A poignant and eye-opening look at life in Iraq under the rule of Saddam Hussein. Mayada's chilling story offers a first-hand look at modern Iraq's turbulent history.
Mayada, a member of one of Iraq's most distinguished and privileged families, was whisked away from her office one morning by the secret police and thrown into one of Saddam's notorious prisons for a crime she did not commit. During her brief imprisonment, her life was changed forever by the courage of "the shadow women," fellow prisoners who demonstrated compassion for each other through unimaginable deprivation and torture. This is not a pleasant story, but it is worth reading.

This was am amazing account of an amazing woman. Mayada was born to wealth and prestige and very well educated. Under Sadam Hussein she was thrown into prison to with many other nameless women. As she began to know them and their stories, she vowed that if she ever got out she would tell their story and this is it. This woman was amazing and her story humbles my heart before my God more than ever before. Mayada's story inspires and renews my love and respect for all women.

From this book, you get an inside perspective on life with Saddam Hussein. It is a quick read and is very interesting.

Jean's way of writing is amazing as usual ! At a certain point I couldn't stop crying :( unfortuantely , Jean did not draw the full picture of Iraq ... She talked about the Iraqi prisons and bad consequences of the the Iraqi-Irani war , from my point of view I can see another good achievements at Saddam's reign .

Mayada, Daughter of Iraq is a intense look at life under Saddam's reign. Anyone wanting a different view on the Iraq conflict would do well to read this book. I enjoyed reading Jean Sasson's book and liked her style. Well written and intense.

This is a well written true story of a woman who lived in Iraq during the time of Saddam Hussein's rule. Some of the events are difficult to read about because of their brutality and injustice, but it is important to better understand this part of the world.

I'm starting to see a pattern in books by Jean Sasson. We have a bit of the story we wanted to read and then massive info dumps about the history of the nation. Look, if I wanted a history lesson on the origins of Iraq, I'd be reading about it at the library! I don't need to know everything that a relative from generations ago said and did, I just want the story I was expecting to read! The up to date story of Mayada being held with other women in Saddam's prison was good but when the story drifted away to long lost relatives and the history of Iraq, I started to skip sections. This could have been such a good read but was spoiled by info dumps we didn't need.

If you have ever questioned the removal of Saddam Hussein in Iraq by United States forces or pondered the impacts of his regime, this is a must read. If you have ever taken for granted the value of democracy, freedom of speech, and freedom of movement that most Westerners and Europeans enjoy, this is a must read. While educational throughout, the book is frightening, horrific and sad. At times, I found myself holding my breath. I am so thankful to Jean Sasson for enlightening me about the Middle East through this book and others like Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arab and Princess Sultana's Daughters.

ميادة فتاة عراقية من عائلة مرموقة جداً، أمها كانت تعمل مع منتج بريطاني لإخراج فيلم عن الحرب من أجل الخليج في العراق.

كان جدها أحد أركان الجيش العثماني، وعين ولده جعفر وزير للدفاع في الحكومة العراقية الوطنية، أغتيل برصاصة في ظهره. درست ميادة في كلية الطب في الجامعة الأمريكية بلبنان، وعاشت طفولتها في سفريات في أوروبا، إلا أنها تزوجت بجارهم العراقي سلام الهميص ، وهو ذو عقلية عشائرية، لم يستمر الزواج بسبب عدم التوافق الفكري. و تطلقت منه بعد إنجاب طفلين

والدة ميادة كانت المدير العام للأبحاث والدراسات في مكتب العلاقات العامة التابع لمجلس قيادة الثورة، وبعد أن تقاعدت عاشت في الأردن، ولكن ميادة بقيت في العراق.

والدتها من الطبقة المخمليّة، وفي أحد المرات تحدث معها صدام في أحد الحفلات، وأبدى إعجابه بوالدها ساطع ، إلا أنها لم تعره إهتماما ، لأنها لم تكن تعرفه أصلاً.

جد ميادة هو ساطع الحصري الذي تم نفيه من العراق بسبب أفكاره القومية من طرف الإنجليز، وبعد انسحابهم من العراق رجع إليها.

كان جدها متفوق في الدراسة، وتم تعيينه من طرف السلطان العثماني حاكماً لأحد المناطق العثمانية في يوغوسلافيا.

كان مجال اهتمامه الدراسي هو النزاعات القومية للشعوب.

تزوج ساطع من امرأة تركية، وهي ابنة وزير البحرية العثماني التي ولدت سلوى أم ميادة.

قامت ميادة بفتح مطبعة تنشر الكثير من المطبوعات في مواضيع مختلفة، و تم تكريمها من طرف صدام عدة مرات …
إلا أنه تم اعتقالها في أحد الأيام بسبب نشر مطبوعات ضد النظام. تصاب ميادة بالصدمة، وتحاول الاتصال بمعارف العائلة لمساعدتها، وخلال وجودها في السجن تروي ميادة الكثير من القصص المروعة للسجناء معها في الزنزانة، وأيضاً قصص أخرى لبعض المعارف الذين سجنهم النظام أو تم تصفيتهم من طرف صدام.

الكثير من القصص كقصة الجارة التي تم سجن ولديها التوأمين، واستدعاءها لأخذ جثثهم بدون إخبارها عن السبب، وقصة المهندسة صباح التي قبض عليها بتهمة اختلاس موارد الدولة، وهي من قامت بتطوير برنامج للتنقيب لمساعدة الدولة.

الكثير من القصص عن زوجة صدام ساجدة ولصوصيتها ولصوصية عائلتها، وقصة الجراح صائب شوكت وزوجته جليلة الحيدري الذي تم ابتزازه من طرف خال صدام ليبيع أرضه، وهو جراح مرموق للغاية، تم سجنه وإهانته بسبب قطعة أرض.

الكثير والكثير جداً من قصص ترحيل العراقيين بسبب التبعية الإيرانية، كتاب يحوي الكثير من المآسي التي حدثت إبان النظام المقبور، أنصح بقراءته بشدة.

A good read. Secrets revealed by a true Iraqi. The insights of life in Iraq during Saddam Hussein's rule, unfolded.
Mayada Al-Askari, from a powerful and influential Iraqi family, suffered and survived Saddam's and his Ba'ath Party, had never imagined the wreckage upon her life when she was wrongly accused and detained in the notorious Baladiyat Prison.
It all began when her small printing shop was ransacked by Saddam's secret police, accused of printing anti-government printouts. Mayada was dragged to the notorious prison and thrown into cell 52, where "prisoners" faced the same fate of imprisonment and inhumane tortures without trials. There in cell 52, she met the other 'shadow women', and each and everyone of them shared the stories of their lives before the capture, and the accusations they faced, as well as the sufferings and tortures they had to bear. The 'shadow women' acted as pillars of strength for one another, hoping someone would be released, and to sought 'help' from outside the prison, to get them free from the cruel tortures of Baladiyat Prison.

This is a look into the lives of a group of women unjustly imprisoned during Saddam Hussein's regime. I sincerely hope that the women from cell 52 and all the other innocent people held in those prisons lived long enough to see freedom.

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