Daring to Drive

April 1, 2017
Inside the walls of segregation and oppression dictating the lives of Saudi women.Arrested and imprisoned for "driving while female" in Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in 2011, Saudi author and activist al-Sharif, formerly an information security expert at the Aramco oil company, chronicles her long path to feminist activism within a deeply conservative Islamic culture. From forced circumcision at age 8, condoned by her largely uneducated parents, to extreme segregation between the sexes in her poor community of Mecca, including separate entrances, covered windows, high walls, and the necessity for a guardian or close male relative to accompany women anywhere and sign any legal documents, the author found emancipation very gradually, a process she compares to the experience of those involved in the American civil rights movement. Indeed, in Saudi Arabia, the dictates of religious culture, rather than law, were and are iron-clad regarding women; al-Sharif required the permission of her father to pursue everything from education at King Abdulaziz University in Jeddah (considered a scandalously "liberal, progressive city") to her first job at Aramco (the only IT woman employed during her 10 years there) to marriage. The author's decision to drive emerged from a long frustration with getting around via hired drivers and costly taxis, as all Saudi women were consigned to do: in a kind of perverse logic, al-Sharif had bought a car for her hired driver to use. Yet after a liberating work trip in America, where she got an actual license, she convinced her brother to help her drive and sympathetic women friends to video the great moment behind the wheel, which led to her arrest and harassment by the religious police. Ultimately, al-Sharif's appalling conclusion is that, in her country, "if you want to race with men, you'd have to do it with your hands and legs cut off." An intimate and powerful book from what is hopefully only the first of many Saudi voices to speak out.

COPYRIGHT(2017) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

February 1, 2017

This eye-opening memoir recounts al-Sharif's journey from religious radicalism (she melted her brother's cassettes in the oven because the music was forbidden) to women's rights activist in Saudi Arabia, imprisoned in 2011 for driving a car.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from April 15, 2017

Al-Sharif starts this account with a story of rebellion and turns it into a striking, nuanced memoir of what it means to "drive while female" in Saudi Arabia. While al-Sharif's efforts in the 2011 Women2Drive movement and her subsequent imprisonment led to her role as a women's rights activist, it is the story of her traditional Saudi upbringing, her youthful radicalization, and her eventual change of heart that makes for a truly eye-opening read. At times, her words are harrowing; her descriptions of life as a woman, let alone a child, are difficult to read. Details of violence and harassment are frequent, but these are tempered by a love of family and faith that shines throughout the narrative, revealing the paradox of life in Saudi Arabia where women are equally revered and reviled. VERDICT Fascinating, powerful, and heartbreaking, al-Sharif's story should be required reading. Perfect for readers interested in Middle Eastern affairs, gender politics, and international women's rights, as well as the role of social media in worldwide activism.--Gricel Dominguez, Florida International Univ. Lib.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2017
In 2011, Manal Al-Sharif was arrested and jailed for driving a car in Khobar, Saudi Arabia. Her imprisonment attracted international attention to the country's restrictions on women. Manal's memoir chronicles her evolution from a fiercely religious young woman into a champion of women's rights and the face of the Women2Drive movement. Though there is no legal statute barring women from driving, Saudi culture enforces strict customs that force women to rely on hired drivers and male relatives to get around. Without reliable transportation, many women are unable to work, run basic errands, or even seek medical attention in emergencies. After her arrest, Manal was slandered in the national press, received death threats, and was denounced by religious leaders. In addition to her driving, Manal's experiences as a young woman highlight the many other barriers for women, such as the requirement to have a male guardian's permission for most decisions. Her memoir is an intimate look at life for women growing up in Saudi Arabia and the challenges of seeking major social change.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)