Princess: The True Story of Life Inside Saudi Arabia's Royal Family, Now Updated

jean sasson

Sultana Al-Sa'ud, a Saudi Arabian Princess, has four mansions on three continents, her own private jet, glittering jewels, and designer dresses galore. But in reality, Sultana has no freedom or 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. For the sake of her daughters, Sultana has decided to take the risk of speaking out about the life of women in her 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. In speaking out, Sultana risks bringing the wrath of the Saudi establishment upon her head. But by telling her story to Jean Sasson, Sultana allows us to see beyond the veils of this secret society, to the heart of a nation where sex, money, and power reign supreme.

NY times bestseller

"Absolutely riveting and profoundly sad…" —People magazine"
A chilling story… a vivid account of an air-conditioned nightmare..." —Entertainment Weekly"
Must-reading for anyone interested in human rights." —USA Today
"Shocking… candid… sad, sobering, and compassionate" —San Francisco Chronicle

Genres nonfictionbiographymemoirbook clubbiography memoirhistoryfeminismwomensreligionislam

303 pages, Paperback

First published September 1,1993

Series

The Princess

Places

saudi arabia, riyadh, middle east,

This edition

Format: 303 pages, Paperback
Published: January 1, 2004 by Bantam Books / Transworld Publishers
ISBN: 9780553816952
ASIN: 0553816950
Language: English

About the author

jean sasson

Jean Sasson was born in a small town in Alabama. An avid reader from an early age, she had read all the books in her school library by the time she was 15 years old. She also began her book collection at age 15. When given the chance to travel, Sasson accepted a position at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Centre in Riyadh, and lived in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for 12 years. She traveled extensively, visiting 66 countries over the course of 30 years.

Jean started her writing career in 1991 when she wrote the book, THE RAPE OF KUWAIT. The book was an instant best-seller, reaching #2 on the New York Times bestseller list. When the Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington heard that soldiers sent to free Kuwait did not know why they were there, the Embassy sent 200,000 copies to the region. Later Sasson wrote PRINCESS: A TRUE STORY OF LIFE BEHIND THE VEIL IN SAUDI ARABIA, which is the story of a princess in the royal house of al-Sa'ud. The book was an international bestseller published in 68 different editions (also staying on the NYTIMES bestseller list for 13 weeks). Later Sasson wrote two sequels (DAUGHTERS AND CIRCLE). Please visit this link to read an interview with the author about her book "Princess": http://reith-jerevinan.blogspot.com/2....

Other groundbreaking books followed: MAYADA, DAUGHTER OF IRAQ; ESTER'S CHILD; LOVE IN A TORN LAND; GROWING UP BIN LADEN (please visit this page to read an in-depth interview with Jean Sasson about "Growing Up bin Laden" http://www.thedailybeast.com/contribu... and FOR THE LOVE OF A SON.

In March 2012, an e-book short was released: AMERICAN CHICK IN SAUDI ARABIA, which consists of the first three chapters of Sasson's autobiography. On the second day of release, the book reached #1 on Barnes & Noble biography bestseller list. Jean's latest release is YASMEENA'S CHOICE, a heartbreaker of a story about two women (one Kuwaiti and the other Lebanese) kidnapped to be raped & tortured by the Iraqi special forces in occupied Kuwait. (Please visit this link to see an itnerview with Jean Sasson about her newest book "Yasmeena's Choice: http://gulfnews.com/arts-entertainmen...).

Jean's 12th book, PRINCESS, MORE TEARS to CRY has just been released and is available in the English language in most countries. Foreign editions will be available throughout the next year. Jean Sasson's official website is: www.jeansasson.com.