of those privileged women could drive an automobile, work in the company of men, attend the same schools as men, or travel outside their home without the veil over their face. Such is not a life anyone would purposely seek, no matter what anyone might claim.

As a western woman, I was treated very differently than native women. I can only recall one or two unpleasant episodes during that time, and believe me, only two bad incidents in twelve years is nothing to complain about! So, please remember, the books about "Sultana" are not my own personal story, and I could not infringe on the truths of a native woman with my own positive experiences. (I am in the process of writing about my experiences in the Middle East, and it will surprise many people.)

And to those who find it so difficult to believe that women are still horribly mistreated in many parts of the world, don't take my word for it! Why don't you read other findings in newspapers, magazines, and join the human rights groups, Amnesty International and Equality Now? Their findings are much in the same vein as the stories you will read about in my books, and surely no one can claim these orgainziations are biased! (And, there are other well-written books about women which share many common findings with my own work, and I highly recommend that readers buy and read those books: Price of Honor and Nine Parts of Desire, come to mind.) And, what is happening with the Taliban and their women, even as I am writing this sentence, shows us that life can be much worse for many of the world's women than any of us could ever imagine in our worse nightmare!

I just returned from a book tour in England and at one of my book signings, I was happy to see four or five Saudi female faces in the audience. While speaking, I inquired if they were Saudi, and everyone one of them said, "no." However, when my talk finished, and readers filed by to get signed books, three of the women whispered to me that they were indeed Saudi, and although they could never come out publicly, they were so pleased that the world was taking note of their situation. Two of the women passed me their phone numbers and I was sad to hear from the two women that the public situation for women in Saudi Arabia had become much more severe, with the government growing more fearful of Saudi radical religious groups, and unwilling to hold these fierce men in line, although the individual lives lived in private have become more relaxed since many educated Saudi men have become more enlightened about women's issues.

And, thanks to you all for caring. (At least to those who care! And, if you don't care, maybe you should care!) There have been a few voiced complaints about the way I told Sultana's story--in a quick, enjoyable read--but who of you wants to read a dry account of anyone's life? And, if you happen to notice, a lot of facts are hidden in the fun... Anyway, the story of women fighting for personal freedoms is what is important. Certainly, when I first wrote "Princess," Sultana nor I could have ever dreamed that her story would travel around the world, and find so many interested readers.

And, yes to the question I am asked most frequently: I have been harassed, lied about, and attacked in various ways for daring to write Sultana's story. But, I don't have a single regret.

So now, I'm off to begin another project. Until then, happiness to you all. Jean Sasson

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• Books > Biography > Political > Countries & Regions > Middle East
• Books > Biography > Women
• Books > Fiction

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