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Burned Alive: A Survivor of an "Honor Killing" Speaks Out (Paperback)

~ (Author) "I am a girl..." (more)
Key Phrases: honor crime, Edmond Kaiser, West Bank, Middle East (more...)
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

When she was 18, her brother-in-law poured gasoline on her and set her aflame. She was meant to die because she was pregnant and unmarried, bringing disgrace to her parents. But she survived, and now, 25 years later, "Souad" bears witness to the horror of "honor crimes" that kill thousands of women every year in many countries across the world. She begins with a bitter account of what it was like to grow up female in a remote Palestinian village in the Occupied Territory. "Being born a girl was a curse." Unlike her brother, she never went to school. Her father beat her daily. She worked as a shepherd, a "consenting slave." She barely glimpsed the city, where women were free to work and move around. Her rescuer was Jacqueline, a European aid worker, who was in the Middle East to care for children in distress and who arranged for the badly burned young woman to be flown to Switzerland, where she and her newborn baby received medical care and support. Today Souad is "somewhere in Europe," married with three children, her testimony still anonymous for her protection. Occasional chapters by Jacqueline fill in the wider context, but it's the immediacy of the shocking first-person narrative that drives home the statistics. Like Mende Nazer's Slave [BKL D 1 03], this book is a call to action. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description

Souad was a 17-year-old woman living in a small village in Jordan when she made the mistake of falling in love--an event that would lead to unspeakable acts of violence and a lifetime of exile from her homeland. Desperate to leave her abusive childhood behind, Souad begins a relationship with a neighbor--one that would leave her pregnant, and her family shamed. Now, Souad faces the only punishment her society deems acceptable: death. Her survival of her family’s attempt to kill her, leaving her with burns over 70% of her body, her dramatic escape, and her resolve to build a new life is a tale of heartbreaking drama and remarkable courage.
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Souad
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honor crime
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Burned Alive: A Survivor of an "Honor Killing" Speaks Out
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Sold
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Customer Reviews

52 Reviews
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3.8 out of 5 stars (52 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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50 of 55 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars horrible but true, July 15, 2005
This review is from: Burned Alive: A Victim of the Law of Men (Hardcover)
THis is a true story despite the fact that some of these reviewers don't want to admit it. Even the reviewer from Egypt knows this happened.

Unfortunately, it seems as if people just do not want to face the truth about a culture that minimizes or degrades the role of women in society. Souad's story is NOT the exception to the rule. Honor killings happen more often than we know. The problem I think the reviewers are having is that Souad lived and is drawing attention to a problem that exists, usually silencing the victims. Here's a case where the victim wasn't silenced afterall.

From day ONE, boys are welcomed and girls are not. Furthermore, men can have up to four wives. They do not consult their first wife and ask her if they will accept wife number 2,3, or 4! One can argue that it's a cultural preference and he or she would be correct that it's a cultural preference for the men. From what I've read, it's usually not the preference for the women involved although, admittedly, many do not question their fate. Practicing monogomy increases the woman's value in our society. Although Souad's father did NOT have other wives, the value system those in these countries have specifically devalue women. The Taliban in Afghanistan was borne from orthodoxy in Islam. Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia is also extreme.

The author's retelling of her story was moving. She freely admits that some memories are unclear. She's tormented about the fact that she cannot remember her sister's name. She recounts her life, however, with extreme honesty. She's emotional, yet removed. I am happy that this woman is living happily presently and has reunited with her son, noting that she still has to deal with her literal and figurative scars of her former life.

This might not be a usual story, but it is indeed representative of this repressive and misogynistic culture.
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15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Souad is a shero for surviving a modern-day Holocaust, September 7, 2007
"Burned Alive" is an insightful account of a heinous and violent crime, that is unfortunately rather common.

Souad describes thoughtfully how she was treated worse than an animal while she lived as a slave; owned by her father in a primitive West Bank Village. On a daily basis Souad was the victim of beatings and horrible abuse. Why is that?

Because like virtually all third-world/Islamic States, women are property; not human-beings. Souad is nothing if not honest and brave as she describes in detail how it is a sin simply to be born female. She even describes how her mother murdered her own newborn baby daughters because of their gender!

Souad was forbidden to ever speak to a man and could only go outside to work her long daily chores. When she was still a teenager one of her neighbors raped her repeatedly. She was young and vulnerable and this pig told her that he "loved" her and would "marry" her. But after Souad became pregnant this rapist abandoned her!

