Queens Of The Kingdom by Nicola Sutcliff

Author : Nicola Sutcliff
Title : Queens Of The Kingdom
Published : 2019
Publisher : Simon & Schuster
Pages : 384
Genre : Non Fiction

     The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is one of the most mysterious and secretive societies in modern times and the lives of the women living there are perhaps the most intriguing aspect of all. What do the women of Saudi Arabia really think about their lives? What are their hopes and dreams? To separate fact from fiction, Nicola Sutcliff spent four years living in the Kingdom, meeting and interviewing women of all ages and from all walks of life. Their stories are presented here and paint a portrait of a country that appears to be on the cusp of change. Meet Hafsa, a Bedouin who gave birth to eleven children in the open desert; Jamila, the first wife in a polygamous household; Aya, a medical student who married a stranger in order to pursue her education. Meet these and many others and discover what they think about subjects as diverse as education, driving, the religious police, male guardianship, social media, women's rights, love, marriage, underground parties, under-the-abaya fashion, and sexuality. 

     I think too often when people mention Saudi Arabia they already have an image in their heads. We all do it, it's something that is hard to avoid. Over the years we have been fed a steady drip-fed of all the ills this place has to offer. I don't think I can ever remember a news article mentioning anything good. But as is often the case reality is always far more complicated than fiction or for that matter what the news would have us believe. It is somewhere that I always felt I should try and learn a bit more about maybe better understand it's people and customs. Over the years I have learnt certain sections within a society give you the best glimpse into how they function. In how can I put it a more unbiased view. The biggest of which is how they treat women after all you do make up half the world's population, but are forever seeming to get the raw end of the stick.

     The kingdom has without a doubt has gained a reputation for having some of the worst track records in how women are treated. We in the west see them as being kept prisoners of their religion and government. Too often the only image we have is of women draped from head to toe, only their eyes visible to the outside world. But does this really project the correct idea or is it simply a stereotype pushed on us to see them as a backward society. After all the whole country has been branded terrorists by certain governments. As you can imagine I went into this book with a whole lot of preconceived ideas. It is something I tried to push to the back of my mind and to keep my eyes open to what the truth might just be. 

     In many ways, this is a beautiful book showing a wide cross-section of women living in a modern Saudi Arabia. It struck me that Sutcliff had done her best to traverse the landscape in search of many different voices. Each showing a unique view of there world. There is a vibrancy here, despite the many things holding them back they all are striving to live there own lives to the fullest. As a reader, I might not always agree with the choices they make but it is not my part to play. It strikes me that each of them is looking for the positives to shine down on them. They much like all of us are striving for a better future despite the mountain they must climb. And while there are a great many things we would see as unfair or unjust "which to be fair there are a great many" This book and author have shown me that things are moving In the last ten years or so things have moved the mountain has become a little smaller. As is mentioned in the book the Kingdom moves at its own pace and should we force our lifestyle on them all in one giant lump I would imagine the whole thing would collapse. I am sure that in the future they will get there and it will be a great day for them. 

     This book works as a two-fold narrative in terms of expanding my ideas of a place I have never been to. It does truly make you appreciate the freedoms we have. Too often I think we take the small things for granted. But it is always good to remember that our small might just be someone else large. It also showed me that these women have found ways to push back against a repressive regime. For some of these women, they are the suffragettes of there world fighting the good fight.  They fill there lives with as much joy and happiness as they can.  And for this, I have a great deal of respect for them. It is also probably best to stop thinking of it as one country with a single people. This is a land of many people and many different ideas as to how life should be lived. Sutcliff has shown me a world and people I could never have met in the real world and for that, I will be eternally grateful.