Princess Trilogy (Book #1) by Jean Sasson

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PRINCESS - THE TRUE STORY OF LIFE INSIDE SAUDI ARABIA'S ROYAL FAMILY: Non-fiction, Biography Memoir, Religious.

AUTHOR(S): Ms. Jean Sasson worked for Dr. Nizar Feteih, the head of the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre. For the first two years shewas in charge of doctor's meetings, but later was promoted to the high-ranking position of Medical Affairs Coordinator, which basically meant she was Dr. Feteih's right hand. In 1978 she traveled to Saudi Arabia to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh where she met Peter Sasson, her future husband. They married in 1982 and Sasson left the hospital after four years of service, but the couple remained in Saudi Arabia until 1990.During their time in the Middle East, the Sassons made many friends, including members of the royal Al-Saud family, who visited the hospital. The most notable of these friendships was between Sasson and "Princess Sultana", the princess about whose life The Princess Trilogy tells. Sasson is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Image Source: Jean Sasson

BEST SELLER(S): Princess Trilogy, Princess Sultana's Circle, Princess Sultana's Daughters, Princess, The Rape of Kuwait, Ester's Child, Mayada, Love in a Torn Land, Growing Up Bin Laden, For the Love of a Son and American Chick.

Read Swarnali's Review of the Same Book here!

SYNOPSIS (From Goodreads): Sultana is a Saudi Arabian princess, a woman born to fabulous, uncountable wealth. She has four mansions on three continents, her own private jet, glittering jewels, designer dresses galore. But in reality she lives in a gilded cage. She has no freedom, no control over her own life, no value but as a bearer of sons. Hidden behind her black floor-length veil, she is a prisoner, jailed by her father, her husband, her sons, and her country. Sultana is a member of the Saudi royal family, closely related to the king. For the sake of her daughters, she has decided to take the risk of speaking out about the life of women in her country, regardless of their rank. She must hide her identity for fear that the religious leaders in her country would call for her death to punish her honesty. Only a woman in her position could possibly hope to escape from being revealed and punished, despite her cloak and anonymity. Sultana tells of her own life, from her turbulent childhood to her arranged marriage - a happy one until her husband decided to displace her by taking a second wife - and of the lives of her sisters, her friends and her servants. Although they share affection, confidences and an easy camaraderie within the confines of the women's quarters, they also share a history of appalling oppression as everyday occurrences that in any other culture would be seen as shocking human rights violations; thirteen-year-old girls forced to marry men five times their age, young women killed by drowning, stoning, or isolation in the "women's room," a padded, windowless cell where women are confined with neither light nor conversation until death claims them. By speaking out, Sultana risks bringing the wrath of the Saudi establishment upon her head and the heads of her children. But by telling her story to Jean Sasson, Sultana has allowed us to see beyond the veils of this secret society, to the heart of a nation where sex, money, and power reign supreme.

EXCERPT: 

Ownership of my body and soul would soon pass from my father to a stranger I would call my husband, for Father had informed me I would be wed three months after my sixteenth birthday. I felt the chains of traditions wrap tightly around me; I had only six short months of freedom left to savor. I waited for my destiny to unfold, a child as helpless as an insect trapped in a wicked web not of its own making.

MSM Speaks: A friend recommended this one to me, as I was craving for something real to read. I started off with preconceived notions about Saudi Arabia and Middle Eastern countries. This was an eye opener in so many ways. It's the story of Princess Sultana, the youngest princess of the House of Al Sauds, who always, at some personal level, tries to resist the restricting shackles of certain Islamic traditions. She is the first one to defy her most pampered brother Ali by not giving in to his threats and tantrums. She also goes a step ahead to make his life miserable. Her tantrums and trickery are fun to read, revealing her fiery and unfettered spirit. 

As a part of her growing up, she sees her older sisters, especially Sara, who goes through a reckless marriage, with its horrible pains and atrocities, going through the turbulent times quietly. She feels like a trapped bird and manages to break some rules with her sharp tongue. She faces the loss of her mother along with certain stark realities when she becomes of a marriageable age. However, fortunately, she gets married to a man who loves and respects her. Princess Sultana regrets that she could not do much in the public domain, however, small small steps taken by her make for a positive change in the attitude of at least the Royals. Islamic traditions of halawa, abaya etc. are depicted in great detail. 

All in all, it makes for an emotional read, that touches you and takes you in a stride with Sultana's emotions. However the only issue that I had with the (auto)biography was that I did not feel satisfied with Sultana's ferociousness. I felt there was something incomplete or missing in the entire write up. But that's just my opinion and it should  not stop you from picking this one up. Princess gives a wonderful and real insight into the life of Saudi Arabian women. MSM Recommends!!

My rating: 4/5
PRINCESS - THE TRUE STORY OF LIFE INSIDE SAUDI ARABIA'S ROYAL FAMILY @ Bantam Books (Transworld Publishers) (c) The Sasson Corporation 2004
ISBN 978-0-553-81695-2
flipkart price: 231/-INR

Daughters of Arabia

DAUGHTERS OF ARABIA

AUTHOR: Jean Sasson

Genre: Autobiographical,Non-Fiction

ISBN-13: 9780553813777

NO. OF PAGES: 256 (Bantam books)

PRICE: Rs.288 (at Flipkart )

BOOK COVER SAYS: Readers of Princess Sultana's extraordinary story, princess, were gripped by her powerful indictment of women's lives behind the veil within the royal family of Saudi Arabia. now, the princess turns the spotlight on her two teenage daughters, Maha and Amani.

