American Chick in Saudi Arabia - Jean Sasson.pdf

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Dear Reader,
Welcome to the first installment of bestselling writer Jean Sasson ’s memoir,
AMERICAN CHICK IN SAUDI ARABIA.
In AMERICAN CHICK, Sasson focuses on three very different women—a Bedouin, a
wealthy princess and a wife who has been brutalized by her husband—to show readers
just what domestic life was like for “ordinary” Saudi women.
Many readers will recall the shock and fascination that gripped them when, twenty years
ago, they first read Sasson’s book PRINCESS: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in
Saudi Arabia . PRINCESS fairly defined popular nonfiction. PRINCESS was assigned in
high school and college classes. It was shared by mothers and daughters. Sasson opened a
window into a secret world, proffering readers a glimpse into a region of the globe that
until then little interested or concerned most Westerners.
In the past two decades, we’ve learned the crucial role that Saudi Arabia plays in our
economy. We now know US foreign policy is intimately linked to the politics of Saudi
rulers. And we may look at photographs of shiny big office buildings in Riyadh and
Jeddah and we may hear news of diplomatic missions with the Saudi ambassador and
conclude, “I’m looking at a modern country.”
But it would be wrong to conclude that the modernization of Saudi Arabia’s
infrastructure means that life has changed for Saudi women. The truth is that life for
women in Saudi Arabia has remained much the same as it was when Jean Sasson wrote
PRINCESS.
In the year 2012, most Saudi women still must shroud themselves completely before
venturing outdoors. Its women cannot drive. Young girls are still married off to brutal
older men. For a woman to leave an unwilling husband is virtually impossible. Men may
divorce their wives simply by repeating the words, "I divorce you" three times, while
unhappy women are instructed by religious authorities to go home and make their
husbands happy. Although most Saudi women are educated, only ten percent of the
workforce is female, and those women are forbidden to work alongside men.
Good news of women’s social progress in Saudi Arabia is rare and often spotted with
inconsistencies. Recently, a Saudi woman was appointed an Olympic torch-bearer—the
first woman chosen to represent Saudi Arabia at the Olympic games—but within a week,
the government forbade Saudi women to participate at all. King Abdullah recently
decreed that women will be permitted to vote in the 2015 elections, although her actual
participation at the polls is determined by the man who rules her: her father, husband or
son. It’s astonishing and sad that the glacial pace of change for women in Saudi Arabia
means PRINCESS still aptly describes current life there.
Twenty years ago, PRINCESS was an immediate bestseller. Sasson went on to write five
other bestselling true stories of Mideast women. Her most recent book—GROWING UP
BIN LADEN, written with the cooperation of Omar Bin Laden and his mother Najwah—
convinced journalists and academics that Sasson’s great popularity is grounded in a deep
comprehension of the region’s history.
As Jean’s editor and now her agent, I have always wanted Jean to share the story of how
the Mideast looked from her personal perspective. I was also fascinated by her courage
and her indefatigable quest for answers. How did a small-town Southern girl end up
living in Saudi Arabia for twelve years? What was it like to walk through Riyadh in an
abaaya and veil? How did it feel to confront a roaming mutaawa? And what is it like for
the first wife of a Saudi prince...when the prince decides he wants an additional wife?
Most of all, how could Jean Sasson simultaneously love this land and its people yet see
the many flaws so clearly?
AMERICAN CHICK IN SAUDIA ARABIA is the result.
In succeeding volumes Jean Sasson will tell the stories of her often-dangerous,
sometimes-funny and always-poignant encounters with women and men in Lebanon,
Kuwait, Iraq and Thailand.
AMERICAN CHICK is written with generosity and knowledge. It’s only 30,000 words
long. It will leave you wanting to learn more.
With best wishes,
Liza Dawson
Liza Dawson Associates
Praise for PRINCESS:
"Absolutely riveting and profoundly sad..." --People
"Unforgettable...fascinating...a book to move you to tears." --Fay Weldon
"A chilling story...a vivid account of an air-conditioned nightmare..." --Entertainment
Weekly
"Must-reading for anyone interested in human rights." --USA Today
"Shocking...candid...sad, sobering, and compassionate..." --San Francisco Chronicle
Links to just a few of the recent national and international articles about Jean Sasson.
And check out her web site www.Jeansasson.com for more information:
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American Chick in Saudi Arabia
a memoir
Jean Sasson

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