Gara2 baca ebook yang The Princess, jadi penasaran ama lanjutan kisahnya Putri Sultana. Cm karna ga nemu ebooknya, yaa.. akhirnya waktu ke Gramedia kmrn beli juga buku lanjutannya. Ceritanya masih seputar kehidupan Sultana, tapi kali ini agak lebih fokus ke anak-anaknya, dan wanita-wanita disekeliling Sultana. Tentang Maha, putri tertua Sultana yang sifatnya sangat keras, dan iri hati terhadap saudara laki-lakinya, Abdullah. Sampai tega mau membakar Abdullah, untung Abdullah ga terluka, dan Maha cepat di bawa ke psikiater, dan akhirnya diketahui pula kalau Maha ternyata salah pergaulan. Dia dan sahabatnya ternyata pecinta sesama jenis. Betapa terkejutnya Sultana dan Karim, anak yang mereka cintai gak cuma menderita sakit kejiwaan, tapi juga pecinta sesama jenis.. Tapi berkat perawatan medis akhirnya Maha bisa sembuh total dan sifat kerasnya pun bisa melunak.. Ada lagi kisah Amani, putri bungsu Sultana. Sebenarnya dia anak yang normal, lemah-lembut, penyayang binatang, sampai tiba2 Amani berubah sikap.. Dia jadi terlalu fanatik pada agamanya. Sikapnya jadi keras jika dia melihat hal2 yang diluar keyakinannya, suka menasehati dan menceramahi orang lain soal agama, memaksa orang lain untuk mengerti jalan pikirannya, dan bahkan sampai menganggap dirinya 'utusan Tuhan'. Sampai akhir buku sih belum diceritain gimana akhir kisah Amani ini. Mungkin dibuku ketiga ntar ada penjelasan lebih detail tentang Amani. Selain cerita anak2nya Sultana, ada juga kisah wanita2 disekeliling Sultana lainnya, seperti cerita kakaknya Sultana yang diperkosa dan dilecehkan secara seksual oleh suaminya sendiri karna menolak buat berhubungan suami istri karna sedang haid, ada pula kisah cinta dua sejoli yang berbeda derajat dan status, yang hubungannya tdk direstui orang tua si perempuan, sampai diwarnai kawin lari segala, tapi akhirnya happy ending juga.. Menurut aku kisah yang paling miris waktu salah satu pembantunya Sultana nyeritain kalau cucu perempuannya mau disunat, jujur agak nggak kebayang waktu bacanya, kalo dr film2 kan cowok yg biasa disunat, ini kok perempuan? Dan ternyata akibat disunat ini, nantinya si perempuan bakal kesulitan dan mengalami kesakitan yang hebat pada saat melakukan hubungan suami istri, bahkan bisa pendarahan. Kasian kan, cuma gara2 adat istiadat yang kuno, yang gak jelas peraturannya dr mana, si anak perempuan tsb bakal menderita seumur hidup dia? Katanya lagi menurut dokter sunat ini bahkan sangat TIDAK DIANJURKAN. Karna menyimpang banget dan bisa menimbulkan penyakit2 tertentu.. Tapi tetep aja ada yang nekad nerusin tradisi ini.. Wehh.. Tokoh yg paling aku suka dibuku ini adalah Abdullah, anak laki-lakinya Sultana. Orangnya baik, penyayang, dan murah hati. Walaupun dia cowok, dia gak otoriter sama saudara2 perempuannya. Malah dia peduli. Gak kaya kakaknya Sultana, si Faruq yang egois, arogan, dan semau gue. Penasaran pengen cepet2 lanjut ke buku ke 3. Tapi berhubung bukunya belom ditangan, yah..sabar dulu deh.. 4 bintang buat buku ini..
Yet again, this book too, was gripping. I found it profoundly allureing to what motherhood might feel like for me once I get there, here in America, verse's Saudi Arabia. I found it far more uplifting than "Princess", but then as far as I am concered children themselves are almost alway's uplifting. There were enrageing part's as well, like the fact that anyone can get away with merely a slap in the face for haveing gangraped anyone such as unconcious patient in the hospital or a "purchased" women. The mother of one of the boy's that raped the patient claim that their boy was out of him mind desperate for sex so he must be forgiven for it is not his fault. Unbelievable. Dispicable and I don't know what more to say other than the men responsible for all this line of thinking that has continued even today should all be taken out and shot Chinese style, while the family is billed the cost of the bullet! And for any women who support this crap, same goes! Horendous, horrible thing's happen all over the world, includeing of course America. We have serial killer's, murder's, rapist's and child molester's all over the world most of which have never been caught, many of which have died. No one can catch them all (or even most of them)and lock them all up, and execute them, althought that would be incredible. Just so long as we make sure we got the right guy/girl before we shoot them!
What do You think about Princess Sultana's Daughters (2010)?
My foremost reason for reading these books is that I enjoy learning more about the culture that surrounds me. This book piqued my interest and I found myself turning the pages continuously until there were none left. Yes there were times I found myself rolling my eyes at apparent exaggerations (which I do not like noticing in biographical pieces), but all in all it was a very enjoyable read. Parts of it were sad and painful, but Princess Sultana’s reactions to events mostly mirrored what mine would have been and kept me satisfied.I would recommend this book to people who already have some understanding of the Muslim faith and/or Arabia, or at least those with an open mind. It’s almost guaranteed to worsen opinions of many Saudi men, but it shouldn’t worsen opinions of Muslims, Arab countries in general, etc.
—Sheryn
Princess Sultana lost a bit of my sympathy towards her in this second book of hers. It's hard to feel for her when you read her bragging of her expensive, vault-protected jewels, her extravagant homes all over the world, her spoilt daughter feeding luxury foods to cats and dogs, her laughing about laughing when two men died at Hajj, and her macing of her own cousin - to name but a few!It's obvious that the women in Saudi Arabia are treated as inferior to the men, but the fact remains that this is the story of a princess, someone who lives a more comfortable life than millions of people on this planet. Although it's easy to feel sorry for many of the women she talks of in her book, I find it more difficult to feel sorry for Sultana herself.Still, it's very easy to read, and compelling enough to keep you interested through to the end.
—Donna
A member of the royal family of Saudi Arabia, Sultana now is married to a progressive prince, but this privileged status does not protect her or her two daughters from the country's repressive laws against women. This book serves as a sequel to another book by the same author, "Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia". Unfortunately, I still haven't seen this book anywhere.Though a devout Muslim, Sultana believes the entrenched male power structure has perverted religious doctrine to justify veiling women and depriving them of basic civil liberties. The lack of opportunity to forge equal relationships with men before and after marriage, Sultana argues, is why one of her daughters became fanatically religious and the other suffered a mental breakdown.Overall, this gives insight into the lives of royalty and the views of those who can be religious while flaunting the strict Sunni rules against alcohol and temporary marriage. However, let us not confuse Islam with the practices of the royal family, the religious police, or the religious fanatics in the country. The majority of Saudi men and women live according to the principles of their religion in what they consider it to be a near perfect way of living, despite the obvious lack of freedom, human rights violations, and social and economic injustices that they suffer. Book Details: Title Princess Sultana's Daughters Author Jean SassonReviewed By Purplycookie
—PurplyCookie
