Royalty isn't always treated as royalty

If you haven't read Jean Sasson's Princess, you need to check it out from your local library today! A dear friend of mine lent this mind-boggling biography to me recently. I was a little unsure of it at first since I was at the beach and the last thing you want to read at the beach is non-fiction. I gave it a try anyway and was amazed.

This well written, true story was, first of all, informative. There are appendices in the back with verses from the Koran on how that religion views women and their roles, excerpts from Saudi law that show how the Koran is interpreted regarding women, and time lines of the royal family. With my only experience of the Islamic religion being very limited and informed by our media post 9/11, I was in much need of an education. I assumed that Saudi royalty, male or female, were treated differently since they "made up" the law. This book opened my eyes to the fact that growing up female in the royal family household meant diddly squat! Sultana, Sasson's friend and subject for the book, couldn't attend the mosque, had to bend to her evil brother's every whim, was forced, along with her sisters, to marry men chosen by her father, and was expected to be fully covered outside her home.

Secondly, this book was an uncommon insight into the very private life of Saudi royalty. Sultana told of prostitutes hired by her father, husband and brother and the STD she got as a result. She recounted the punishments her girlfriends received for various "crimes." One was sentenced to life in a dark, padded room after she lost her virginity to man in London where she was studying. A second was sentenced to death by drowning in her family's pool for soliciting the company of foreign men. Sultana also described a rape committed by her brother and his friend and the horrible marriage her sister endured. Accounts such as these are almost never revealed outside the royal family circle.

Finally and most importantly, this book was a call to arms for me. It made me want to be a champion for human rights around the world. I'm currently researching ways I can help through Sultana's and Jean's websites (www.JeanSasson.com and www.PrincessSultanasCircle.com). I have also requested Princess Sultana's Daughters and Princess Sultana's Circle form my local library. More posts on those to come.

Princess was frustrating to read because of all the injustices experienced by women throughout the story. It was difficult to stomach occasionally. However, it did make me thankful to be a Christian woman in America who can marry whom she chooses, hold a job, show her face, and worship God in the church of her choosing!

Bella as Queen

I am happy (and sad) to say that I've completed the Twilight series. Breaking Dawn was, again, breathtaking. This second time through, I took the time to read some of the interview with Stephanie Meyer at the end. At one point, she discussed the art on the cover of Breaking Dawn, comparing Bella's evolution to chess pieces. At the beginning of the novel (and the series for that matter) she's as weak as a pawn. By the end, she's the strongest player on the board, the queen. I agree with Stephanie's statement in part. Bella does, in fact, emerge as the strongest player. She's able to use her immense talent to protect her entire family and friends from the powers of the Volturi. She even learned to completely remove her "blocking" power to let Edward in her mind. However, I don't agree with the statement that she was as weak as a pawn in prior to becoming a vampire and honing her talent. She was definitely physically weak because she was human. However, her courage and mental toughness were far from small. I would argue that she should be compared to a knight-travelling only in a certain L shape. Human Bella could "block" vampire powers from her own mind, but not keep others safe. She was brave enough to endure the pain of becoming a vampire. She was never afraid of Edward, his family, or the wolves. These could hardly be the qualities of a pawn.

Which team are you on?

I'm am absolutely, 100% on Team Edward! There are just too many reasons to even count, but I'll expound upon a few for you now.

1. Education, money, and love of the arts: These are, by far, not the most important. However, they are things that I value personally. I am, admittedly, an education snob. The fact that Edward has been to college (several times) and wants to go again with Bella speaks volumes of his attitude toward education and his desire to constantly learn and evolve. Couple that with the fact that he is encouraging Bella to do the same and you've got one serious (albeit lovable) nerd! He also has plenty of money. Now, I know that I wrote in a previous posting that I agreed with the statement that "the love of money is the root of all evil" and I still believe that. However, it is important to be able to support yourself and your family. Supporting a stable vampire family takes a great deal of money (constantly getting new ID's, college every few years, comfortable living quarters, clothes, etc). The fact that he could support Bella comfortably is definitely a check in the Team Edward column. Edward is also a lover of the arts, especially literature and music. I envy his library and CD collection as well as the eternity he has to explore them. These are 2 things I hold dear to my heart, giving Edward more brownie points.
2. Self Control: Edward, unlike Jacob, is a master of self control. He controls his thirst for human blood allowing him to live humanely. He can kiss Bella without killing her. He can control his emotions in order not to hurt feelings. He controls his hatred of the wolves so that they can fight together to save Bella. I especially like that he controls his particular aversion to Jacob in the snowy woods. As Jacob climbs into the sleeping bag to keep Bella from freezing to death, Edward had every right to kick his butt for the taunting thoughts Jacob kept throwing his way. Edward was able to control his anger for Bella's sake, something that Jacob has a hard time doing. For me, Jacob's quick temper and cocky attitude, are marks against him. He honestly thinks that he can "win" Bella over despite the fact that she told him she loved him like a brother. I hate that he taunts Edward with his thoughts and continuously brings up Bella's utter despair New Moon.
3. Self-sacrificing love: Edward loves Bella enough to always do what he thinks is best for her. In New Moon, it meant that he would try to live without her in order to save her soul. He always puts himself in between Bella and those who want to harm her. What I especially love is that he wants her to stay human forever, even if that means that he has to always be careful with her. He adores every piece of Bella and would give up his own life to save the minutest part of her. That love is what really does it for me. And the fact that she loves him in the same way makes Team Edward, not only Bella's choice, but mine as well!

