| Fifteen year old Zana Muhsen and her younger sister Nadia were living a normal teenage in Birmingham in a Muslim family. One day their strict father told them that they would be going on a six week holiday to the Yemen where they would experience white sandy beaches and camel racing. Little did they know the real reason why they were being sent there until Zana was the first to go.
When she arrived with her father's friend, she was told that she and Nadia had been sold by their father into illegal marriages with two boys who lived in their village. Their lives turned into nightmares when they suddenly had to endure beatings, rape and childbirth at a very young age. Their in-laws forced the girls to write letters to their mother telling them that they were having a wonderful holiday, but she soon found out why they were really in the Yemen. Somehow the girls got in touch with journalist Eileen MacDonald, who interviewed them and took photographs of the girls in their hostile environment. Their mother also got in touch with the authorities in the Yemen, who agreed that both marriages were illegal. Unfortunately, only Zana was able to escape and return to worldwide fame, and Nadia is still in the Yemen. However Zana promised to try every possible way to remove her sister from her imprisonment. | ||
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Plot & Themes Political/social rights fight Yes Plotlet: Ethnic/Relig. of subject (inside) Gender/Class story? - woman's story Ethnic/regional/gender Yes Subject of Biography Gender - Female Ethnicity - Arab Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 5 () Desert? Yes Writing Style Book makes you feel? - thoughtful Graphic sex in book? Yes What kind of sex: - rape/molest Pictures/Illustrations? - More 6-10 B&W How much dialogue in bio? - significantly more descript than dialog |
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