First published 2001
Princess Sultana Al-Sa'ud possesses wealth beyond imagination. Four mansions span three continents. A private jet awaits her command. Jewels and designer gowns fill her wardrobes. Yet behind the black veil that conceals her face, Sultana lives as a prisoner. Her father controls her youth. Her husband dominates her marriage. Her sons will dictate her future. The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia denies her basic freedoms. Sultana watches thirteen-year-old girls forced into marriage with men five times their age. She witnesses young women killed by drowning and stoning. Others disappear into the women's room, a padded cell without windows or light where women wait for death. Sultana's value exists only in bearing sons. Speaking out could bring the Saudi establishment's fury upon her. But for her daughters' sake, she chooses to risk everything. Through author Jean Sasson, Sultana reveals the hidden reality behind the veils of her secret society.
Genres: historical-fiction, abuse, gender-studies, biography-memoir, middle-east, activism
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: forced-proximity, oppression, royalty
Setting: Saudi Arabia
Period: 20th-century, 21st-century
296 pages · Paperback · Windsor-brooke Books
Content warnings: abuse, sexism, violence