Princess by Jean Sasson is the heart-shattering story of Princess Sultana, a pseudonymous Saudi Arabian royal, who is chained and hated by her father, the King. Sasson is an American writer known for her women-centric novels, as well as her books about the royal family of Saudi Arabia. This book, in particular, deals with gender identities and inequalities faced by Saudi Arabian women.
The five main reasons to read this book are:
1. Feminism: If you are a feminist, you will absolutely love this book.The voice of Sultana is reminiscent of unsaid thoughts about power that we all have.The princess, despite her “power”, is powerless, and this raises important questions about equality and freedom that we all have considered.
2. Royalty: The concept of royalty in a “veiled” country, where women have no importance beyond having male heirs is interesting to read about. It is especially ironic to compare their situation with that of the royals in the UK, which is also ruled by a Queen who is treated in a completely different way.
3. Religion: Religion has the power to break or unite people, and it has a pivotal role in this book. Islam and its practices are questioned, and we see how Sultana survives the hardest of times in her life, despite her circumstances.She is the voice of the women against the exploitative rituals that are followed in Saudi Arabia.
4. Inequality in the world: The essence of this novel lies in the different kinds of inequality faced by minorities and by women. There are stories of reproduction for the purpose of producing male heirs and the killing of daughters to keep the reputation of the family intact. Other key elements of the narrative involve alcohol, prostitution, rape, veils and chained women.
5. Sultana: The main reason to read Princess is the character of Sultana herself. She is a fictional character who has non-fictional existence, in the sense that she is based on a real person who faced these difficulties. She had to remain anonymous to protect her identity because she didn’t want her family name to be thrown around.
Princess not only busts the myths about royalty but also discusses the flavour of freedom. Sultana’s clipped wings find a way to break free and try to soar in the open sky. However, given the kind of society she lives in, she has to remain veiled and hidden. She has to stand strong even though her brother treats her like a liability and her father wants her to get married and leave his house, and this book chronicles just how far she succeeds in these respects.
This book is a must-read and is the first book in the Princess trilogy by Jean Sasson.
Here is the Amazon link to the book: https://www.amazon.in/Princess-Jean-Sasson/dp/0553816950/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1514625047&sr=8-1&keywords=princess+jean+sasson
Happy Reading!
Edited by: Rangoli Gupta
Photographic content curated by: Viraj Dhirenmalani