Poor Souad goes into detail about how she tried to hide her pregnancy because she knew that it would surely mean her execution. When her family was finally aware of her pregnancy (more than 6 months,) they had her brother-in-law douse her with gasoline and set her on fire. Soaud bravely describes how this felt and how she was treated.

This story is very sad, shocking, tragic but also hopeful. There are millions and millions of women who have been victims of these horrible honor murders. Souad is unique because she is a survivor. She survived her attempted murder. Her family left her for dead, but she survived. And she was able to start a new life!

My hope is that this book will be passed around in the Islamic third-world villages where women are treated worse than garbage. Proper education is the solution. No one deserves to be treated the way Soaud was; there is no justification for this.

Souad is a very courageous woman, not just for surviving, but for also telling her story. She still feels guilty, but if I could speak to her now I would tell her that she is a shero and has nothing to be ashamed off. Souad is a survivor.
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30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars I Just Want to Thank You - The Torture WILL STOP, August 23, 2005
By Barbara Rose (BornToInspire.com) - See all my reviews
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I want to thank you for writing this book. It is a horrific account of one woman, who is also an example of many women around the world whose human rights are less than that of an animal. I am so sorry for all you have been through.

It is because of the stories that I have read that have caused me to join hw.org - Human Rights Watch - Defending Human Rights Worldwide. The barbaric torture of women, the honor killings, the rape, stoning, burning alive will come to an end. Your story along with a few others was the major catalyst in my decision for helping to bring this to an end in any way I can.

Reading about what this girl endured was chilling. It is a book like this that causes humanity to take a stand for humanity. Souad is a hero. She speaks out. Because of her words and courage she is a catalyst for humanitarian change, especially for women and children around the world.

This is a book that I feel should be required reading in every school, in every land, until this torture comes to an end.

Read this book! This is a story where you might ask "why" something like this could happen. Maybe the reason is so we see to it that it never happens again.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSORBING
I CAN NOT BEGIN TO DESCRIBE HOW THIS AFFECTED MY LIFE. I WAS SO MOVED AT THIS GIRLS LIFE THAT I AM BECOMING INVOLVED IN THIS ORGANIZATION. Read more
Published 4 months ago by CITY GIRL

5.0 out of 5 stars Breathtaking
This book is the incredibly well-written tale of a woman who grew up in the West Bank region who, like many others, was treated very harshly and cruelly by her family. Read more
Published 6 months ago by M. Clark

4.0 out of 5 stars An easy read of a tremendous story
I read this book within a day and a half. I couldn't put it down. Not only because it was well-written, but because Souad's strength and bravery are absolutely astounding. Read more
Published 7 months ago by D. Harris

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye Opener
This book was very interesting and transported me to a world where animals have more value than a woman. I found myself feeling very grateful that I am a U.S. citizen. Read more
Published 8 months ago by M. Webb

5.0 out of 5 stars Book: Burned Alive
An amazing story of a woman's survival in a male dominate culture. This woman is a strong survivor and it is important that her story is heard. Read more
Published 13 months ago by T. Parker

1.0 out of 5 stars Therese Taylor's Review of "Burned Alive" on antiwar.com
Honor killings and abuse of women are horrible truths in our world, but please don't buy this book before you read this review: it might change your mind:

Truth,... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Dayaan

5.0 out of 5 stars Burned Alive....tragic but true
This book held my interest and at times made for shocking reading. A country with beliefs so foreign to us made it almost abhorant. Read more
Published on September 20, 2007 by Marilyn A. Belofsky

5.0 out of 5 stars How can anyone say this is not true?
I read this book when it first came out in hardback and admit I was blown away although I am someone who is VERY familiar with the challenges so many women face worldwide. Read more
Published on September 1, 2007 by Jean Sasson

1.0 out of 5 stars HORRIBLE...
This book was a big waste of both time and money. It is absolutely the worst thing I have ever read and, for someone who is interested in and has studied Islamic culture, religion... Read more
Published on August 10, 2007 by Kat

5.0 out of 5 stars A Real Tear Jerker
Burned Alive was a very well written, inspirational book. It amazes me that Souad was able to not only survive, but to live a somewhat normal life. Read more
Published on March 30, 2007

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