A Father's Betrayal

I thoroughly enjoyed this biography, even as it was written in the Author's voice, however unedited! It was actually refreshing to read and created an odd sort of connection that made the author real to me, made her and her story come alive in my imagination as I read her accounts, made her various family members real as well with the whole range of emotions as you read! I can't imagine the cultural shock of her and her sisters going from a British upbringing in a modern society to the restrictive environment they found themselves in! On one hand, the author may have been able to adapt slightly better being younger; as clearly the older sister rebelled in the ultimate way - choosing suicide than the life that awaited her. My heart broke for the girl Manu. I'm glad she stood up to her dad, which forced the hand in her getting out of there. She'd clearly been wishing and dreaming for it and was scared to do anything about it; yet this really was the breaking point - die if she stuck around; die trying to escape; try to escape, get caught and die/get killed anyway most likely; or try to escape and she just might make it! Up til the end you hold your breathe if she's gonna make it. Her story really shed light on how girls and women are treated in other areas of the world that most Westerners really can't begin to imagine! To go from 60's/70's England and all the freedoms girls and women world wide were experiencing then being abruptly moved to a remote village that had no running water, no electricity, no plumbing, pure survival in the middle of nowhere and no hope but to maybe marry a 'nice' guy! She was extremely lucky in her first marriage, with mutual love and adoration and even love and support of his family! It was tragic when he died! To go from the love she'd found to the brutal, cruel, abusive guy she was forced to marry...! The end was very abrupt and very unsatisfying. It left so many questions and loose ends! I'd have loved for it to have had a epilogue where it told of her integration back into British society, how she was able to raise her kids, how the reunion with her former foster Dad/family went, and what happened to all the extended family members she wrote extensively about - her sister Yas, Nebat, the little cousin, the absent husband, the obsessed dad, the boyfriend left behind, the extended family members... Reading so much about them, you almost feel like you know them, they're real people with personalities and character - what happened to them all? Thanks to google and a number of British online news links, I was able to answer the most pressing questions; but still felt her story was left incomplete in that sense. The crazy thing is that the foster dad tried to protect them and keep them, he went up against the authorities who all turned a blind eye to him! If only they'd taken him seriously then these girls would not have had to experience such atrocities! Yet now she's an avid advocate and her experiences strengthen the argument against child marriages, having experienced it so fully...

This book was an eye opener as it deals with the true life story of a young English girl taken to Yemen by her father and sold off as a bride. Its important for us to understand these things DO happen and that there is a large segment of the population that believes in enslavement of women as a religious tenant. Surprisingly enough, the young girl is amazing resilient and defiant and is truly heroic. There is love and anguish, it is not all one sided. I found it interesting and enlightening.

This story is a tremendous testimony to the adaptability of most humans, the sibling bond, and the lengths a GOOD parent will go to in order to protect his or her children! It is also a fascinating detailed story of another country, the culture and the systemic oppression of women and female children! Can we TRULY imagine what it must be like to be sold by a parent? How about married as a child and thus forth looked upon as property? Can we even imagine how it must feel to be a child or young person, married off to someone much older that you don't really know and DEFINITELY don't love? Or to have a bunch of family and friends waiting outside the door of our bedroom to actually SEE evidence that the woman bled on her wedding night? As you read this book, you will find yourself cheering for Muna, her sisters and later her children as they struggle to survive through language barriers, greatly restricted freedom, abuse of all kinds and much more. You will find yourself saddened, happy and everything in between. This is a very well written and edited book that is definitely worth the time to purchase and read!

The true story of Muna and her sisters tell of the everyday basic sacrifices, struggles & abuses they suffer both as children and as adult women. It was awe inspiring to even comprehend Muna could ever laugh much less have hope of a better future as she dreamed of freedom in England from seemingly inescapable situations. Muna & her sisters labored in the hardest of environments in a tiny isolated village in Yemen were they lived without running water, electricity, proper medical care, or basic human rights for females. Reading the parts about how bread was cooked in the clay oven and meals prepared was worth the cost of the book alone. The poor girls even had to wade waist deep in a barrel of goat & sheep dung to mix it up to make round fuel patties for the cooking stove. The girls were abused by their father & paternal grandfather. Muna was sold into marriage at 13. She underwent a lifetime of tragedy. She is one of the bravest & most special women I have ever been honored to read about or hear about. Since reading this book, I've searched on Gabriella Gillespie, the Author, and been following her brave outreach work on Twitter & in UK news articles. She is bringing her story public to spotlight child brides & female abuse. I wish her & her beautiful family continued success & Good Wishes. I can't wait for a follow-up book. THIS BOOK is certainly a must read!!!!! It will touch your heart & soul!!!

We in the US do not always understand the cultures of other countries, especially in the Hindu and Muslim countries. This true story illustrated the differences vividly. The men were revered and obeyed irregardless, and the woman, wives, sisters, daughters were treated like second class citizens. The author survived so much in her young life from the time her mother disappeared to the beatings she received from her father and husband to being sold at 13 as a child bride. Reads slowly but still engaging, tho sorrowful. Written during the 70's- to late 1990's, i usually do not read much from the time petiod, but this was worth reading.

It was a terribly compulsive read. A very horrific life but a very determined woman . So very brave !

Als Lehrerin komme ich immer öfter in Kontakt mit Einwanderern aus dem Nahen und Mittleren Osten, als auch aus Afrika, vor allem Somalia. Dieses Buch war ein 'eye opener'. Die Geschichte der drei Schwestern, die aus England in den Jemen reisen und dann da vom Vater und den eigenen Verwandten festgehalten werden, war herzzerreisend. Ich habe dieses Buch an einem Wochenende gelesen. Das Verhalten gewisser männlicher Einwanderer kann man nun besser einordnen (aber nicht verstehen), wenn man erfährt, dass schon die kleinsten Jungs ihre Schwestern so abwertend ja fast als Sklaven behandeln dürfen, ja sollen. Wenn ich es richtig verstanden habe, dann ist dies eine echte Biographie. Jetzt verstehe ich die Situation der Mädchen besser, die plötzlich, nach den Ferien als verheiratete wieder erscheinen. Dabei haben sie noch Glück, dass sie doch wieder hier in Westeuropa sind. Dass auch intelligente'westliche' Frauen auf solche Männer hereinfallen, zeigt die Geschichte der Botschaftsangestellten, die der Ich-erzählerin des Buches hilft, alles für die Flucht nach England zu ordnen. Das Englisch ist leicht zu lesen.

A gripping book about cruelty and courage that highlights the plight of sisters living in Yemen and a way of life that people live in that country. A brilliant read that draws you in and makes you angry about how people are treated and have no voice or any rights purely by being female. Shocking at times to read about what the sisters and others had to deal with just to survive and could not put the book down

i never leave reviews but thought i should leave one as Muna has wanted to share her story about her horrific life in yemen. i really feel for Muna. her story was captivating yet devastating. i couldnt put it down. i had to know what became of her And her family. it was so interesting reading about life as a yemeni woman. the descriptions really made you feel like you were there. great writing Gabriella. what happened to Munas sister Yas?

It is not a very hard book to read. And also all the details in this book gives you an impression like you are inside the story. It is very sad to know all what happened and equality between female and male is still a serious problem in some areas worldwide. Hopefully, books like this could enlighten people to treat women well.