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Mayada stamt uit een trotse, Arabische familie met een rijke historie: haar overgrootmoeder was een van de laatste Ottomaanse prinsessen, haar grootvader vocht samen met 'Lawrence of Arabia' en haar oom
was bijna veertig jaar Eerste Minister van Irak. Mayada werkt als journalist en vertaler en leidt een leven vol luxe en privileges. Maar als Saddam Hoessein en zijn Baath-partij de macht grijpen, komt er abrupt een
einde aan de invloed van de familie. Van de ene op de andere dag moet Mayada als alleenstaande moeder met twee kinderen vechten om het hoofd boven water te houden.

Irak wordt een land waar angst en terreur het dagelijkse leven bepalen. De geheime politie voert een waar schrikbewind en ook Mayada ontkomt niet aan haar klauwen. Ze wordt opgepakt op beschuldiging van
hoogverraad en opgesloten in de meest gevreesde gevangenis van Irak. In haar cel bevinden zich nog zeventien andere vrouwen met wie ze al snel bevriend raakt. Om te ontsnappen aan de vernederingen en martelingen vertellen ze elkaar over hun lot. In de hoop dat een van hen de gruwelen van de gevangenis
zal overleven om hun geschiedenis te delen met de rest van de wereld.

Dit is het aangrijpende verhaal van een moedige vrouw en haar fascinerende familie, de ondergang van Irak en de zeventien celgenoten van Mayada.

Mayada. What can I say about this book? It is hard because I am in the minority thinking this is not such a great book.

Yes I do agree it was interesting to get to know a bit of gossip about Saddam Hussein but most interesting was of course the history of Iraq and I noticed many readers really thought that was interesting and I agree.

Why I did not like the book as much as others did is because of the way Jean Sasson writes. She seems to be more a romance writer and I have read other books by her but with this book it started to become a hinder.. She is always trying to make the muslim world a beautiful world but that is not easy when you are talking about women in a cell being tortured by very cruel muslim men, but then made the women that had been in that jail for years and being tortured many times, laugh and joke a lot.
Very unrealistic

In one passage she writes about the most beautiful man she had ever seen.

Quote: while she was in that terror cell: Maya stared at the ceiling,remembering one of the most physically exquisite men she had met.
An image of his handsome face floated before her eyes. She recalled how a playful smile often dimpled his mouth.
He was so handsome it was rumored that many women fell in love with him at first sight. His name was Ali Hassan Al-Majid aka Chemical Ali.end of quote

She made me so curious I decided to look him up.


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WTF!!!!!!!!!!!!!


So most of the women in this book are gorgeous with green eyes and are victim.

I am not so sure about that anymore after reading [bc:Infidel|81227|Infidel|Ayaan Hirsi Ali|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388256729s/81227.jpg|1133588]
and noticing how these women act when they have freedom. They still want to hold on to the old ways.

When reading about Iraq in this book I could not help but realize how cruel many people out there were.See the last centuries and it has always been in turmoil. So if I make the link to what is happening in Europe at the moment where many muslims are silently and not so silently supporting isis, I now understand that the Western countries should not have interfered back then. They are a totally different people than we are here while in Europe many have studied are educated and lived peaceful, accepting people from other religions,cultures and different sexual orientation, many of them think gays should be hanged, women can be used and are not worth much.

Now it seems Europe is going backwards. Gays have to be more careful again. Jews do not feel so safe as they did before and I did not even begin about the muslim terrorism. Women can not walk on the streets without being called whore even when wearing jeans and a normal top so perhaps that is why I get annoyed when she is writing about so much cruelty but still feels the need to romanticize it.

Yes I know a lot of people will not like what I am saying and I will probably be called a racist but I am sick of being silenced out of fear. ( )

"Mayada" is a fascinating story of a lady named Mayada that Jean Sasson met and befriended while she was in Iraq. Mayada's story is one that will keep you riveted and inspired. While working as a news reporter she was imprisoned in Iraq. The way Mayada and all of the shadow women (the others in her cell) were treated was both abominable and shocking.

I would also highly recommend the author's latest book "Yasmeena's Choice". This reminded me of "Mayada" very much because the story was also harrowing and fascinating. Jean Sasson has such a gift when it comes to writing true stories because she really goes out of her way to tell the full story and to educate the reader. ( )

An important book to learn more about the middle east but not a pleasant book to read because the subject was so grueling and cruel. ( )