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Title: Yasmeena's Choice

Subtitle: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival

Author: Jean Sasson

Narrator: Parisa Johnston

Format: Unabridged

Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins

Language: English

Release date: 03-21-14

Publisher: Audible Studios

Ratings: 4.5 of 5 out of 36 votes

Genres: Bios & Memoirs, Personal Memoirs

Publisher's Summary:

This is the true story of Yasmeena, a bright and beautiful young Lebanese woman who was imprisoned in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Yasmeena's shocking journey is a tale of the madness of war, of the sexual brutality unleashed by chaos, and of one womans courage to stand in dangers way to aid her fellow sufferers. This is an explicit, graphic, and honest book. It is for mature audiences only.

Jean Sasson has spent her career sharing the personal stories of courageous Middle Eastern women. Princess: Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

After Yasmeena was brutalized by the captain of the prison, she thought she was the most unfortunate woman on earth. But that was before she befriended Lana, whose brutal rapist took glee in inflicting hurt. Yasmeena used her position as the captain's favorite to protect her friend, though she also was forced into a wrenching decision.

Yasmeena's Choice reads like a thriller. As the Americans and other allies march into Kuwait and the Iraqis flee, Yasmeena escapes. Eventually she finds a safe harbor where Sasson interviews her and records every horrific element of her experience. Sasson has wanted to write this story for many years. But she knew that the sexual explicitness and violence would make the tale difficult to publish. A year ago, Yasmeena's story and the choices she was forced to make invaded Sassons dreams. She realized that now was the right time to share the story. And so here it is, Sasson's testament to an articulate, angry, brave young woman who not only survived but who was eager to share her story with the world.

Members Reviews:

Not what I expected.

I would like to start out by saying I think what these innocent women were forced to endure is an abomination. My heart aches for them and their tribulations. I think it's equally abhorrent what their own families do to them as a result. I don't think it's prideful to be ashamed of your own daughter, sister, friend for being the victim of a horrendous, violent crime. I find it to be culturally and willfully ignorant and grotesque.

Having said all of that, I found it nearly impossible for me to be compassionate towards Jasmeena regarding anything other than her capture and rape. The ridicule that comes from her culture and family and HERSELF is no different from the arrogant way, I felt, that she treated people that aren't as thin, as pretty, as affluent as her or her family.

It was obvious to me that, by the way the author beat the dead horse again and again, that being rich, pretty and thin made her better than most in her own eyes. She simply saw this as fact. I get that she's small, but did we have to hear about it again and again and again? The materialistic nature of the descriptions of people and possessions made it difficult for me to be as sympathetic as I probably should be.

Although I'm incredibly empathetic and sickened by the kidnap, rape and torture these women had to endure, it was difficult for me to set aside Jasmeena's thoughtlessness and lack of humility towards anyone outside of her caste and feel as much compassion for her as I truly wanted to.