In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom

Qanta's heartfelt and introspective account of her experience as an insider-yet-outsider in The Saudi Kingdom opens the door to a world most of us will never have the opportunity (or courage) to experience. It's written from an honest perspective, and she is an inspiration for a rare breed of positive, empowering women, pushing forward in self-discovery, cultural evaluation, religious introspection and overall goodness.It was surprising and eye opening to note the similarities between the traditional Muslim Saudi women and traditional Christian "Southern" women (like myself) brought to light in this book, though one would not expect to find such similarities between two seemingly divergent cultures. This book will help open your mind to connect with these far away women who often appear `hidden.'We listen to her experience daily life in The Kingdom, but also special occasions such as weddings and `girls nights out' (Saudi Style of course), on her own personal trip to Mecca, her exploration of religion and sense of self. She has a deep respect for faith and all religions, and seeks to share her experiences to open our eyes to an different way of life, an oppressive government and a highly scrutinized religion. She draws a firm line between radical Islam (she was in The Kingdom for 9/11 and this experience is included) and her own very different sense of the Muslim religion, which deserves to be heard. We watch her balancing her professional expectations with personal desires, determining what the Saudi world wants of her (too much or too little?) and how she decides what to give.Some reviewers have critiqued the writing style and editing. Yes, this is not a text book with facts and a historical story line that reads through as a timeline, nor a mystery novel with continuous conversation. Yet, does real life ever follow these patterns? The book is an honest evaluation and memoir of a real person's experience abroad, comparing her own beliefs and personal experiences and ultimately having the courage to share it all with the public.

I have been curious about Muslim women and had some preconceived notions of what they were like. I thought they were treated much like slaves were treated and they accepted the abuse and subjugation with a sad dismissal. I was glad to know that they are like the rest of us in many ways and there are actually feminists in their ranks. I have to wonder exactly when the men were allowed to change Islam to enslave them so? Why did they put up with it? How could independent women and open-minded men allow this to happen? The book relates some of this, but not all. I realized the book relayed a spiritual awakening for Qanta. I was happy to see that she learned about her religion, but I wonder why she wasn't taught about this earlier? She isn't alone in this. I realized in all religions, there are people who do not ask questions or learn for themselves. It was such a relief to know she questioned the answers at times and had many questions about everything there.Others have criticized her style of writing. It was different, but not bad. I have seen much worse from very popular authors who apparently were not introduced to an editor at all. Some of the sayings and initials were a bit much at times, but I imagine if you were to read a Christian book, some of those would tend to irritate as well. One thing that annoyed me was that if you were drawing conclusions about women in Saudi Arabia from this book, they are all the most gorgeous women in the world. If one was to remove the coverings, the beauty would just be incredible! No wonder they are all covered! It would be more than any male could stand. Of course, she also believes the men are also absolutely gorgeous and sexy especially in their robes.At any rate, I enjoyed the book a lot. It was a real learning experience and I enjoyed reading about her trip to Mecca for Hajj. It is very hard to believe that women in this day and age have to put up with so much. I am glad things have changed for the better, but there is so much more to be done.This was a Kindle book and some of the words were cut, but that's how it is. It was still easy to see what was meant.