A review by cat_book_lady
Girls of Riyadh by Rajaa Alsanea

3.0

When published, this banned book was scandalous and shocking about the secret lives of 4 women living in Saudi Arabia, and we are privileged to receive an intimate view that apparently embarasses and shames their culture for the world to see. Yet, I was the one who was "shocked", only because it was all so - normal, at least through a Western lens. "Shocking" to Americans and "shocking" to Saudi Arabians are very different types of "shocking".These were regular women with regular passions and desires for education, a good marriage, and to just have a loving family. They are no different than American women who love, feel grief and loss, who want to be their own person, and who want to figure out their own identity apart from and within all their friends and families. I was utterly surprised at how this was banned in Saudi Arabia because I simply - naively - do not regard these women's thoughts, feelings, and actions as somehow wrong or immoral. I find it interesting that the women as well as the men both deride Western culture with one hand, and then embrace it with the other. They love our music, our movies, clothing, TV, hairstyles, and makeup. They supposedly hate Western culture, but are irresistibly drawn to it, even sending their sons and daughters to America for a college education. The hypocrisy was clearly evident, and perhaps therein lies the scandal because the women not only had private lives, but the author exposes their desire for the blasphemous style of Western living. I received quite an education, and kudos to this brave, courageous writer who had the audacity to show the world the intimate lives of women in the Kingdom. I wasn't much of a fan of the style in which it was written through a series of emails, and at times sounded gossipy and whiny.