Jean Sasson

Jean P. Sasson is an American writer whose work mainly centers around women in the Middle East.

Biography Growing up in a small town, Sasson found adventure between the pages of books. Her strong desire to uproot herself from her rural surroundings led her to jump at the opportunity to work and travel abroad. In 1978 she traveled to Saudi Arabia to work in the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh as an administrative coordinator of medical affairs., where she met Peter Sasson, her future husband. They married in 1982 and Sasson left the hospital after four years of service, but the couple remained in Saudi Arabia until 1990.

Sasson is currently based in Atlanta, Georgia.

Works The Rape of Kuwait – Knightsbridge (January 1991) Ester's Child – Windsor-Brooke (September 1, 2001) Mayada: Daughter of Iraq – Dutton Adult (October 16, 2003) Love in a Torn Land: Joanna of Kurdistan: The True Story of a Freedom Fighter's Escape from Iraqi Vengeance – Wiley (March 5, 2007) Growing Up bin Laden: Osama's Wife and Son Take Us Inside Their Secret World St. Martin's Press, (2009) For the Love of a Son: One Afghan Woman's Quest for Her Stolen Child Bantam (February 1, 2011) Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival – LDA (October 3, 2013)

Princess Sultana Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia – Windsor-Brooke (March 1, 2001) Princess Sultana's Daughters – Windsor-Brooke (March 1, 2001) (UK Title: Daughters of Arabia (, Bantam, 2004) Princess Sultana's Circle – Windsor-Brooke (May 1, 2002) (UK title: Desert Royal (, Bantam, 2004) Princess, More Tears to Cry – Transworld Doubleday UK (August 28, 2014) Princess, Secrets to Share – Penguin Books (November 30, 2015) Princess, Stepping out of the Shadows – Random House (August 1, 2019)

Reception

Though the Princess Sultana series is presented as an account of a real Saudi princess, external commentators have argued that the princess does not really exist. Former United States ambassador to Saudi Arabia James Akins and writer Jack Shaheen pointed out what they described as factual inaccuracies and implausibilities in the books. Akins stated that Saudis have not attempted to discern the identity of the princess because they consider the stories to be fictional.

Awards and honors Princess was selected as one of the best "500 Great Books by Women" The New York Times Best Seller list The Sunday Times Best Seller List Princess – chosen as an Alternate Selection of the Literary Guild Doubleday Book Club Princess – chosen as A Reader's Digest Selection Princess was a Bestseller in over 25 countries around the world

Other works American Chick in Saudi Arabia (Kindle Edition only, not a full book)