the powerful villains

This wonderfully written story about an Iraqi woman was penned by Jean Sasson, the talented author of a number of excellent books on the Middle East (Princess; Ester's Child, etc.)

I read this book in one sitting and I don't have the time for such reading as I have young children--but I couldn't help myself.

Although no one likes war, after reading this book about the life of an Iraqi woman who suffered in Saddam's torture prisons, I believe most people against the currect military situation with foreign troops stationed in Iraq, will have to agree that some good came from the decision to oust Saddam. He was an evil man with evil followers.

I am haunted by the stories of the shadow women--women who were imprisoned with Mayada, and hope that the author & Mayada can enlighten Sasson's readers on the fate of these women. Did they survive, and if so, where are they now? I feel I MUST know.

Thanks to Jean Sasson who continues to travel to dangerous places and enlighten the rest of us on the lives of women we come to know and love, but would have never knew existed without Sasson's courageous travels.

For anyone who ever questioned or were against the removing of Saddam Hussein from power needs to read this book immediately. This is especially true for any of you human rights activists who are against Operation Iraqi Freedom.

This book thouroughly details the story of a young, divorced mother who was making a nice life for herself, despite the brutal ecomnomic embargo placed on that country due to Saddam's actions, only to have her place of business trashed by Saddam's henchmen in an effort to try and find "evidence" of someone writing up anti-government flyers. Despite not finding anything of this sort, Mayada (the main character in this story, whose family is famous and very well known throughout the Arab world) was arrested anyway and was thrown into one of Saddam's infamous prisons. She was locked in a small cell with 17 other women.

From there the book details these brave women's (and also goes into the men's suffering as well) coping with the stress of prison life in Saddam Hussein's Iraq. The book goes into the horrendous torture methods used upon these people and the aftermath of their torture; the squalid conditions of prison life over there; the cries of wanting to see their families again, but knowing they may never see them again; and their battle to keep each other's spirits up despite the brutal conditions.

This book goes into such detail that I could almost feel the soles of my own bare feet being caned until the bottoms of my feet were so scarred that I would not be able to walk.

What also is interesting here is the very minor "offenses" these poor people committed to get themselves in this position. They were imprisoned for everything from hearing anti-government statements to flat out false accusations.

This book is an absolute must read for it will permanently show you just how satanic Saddam Hussein and his horrible regeime really were and why on the human rights violations alone (never mind the WMD issue and his long support for terrorism) were more than enough to justify a war to remove him from power. No one deserves to live like that under constant fear.

Do yourself a favor and read this book it is well worth the time, especially with everything going on in Iraq right now.

Jean Sasson has given a voice to one of the most oppressed groups in the world today - Arab women. First with Princess and now with Mayada. After reading this book, it really makes it seem laughable the so-called "tortures" that US soldiers were doing to Iraqi prisoners in Abu Ghraib. Saddam's henchmen would not have even used their methods to warm up. They went straight to beatings and electrocution.

The book was carefully written and moves very quickly. There are no slow spots. It was very revealing of the kind of lives people live under a brutal dictatorship such as Saddam's. Unfortunately, there are others just as bad, if not worse. Just ask the North Koreans.