The plot and story have been detailed many times over so I’ll get to the point: I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK and also the MOVIE - not so much for its literary style as for the narrative. Amongst other things it helps one appreciate our ’’freedom’’ - to express, to make choices, to communicate (or even to write this review) - things we take for granted every day of our lives.
Some of the other reviewers have questioned the intent & factual elements of the book... and some have used terms like ’’propaganda’’..’’pro-american’’, ’’anti-islamic’’...
I must say I find it ironic that the people who have used such phrases have written from the comforts of ’’American freedom’’ and question something which they are SO far removed from, experientially and in every other sense. Yes you do have a right to disagree but not to question the legitimacy of the writer’s experiences.
Next: Is it anti-islamic? NO!
BUT Does a woman who went through the most horrific experience of her life, in an islamic state where rules/codes are justified in the name of religion, have the right to express it as such? YES.
And pls jog yr selective memories to recall the parts where Betty and her daughter are helped by muslim people and when she highlights anti-islamic sentiment in the US..
Finally: Facts have a social context and an experiential reality. The ONLY FACT IS that it was Betty who went through what she did... if your experiences of an islamic state/rules/muslim people have been diff. - GOOD FOR YOU!
Appreciate this book for what it is: An inspiring tale of a woman’s heroic efforts to salvage a decent life for her daughter and herself. To me it symbolized the victory of an ideal all human beings strive for - freedom.