In preparation to delve into teaching Islam I did some reading specifically focusing on women in Islam because that always seems to be of great interest to my largely female Humanities classes. The first book I picked up, Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia by Jean Sasson, was so incredibly eye-opening. I read this book in 3 days and couldn’t tear my eyes off the page!
Many people are vaguely familiar of the strict rules of Saudi Arabia but I had no idea about the intricacies of life there. This book is written from the perspective of one of the hundreds of princess in Saudi Arabia but it does glimpse into the lives of other women in the country. Sultana, the women the biography is about, is honest and frank about her county, religion, and herself. This book also has guided reading questions that make it great for the classroom.
There are currently three other books in the series (haven’t read them yet):
Great book that will, at times, make you extremely angry at the historical injustice of the world against women and girls.
JMF
P.S. The topics presented in this book connect extremely well to the AP Art History image Rebellious Silence from the series Women of Allah by Shirin Neshat.
cover image: http://codziennikfeministyczny.pl/wp-content/uploads/2014/08/1.jpg?6cf989
