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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
An interesting memoir written by a woman who married one of Osama Bin Laden's 25 brothers. The author was raised in western society and married into the Saudi family. Her and her husband moved to Saudi Arabia after they were married and had 2 daughters. The author tells of what life was like as a woman living in Saudi Arabia and the restrictions she felt on her and her daughters.
An interesting view into the daily lives of the Bin Laden clan. There are only a couple instances with Osama, but enlightening nonetheless regarding the culture of Saudi Arabia and the lives of women in Wahabi Muslim culture.
Read for FSPL's book club. An interesting look at women's life in Saudi Arabia, from a woman who is Osama Bin Ladin's sister-in-law.
I kept thinking her husband's name was Islam. Never heard of Yeslam before.
Saudi Arabia had slaves until 1962.
Until the 19th century no European had entered Saudi Arabia. I dunno about that one.
I guess back then, in order to marry a foreigner you had to get special permission from the king of Saudi Arabia. Either these were so rare or people rarely got the permission because that would be very time consuming for the king.
I didn't realize how crucial it was for a Middle Eastern woman to have a son.
I liked what she said about praying. It's not just a bargain between you and God it is a request for peace.
She got pretty biased at the end and showed her hatred towards Saudi Arabia.
Saudi Arabia had slaves until 1962.
Until the 19th century no European had entered Saudi Arabia. I dunno about that one.
I guess back then, in order to marry a foreigner you had to get special permission from the king of Saudi Arabia. Either these were so rare or people rarely got the permission because that would be very time consuming for the king.
I didn't realize how crucial it was for a Middle Eastern woman to have a son.
I liked what she said about praying. It's not just a bargain between you and God it is a request for peace.
She got pretty biased at the end and showed her hatred towards Saudi Arabia.
Absolutely fascinating POV of an outsider in insider Saudi Arabia and bin Ladin clan at the beginning of serious unrest in the Middle East. Of course, she is biased, and I imagine that she receives quite a bit of crap for that, but I admire her greatly for speaking her truth. Religion oftentimes gives people strength, but any religion or non religion at any extreme rarely yields positive results. Extremist Islam has lead to a total repression of Saudi women and Saudis in general, and that lack of freedom is horrifying. I know many a good Muslim (family and friends), but I recognize that there are many extremists (bad, in my view) too.
Frightening memoir of life in the kingdom by the ex-sister-in-law of Osama Bin Laden.
informative
slow-paced
This is the memoir of a woman who was married to one of Osama Bin Laden's brothers and lived in the Bin Laden compound in Saudi Arabia. Carmen is half-Swiss, half-Iranian, and she always felt like an outsider in Saudi Arabia. This is a pessimistic, grim view of Saudi Arabia. She was raised in Europe and America, so she chafed under the restrictions on women in Saudi Arabia (no going out in public, having to wear the abaya).
She has a very interesting story, and I'm sure I would feel the same culture shock, but this is also a deeply ungenerous and sometimes petty view of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabian women. For example, she complains many times about how TACKY her in-laws are. "My sisters-in-law began redecorating. But the furnishings they chose were loud and garish, terrible imitations of the objects I had carefully chosen." Then later in the book she claims she has "always hated gossip." Yeah, OK. She really seems to make very little effort to see the point of view of the women of Saudi Arabia. For example, she praises herself for being "straightforward," and complains that the other women are "manipulative," "underhanded," and subtle. She thinks her relatives are boring, shallow, and too polite. She judges the women for not having the "courage to resist the system." I mean, really! It's all pretty unkind. I couldn't help comparing this book with 'Guests of the Sheikh,' which I read earlier this year. It's also the perspective of an outsider, but it's definitely a more generous attempt at understanding the lives of women who wear the veil.
As far as her brother-in-law, obviously they aren't well acquainted, but she does have a terrifying anecdote about him refusing to let his baby drink milk out of a bottle on a very hot day when he was dehydrated because it was forbbiden. So in summation, interesting story but Carmen does grate at times.
She has a very interesting story, and I'm sure I would feel the same culture shock, but this is also a deeply ungenerous and sometimes petty view of Saudi Arabia and Saudi Arabian women. For example, she complains many times about how TACKY her in-laws are. "My sisters-in-law began redecorating. But the furnishings they chose were loud and garish, terrible imitations of the objects I had carefully chosen." Then later in the book she claims she has "always hated gossip." Yeah, OK. She really seems to make very little effort to see the point of view of the women of Saudi Arabia. For example, she praises herself for being "straightforward," and complains that the other women are "manipulative," "underhanded," and subtle. She thinks her relatives are boring, shallow, and too polite. She judges the women for not having the "courage to resist the system." I mean, really! It's all pretty unkind. I couldn't help comparing this book with 'Guests of the Sheikh,' which I read earlier this year. It's also the perspective of an outsider, but it's definitely a more generous attempt at understanding the lives of women who wear the veil.
As far as her brother-in-law, obviously they aren't well acquainted, but she does have a terrifying anecdote about him refusing to let his baby drink milk out of a bottle on a very hot day when he was dehydrated because it was forbbiden. So in summation, interesting story but Carmen does grate at times.
An insightful look into a culture that doesn't often share such glimpses.