Jean Sasson
Encyclopedia
Jean P. Sasson is an American
writer whose work mainly centers around women in the Middle East and the injustices that they suffer at the hands of a patriarchal society.
to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital
in Riyadh
as an administrative coordinator in Medical Affairs. It was there that she met Peter Sasson, her future husband. They married in 1982 and Sasson left the hospital after four years of service, but the couple remained in Saudi Arabia until 1990.
During their time in the Middle East, the Sassons made many friends, including members the royal Al-Saud family, who visited the hospital. The most notable of these friendships was between Sasson and Princess Sultana, the princess about whom The Princess Trilogy surrounds.
She is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia
.
Sasson's first book, The Rape of Kuwait about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
, was published in 1991. It was based on interviews she conducted with Kuwaitis who had fled to Cairo, Saudi Arabia, London and Washington, D.C. The book was published before the war
broke out. Advertisements in the major newspapers and on network television featured the book with the accompanying tag line: "Read it and you'll know why we're there". The Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington paid to send 200,000 copies of it to American troops in the Persian Gulf
.
978-0967673745 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC (March 1, 2001)
Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, her second book, chronicles the life of Sultana, a purported Saudi princess. It claims to be a true story, detailing gender inequalities experienced by Saudi Arabian women. The identity of Sultana (a pseudonym
) is concealed to assure her safety. The book remained on the New York Times Best Seller list
for 13 weeks. In 1995, a lawsuit was brought against the author of the book alleging plagiarism. The lawsuit was later dismissed. The court held that the plaintiff's claim was "objectively unreasonable" and directed her to pay the defendants' legal fees.
978-0967673752 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC; 1 edition (March 1, 2001)
As second-generation members of the royal family who have benefited from Saudi oil wealth, Maha and Amani are surrounded by untold opulence and luxury from the day they were born and which they take for granted. In Princess Sultana's Daughters, Sasson exposes the stifling and unbearably restrictive lifestyle imposed on these women. They have reacted in equally desperate ways. Their stories are set against traditional Saudi Arabian culture and social mores.
978-0967673769 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC (May 1, 2002)'
When Sultana's niece is forced into an arranged marriage with a cruel, depraved older man and a royal cousin's secret harem of sex slaves is revealed, Sultana's attempts at intervention in their various plights are thwarted. But when her nephews are caught committing an unspeakable act against a 12-year-old girl, Sultana is galvanized into action. Risking her personal status and wealth, she takes a stand against the complacency of her male relatives over the child's fate. Ultimately, in Princess Sultana's Circle, Sultana and her sisters vow to form a circle of support that will surround and shelter abused women and girls.
When Jean Sasson was assigned to be Mayada Al-Askari's translator in 1998, during a trip to Baghdad
, she could never have imagined where her friendship with this prominent Iraqi woman would take her. The two women kept in contact until, in 1999, Mayada was arrested by Saddam Hussein
's secret police. Allegations that Myada had been producing anti-regime pamphlets were brought fourth, and she was confined in Iraq's brutal Baladiyat Prison for over a month, fated to visit the torture rooms and wait crowded cells. In cell 52, Myada was imprisoned with 17 other "shadow women" whose lives had similarly been interrupted with false allegations and hardships. Sasson tells their stories.
In this true love story, Sasson focuses on the life of a Kurdish
woman living in Iraq
and the broader story of ethnic tensions between the Kurds, Iraqis, Turks, Iranians, and Syrians. Joanna Al-Askari Hussain marries a freedom-fighter, and makes his fight her own, persevering through genocide campaigns, deaths of friends, and missile attacks that cause the sky to rain down the bodies of dead birds.
, who married her cousin Osama bin Laden
at the age of 15, is his first wife and the mother to eleven children, seven of Osama's sons and four of his daughters. Omar bin Laden is the fourth son of Osama bin Laden. Najwa and Omar narrate details about the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. Until Omar and his mother approached Sasson, no other writer or journalist had access to this type of personal information.
Growing Up bin Laden is a book based on interviews with the wife and son of Osama bin Laden
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
writer whose work mainly centers around women in the Middle East and the injustices that they suffer at the hands of a patriarchal society.
Biography
Born into a small town life, Sasson found adventure between the pages of books. Her strong desire to uproot herself from her rural surroundings led her to jump at the opportunity to work and travel abroad. In 1978 she traveled to Saudi ArabiaSaudi Arabia
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World...
to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital
King Faisal Specialist Hospital
The King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center is a hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which operates 850 beds with approximately 8,500 employees. In all there are 63 different nationalities making up the staff. The hospital is the national referral center for oncology, organ...
in Riyadh
Riyadh
Riyadh is the capital and largest city of Saudi Arabia. It is also the capital of Riyadh Province, and belongs to the historical regions of Najd and Al-Yamama. It is situated in the center of the Arabian Peninsula on a large plateau, and is home to 5,254,560 people, and the urban center of a...
as an administrative coordinator in Medical Affairs. It was there that she met Peter Sasson, her future husband. They married in 1982 and Sasson left the hospital after four years of service, but the couple remained in Saudi Arabia until 1990.
During their time in the Middle East, the Sassons made many friends, including members the royal Al-Saud family, who visited the hospital. The most notable of these friendships was between Sasson and Princess Sultana, the princess about whom The Princess Trilogy surrounds.