EXCERPT:  " Was Kareem that rare phenomenon, a Saudi husband who was gentle, virile, practical and intelligent? Had I been wrong in my assessment of his character?"

SWARNALI SPEAKS: Here is the sequel of Princess. Even after calling it a very depressing book, I couldn't help picking up the next one in the series (and am looking forward to reading the next one and all the others written by Sasson). After you have realised the person that Sultana is, we now know what her kids are like. Sultana has 3 children - Abdullah, Maha and Amani.

Each of her three children have taken different traits of their mother - Abdullah has his mother's compassion and respect for women, Maha, her mother's rebellious spirit and Amani, her intelligent mind. Like its prequel,this book also tends to be depressing but the happier parts lessen the reader's misery to some extent. The books is filled with tales of horror that a lot of readers might have been already acquainted with from real life news articles, of torture done on the female sex, on women who are brave enough to try to defy the unjust and often inhuman  laws, who are punished with cruelty unimaginable. The book also had tales of success like that of Fayza, reminding us that the ray of hope isn't extinguished and with a few noble men like Abdullah and his father Kareem (who is truly devoted to his wife Sultana and refuses to follow his mother's instructions to take another wife as his religion permits), change is truly possible, a change towards making the land a better and safer place for the oppressed.

Another very disturbing issue that was introduced was that of circumcision on women which is still practiced in several parts of the world under the name of religion. The severe form of inhumanity practiced during this process cannot be expressed in words. Other tales like that of Majed, Abdullah's cousin is a cruel reminder of the hypocrisy of the royals and the secretive acts done behind the curtains. The bargaining of beautiful women to fill the harems of old royal men,and the effect it has on the young minds like that of Ayesha and Maha is another disturbing area.

The book is a very captivating one despite the maddening cruelty described in the book. Apart from the horror tales, the book also has several entertaining anecdotes like how the young Amani decides to punish her uncle as her child mind finds just, stories of women bonding with each other and standing up for each other when one of them is unjustly treated. The book probes deep into the royal family in Saudi Arab, giving the readers a transparent view into the lives behind the curtains, providing insights into the practices and often unveiling the cruelty and misinterpretation of Islam that is rampantly carried on by corrupt religious leaders to serve their own selfish needs. The book should be read with an open mind, to stop yourself from being too swayed in any direction. The author gives one a clear untainted perspective from a princess's POV but the readers must be prepared to form their own opinions based on their own judgement from the situations described.

All the characters in the book are real but their real names have not been used to protect the princess and her family from harm.

MY RATING: 4 / 5

Princess

PRINCESS

AUTHOR: Jean Sasson

Genre: Autobiographical, Non fiction

ISBN-13: 9780553816952

NO. OF PAGES: 329 (Bantam books)

PRICE: Rs.288 (at Flipkart )

BOOK COVER SAYS: Jean Sasson captures the flavour and reality of life in a country full of extremes and contradictions.Princess 'Sultana', a real Saudi princess closely related to the King, lives those contradictions, with priceless jewels,many servants, unlimited funds at her disposal, but no freedom. A prisoner in a gilded cage with no vote, no control, no value but as a mother of sons, she is totally at the mercy of the men in her life...her father, her brother, her husband.

EXCERPT:  "The mere suspiction of sexual misconduct, such as kissing, can bring death to a young girl. in addition, public congratulations are given from the men of religion for the father's 'notable' act of upholding the commands of the Prophet! "

SWARNALI SPEAKS: This is one book which is both entertaining and depressing, very depressing. 

Princess Sultana is a real princess,belonging to the Saudi royal family. Her mother was married at a very tender age to a man completely unknown to her. their union produced 11 children, all daughters but one son, Ali. Ali is a carbon copy of her father, tyrannical and very condescending on women around him. Like his father he has numerous wives and an even larger number of concubines. The narrative is filled with stories about the tortures done to women in Saudi Arabia in the name of religion and propriety. Certain tales like that of the Filipino maids, Sara's first wedding to a 60 year old man, the mental and physical tortures she undergoes due to the union, the sacrifice of a few other women who tried to defy the strict laws of the county, are more than cruel.

Despite the gruesome tales, there are instance which makes the reader laugh. Sultana is a very animated character who is lucky to have married to a man who truly loves her. The description given when her future in-laws come to see her before the wedding is truly hilarious.

Princess Sultana makes it very clear to the reader that it is not Allah, her religion , Prophet Mohammed or the Holy Koran which are responsible for the fates of these women,it is for those fanatics, who have corrupted the message of God.

 I have read other articles and books where I was told that Saudi Arabia is not as open and lenient to its women like many other Arabian and Muslim countries where women are given sufficient freedom regarding their choice of jobs and clothes and wearing a Hijab is not compulsory.

Filled with a lot of historical facts about the royal family and its origin, unknown stories of cruelty and numerous rituals and religious ceremonies, the book makes a very interesting and gripping read. the style and language are very simple and fluid making it an easy read. 

MY RATING: 4.5/5

P.S.- Names of all the characters in the book are fake,to protect the princess and her family.The author has personally told me that they are real people.

P.P.S- Bestselling author of Daughters of Arabia, Desert Royale, Rape of Kuwait, Mayada: Daughter of Iraq and others. The Princess trilogy consists of Princess, Daughters of Arabia and Princess Sultana's Circle.