India Book Club #3: Princess

Princess is a book telling the story of Princess Sultana, a member of the royal family in Saudia Arabia. It's a true story with changed names, and has really struck my heart in a new, strange way. I don't remember all the details, but it's one of those books that has left me stewing over "concepts" and "injustices". I finished it a couple of weeks ago, and just today started the sequel, Daughters of Arabia. (the sequel started out by telling the readers that 1 month after Princess was published, her family found out that she was the princess! Intense...)


The thing that struck me about Princess was how oppressed I felt by just reading it. The entire story is just a narrative of her life's events, and the struggle she's had living in such an oppressive society. Sultana is fiery, vivacious, troublesome, and NOT one to conform. Unfortunately, her society doesn't respond well to non-conformist women!

I learned about the abaaya, and how women have to cover immediately after reaching puberty. The abaaya covers the entire body (excluding the face), and is worn with a niqab, which covers the entire face except the eyes. I've seen a few women wearing the hijab (traditional Islamic dress) in Mussoorie, and feel an overwhelming sense of sadness every time I see them. To the outside world, they seem nondescript, almost than a person.


Another "concept" that has refused to leave me in peace has been whether or not I'm wiling to "fight". This princess has lived her whole life in anonymity from the men of her culture, and yet somehow she managed to tell her story to an American writer, and her story has now reached millions, and stayed on the New York Bestseller list for 13 weeks. DETERMINATION! A specific example of her unwillingness to give in when she didn't have to came when her husband told her he was planning to take a second wife. This is a VERY accepted tradition in the Muslim world...the Koran says that men may take up to four wives. (and they can divorce them for any reason!) Sultana and her husband had a marriage of love, so when he told her this news she FLIPPED OUT, secretly stole money from him, forged his permission to leave the country (These men aren't dummies, they know how to keep their women in bondage!), and took their three children to Europe. She REFUSED to be treated as less than she deserved!

The biggest concept, though, that I will take from this book is how important it is to possess passion of purpose. What do I really believe strongly in? How strongly do I want to see things change? WHY do I want to see change? What am I willing to give up in order to see change happen?

An area that I've felt strongly about for many years is adoption/the care of orphans. I really need to do some soul-searching about how God wants to grow this passion in my life...and make sure that I'm really willing to let myself be challenged! Sometimes I think I'm ready, but when I'm completely honest with myself I realize that I'm unwilling to give up my own dreams or comforts. Something to ponder...

Reading this book ultimately made me SO thankful for my God, my family, my country, and particularly the men in my life. I feel very blessed.


***There was a commentary/film made in 1980 about Princess Sultana's cousin called Death of a Princess. She was forced to marry an old man at a very early age, and ended up falling in love with someone else. She had an affair and tried to escape the country with the man she loved, but was caught and they were both executed for sins against God and the state. It's an interesting story, and really makes you think about morals and expectations. Adultery is never okay...but then, neither is marrying early teenage girls to 60-year-old men! Thoughts?

A list of Jean Sasson's books...
Princess (read)
Daughters of Arabia (reading currently)
Princess Sultana's Circle
The Rape of Kuwait
Growing Up Bin Laden
Ester's Child
Mayada, Daughter of Iraq (just checked it out!)