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A review by evelikesbooks
Between Two Worlds by Zainab Salbi
4.0
After Zainab Salbi had gotten together with her husband, they discussed what they would do if someone were to say to one of them, "kill this person or I'll kill your wife/husband." Salbi had been working in war zones and this wasn't just a purely academic question. They decided that at some point someone has to say "no" and made a pact that they wouldn't kill anyone, even if it meant their wife/husband would be killed or hurt.
Zainab Salbi lived through a lot of psychological damage. Her parents were forced to be friends with Saddam Hussein. It was like an abusive marriage, where people outside might ask why they didn't just leave. Part of the issue was that if her parents had taken the kids and left, their other family members would have suffered for it. Salbi had to pretend to love Saddam Hussein, to be excited to spend time with him, even when she was afraid of him. I don't think she knew as a kid that he was a murderer, but she knew he was dangerous and that expressing any kind of displeasure about him would be putting her whole family in danger.
Zainab Salbi lived through a lot of psychological damage. Her parents were forced to be friends with Saddam Hussein. It was like an abusive marriage, where people outside might ask why they didn't just leave. Part of the issue was that if her parents had taken the kids and left, their other family members would have suffered for it. Salbi had to pretend to love Saddam Hussein, to be excited to spend time with him, even when she was afraid of him. I don't think she knew as a kid that he was a murderer, but she knew he was dangerous and that expressing any kind of displeasure about him would be putting her whole family in danger.