Book Club #2

The second book club meeting we held revolved around the chapters 6-10. In these chapters much happens that shows the reader what exactly Sultana is dealing with in her everyday life. While Sultana is gifted with going on a family trip with her sisters and her brother Ali, she quickly learns that perhaps the world isn't as innocent as she thought. She witnesses her brother and his friend Hadi Raping a young girl. While Sultana loses her innocence, the reader does as well. The reader now knows the power Saudi men give themselves over women, being thrown into the world that Sultana lives in for just a short time.However, Sultana refuses to give up her innocence by refusing to tell anyone about the start of her menses, the very fact that defines her as a woman, and thus as an object.

Also in this section, the family loses their mother shortly after the trip. Their father remarries shortly after to a fifteen year old girl, just a year older than Sultana. The new wife is thrown into the position of the mother, taking her spot in the house. I felt this to be appalling because the new wife was younger than half of the children she was supposed to be taking care of. How is a child supposed to take care of children herself, children that aren't even hers? Aside from this, unlike the mother who passed, the new mother has no say in her stay, yet rather is forced into basically being a sex slave for her husband.

Another part I feel important to mention is the chapter on Sultana's girlfriends, who speak together about the unfair treatment of women in their culture and wish to do something about it. In this chapter, two of her friends are found fooling around with guys, a very wrongful act in this culture. The authority of the country didn't do anything against the actions of the women, luckily, punishment was left up to the fathers of the girls. While one father chose to educate his daughter, the other chose to excute her infront of her entire family, making an example out of her. This may seem as barbaric to us, however, it serves its purpose in this book. This act helps prove women are just objects, who are not seen as important.

The events that Sasson shares in this book are completely different from anything I have ever read about or experienced before. It helps shed a light on what exactly has happened to people in this country to those of us who may have otherwise remained oblivious. Sultana, as referred to in the book, obviously spends a lot of time with the author, trusting in her abilities to portray Sultana in a way that she deserves. And Sasson does just that. Sasson shows Sultana as a blossoming influence, speaking out against what she thinks is wrong and hoping that one day things will be different. I can't wait to see how this unfolds and hopefully Sultana will fight against the fate that is placed on her by her country.