Loves a New Moon

I finished my second ever reading of New Moon and here are some things I just love about it:

• Romeo and Juliet references-when Edward thinks that Bella is dead, he tries to kill himself. This one's much happier than the Shakespeare version.
• The way Meyer communicates the pain that Bella feels upon Edward's departure. The words are so descriptive that I can feel the hole in my chest, hear his voice in her delusions, experience the utter sense of emptiness and loss.
• The pure love and romance when Edward says "Marry me first."
• Bella's need to be reckless and the fix she gets from hearing Edward's voice as if it's her drug fix.
• The desperation of Alice and Bella on their way to Italy to save Edward.
• Jacob's friendship and loyalty.
• Bella's continued determination to be with Edward forever as his equal by becoming a vampire herself. I'm still not sure if I agree with her or Edward's need to save her soul, but I don't know how I can argue with destiny and true love.
• The fact that this fascinating love story continues with Eclipse.

Entranced....again!

I as stated before, I'm re-reading Stephanie Meyers' Twilight series in preparation for the release of Eclipse in the theaters. I love reading favorites over and over because I pick up on something different every time. Subsequently, different feelings tend to surface. For instance, the first time I read Twilight all I wanted was for Bella to be able to be with Edward fully by becoming a vampire. At the end of the book, when Edward asks "You're ready now, then?" I really wanted him to bite her and make her a vampire. I understood her love for him and how becoming a vampire was the only way to make her his equal. On this read, I found myself siding with Edward a little bit. I saw, through his love, that he wanted her to experience life, human life, even if that meant that he had to be careful in physically expressing his love for her. This train of thought/change of heart, began as I noticed Genesis 2:17, printed at the beginning of the book; "But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surly die." Keeping that passage in mind throughout my reading, I was less convinced that Bella was right. How can eternal death with Edward be better than eternal life with God? I may be going too deep here, but Edward continuously refers to himself as a monster, evil, hideous. I admire that Bella is able to look past that and see him for the loving, kind, beautiful creature that he is. When I first read the book, I thought that she was seeing his exquisite good looks, his intoxicating breath, his mesmerizing eyes. Now I understand that she sees past the monster to the humanness he struggles to hold on to. That's what she falls in love with and that is what Edward wants her to hold on to. He wants her to live human, not die to be with him. Even though she wouldn't cease to exist, her conversion to a vampire would take away her most human characteristic: her ability to die in this world to experience eternal life in the next. So is it better for Bella to be with the one she loves forever by "eating of the tree of knowledge"? Or, is she giving into the same temptation presented to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden?

Up Next

I've read the Twilight series before, but will be re-reading them in preparation for the release of New Moon next week. I love, love, love this series and am excited to begin reading them again.

For the love of money

I have now read 2 Candace Bushnell books and am not impressed. One Fifth was much better than Lipstick Jungle, but that's not saying much. I just can't take the shallow characters and predictable endings as serious literature. Especially when she's asking me to get "involved" in a world in which I have no desire to live. As some of my friends will tell you, I resist a great deal of pop culture. Spending time with the rich and famous is not necessarily my cup of tea. However, One Fifth does ask the reader to ponder the age old question: Is the love of money the root of all evil? In this case, as in most cases, the answer is a resounding yes. Lola is your typical spoiled brat gold digger who whores herself out for her "place" in high society. The more she does this, the unhappier she is. She then convinces herself that all she needs is to be famous and have money and the vicious cycle continues. The richer Paul Rice gets on Wall Street, the more he feels as if he can do whatever he wants to whomever he wants and get away with it. He does get away with it until finally his monetary force field breaks down leaving him without even the ability to get up every morning. Even his wife, Annalisa, whom I liked at first, ends up compromising her backbone, morals and friendships because she's afraid to lose Paul's money and therefore her place in society. Finally, Billy Litchfield, who doesn't even have money (he made the statement: "who needs money when you have rich friends?") allows his love for the rich to take his life. Is money really that important? In their search for monetary greatness, each person loses a piece of himself or herself along the way, making each less of a person than when the book began. None of the characters have true happiness while they have money, or in Billy's case, friends with money. As a small town southern lady, I haven't spent much time on Fifth Avenue or in New York for that matter. Are there really people out there who let their love for making money destroy themselves, their loved ones, and the world around them? Look around you at the oil spill or the golden parachutes of Wall Street, the economy, or Washington and unfortunately, the answer is obvious.