View Single Post
Old 01-30-2008, 09:37 PM   #43 (permalink)
Aisha Azar
V.I.P.
 
Aisha Azar's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2006
Location: Pacific Northwest USA
Posts: 4,455
Reputation: 120
Default Marianne Alireza

Quote:
Originally Posted by Mosaic View Post
I just finished reading a book " At The Drop of a Veil" by Marianne Alireza. Fantastic true account of her life in Saudi during 40s to 60s. It is out of print, I bought it 2nd hand.
Marianne Alireza is an American woman who meet her husband at Uni.

She spent her day with the women folk of the family, they cooked, played various games, looked after the children, visited friends or they visited her family. They were a well off family, and less restricted that many of that era, but always wore the abaya outdoors. From what I gathered the poorer folk had similar but more restrictive lives and worked a lot harder to make ends meet.

The poor of today I can only guess, but I would think life is pretty hard for them, the men as well as they have to make ends meet day in and day out, but of course they can come and go more or less as they please. The women would be bound to the home or close to it. Friends and family and children, would be the mainstay of these women I would think

The book really gave a great insight into life in Saudi during its move from a poor nation to being oil rich.

Dear Mosaic,
It's a great book!! Marianne Alireza is now divorced from her Saudi husband,if I remember correctly. ( Please do not quote me here, because it is highly possible I have her mixed up with someone else.) She had several children herself ,and she has also done lectures and written articles. I love her!!
Regards,
A'isha
Aisha Azar is offline