She is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Georgia. According to the 2010 census, Atlanta's population is 420,003. Atlanta is the cultural and economic center of the Atlanta metropolitan area, which is home to 5,268,860 people and is the ninth largest metropolitan area in...
.
The Rape of Kuwait
978-1561291939 - Knightsbridge Pub. Co.; 1st edition (January 1991)Sasson's first book, The Rape of Kuwait about the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait
Invasion of Kuwait
The Invasion of Kuwait, also known as the Iraq-Kuwait War, was a major conflict between the Republic of Iraq and the State of Kuwait, which resulted in the seven-month long Iraqi occupation of Kuwait, which subsequently led to direct military intervention by United States-led forces in the Gulf...
, was published in 1991. It was based on interviews she conducted with Kuwaitis who had fled to Cairo, Saudi Arabia, London and Washington, D.C. The book was published before the war
Gulf War
The Persian Gulf War , commonly referred to as simply the Gulf War, was a war waged by a U.N.-authorized coalition force from 34 nations led by the United States, against Iraq in response to Iraq's invasion and annexation of Kuwait.The war is also known under other names, such as the First Gulf...
broke out. Advertisements in the major newspapers and on network television featured the book with the accompanying tag line: "Read it and you'll know why we're there". The Kuwaiti Embassy in Washington paid to send 200,000 copies of it to American troops in the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
.
The Princess Trilogy
- Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia
978-0967673745 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC (March 1, 2001)
Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, her second book, chronicles the life of Sultana, a purported Saudi princess. It claims to be a true story, detailing gender inequalities experienced by Saudi Arabian women. The identity of Sultana (a pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
) is concealed to assure her safety. The book remained on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for 13 weeks. In 1995, a lawsuit was brought against the author of the book alleging plagiarism. The lawsuit was later dismissed. The court held that the plaintiff's claim was "objectively unreasonable" and directed her to pay the defendants' legal fees.
- Princess Sultana's Daughters
978-0967673752 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC; 1 edition (March 1, 2001)
As second-generation members of the royal family who have benefited from Saudi oil wealth, Maha and Amani are surrounded by untold opulence and luxury from the day they were born and which they take for granted. In Princess Sultana's Daughters, Sasson exposes the stifling and unbearably restrictive lifestyle imposed on these women. They have reacted in equally desperate ways. Their stories are set against traditional Saudi Arabian culture and social mores.
- Princess Sultana's Circle
978-0967673769 - Windsor-Brooke Books, LLC (May 1, 2002)'
When Sultana's niece is forced into an arranged marriage with a cruel, depraved older man and a royal cousin's secret harem of sex slaves is revealed, Sultana's attempts at intervention in their various plights are thwarted. But when her nephews are caught committing an unspeakable act against a 12-year-old girl, Sultana is galvanized into action. Risking her personal status and wealth, she takes a stand against the complacency of her male relatives over the child's fate. Ultimately, in Princess Sultana's Circle, Sultana and her sisters vow to form a circle of support that will surround and shelter abused women and girls.
Mayada: Daughter of Iraq
978-0525948117 - Dutton Adult; First Edition edition (October 16, 2003)When Jean Sasson was assigned to be Mayada Al-Askari's translator in 1998, during a trip to Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, she could never have imagined where her friendship with this prominent Iraqi woman would take her. The two women kept in contact until, in 1999, Mayada was arrested by Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein
Saddam Hussein Abd al-Majid al-Tikriti was the fifth President of Iraq, serving in this capacity from 16 July 1979 until 9 April 2003...
's secret police. Allegations that Myada had been producing anti-regime pamphlets were brought fourth, and she was confined in Iraq's brutal Baladiyat Prison for over a month, fated to visit the torture rooms and wait crowded cells. In cell 52, Myada was imprisoned with 17 other "shadow women" whose lives had similarly been interrupted with false allegations and hardships. Sasson tells their stories.
Love in a Torn Land
978-0470067291 - Wiley (March 5, 2007)In this true love story, Sasson focuses on the life of a Kurdish
Kurdish people
The Kurdish people, or Kurds , are an Iranian people native to the Middle East, mostly inhabiting a region known as Kurdistan, which includes adjacent parts of Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey...
woman living in Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and the broader story of ethnic tensions between the Kurds, Iraqis, Turks, Iranians, and Syrians. Joanna Al-Askari Hussain marries a freedom-fighter, and makes his fight her own, persevering through genocide campaigns, deaths of friends, and missile attacks that cause the sky to rain down the bodies of dead birds.
Growing Up bin Laden
Najwa bin LadenNajwa Ghanem
Najwa bin Laden , née Ghanem, is a Syrian woman who was the first wife and first cousin of Osama bin Laden. Her father is the brother of Osama's mother, Hamida al-Attas . Najwa was "promised" in marriage to Osama. She is the mother of Saad bin Laden, as well as at least 10 more children...
, who married her cousin Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
at the age of 15, is his first wife and the mother to eleven children, seven of Osama's sons and four of his daughters. Omar bin Laden is the fourth son of Osama bin Laden. Najwa and Omar narrate details about the drama, tensions, and everyday activities of the man they knew as a husband and father. Until Omar and his mother approached Sasson, no other writer or journalist had access to this type of personal information.
Growing Up bin Laden is a book based on interviews with the wife and son of Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Laden
Osama bin Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden was the founder of the militant Islamist organization Al-Qaeda, the jihadist organization responsible for the September 11 attacks on the United States and numerous other mass-casualty attacks against civilian and military targets...
.