Text to Society- Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

Warning: Not recommended for those who are have no feelings. In other words, everyone with a heart (literally, everyone) should take the time to read this insightful memoir.

Sultana, a young Saudi princess is born into prestige and opulent wealth. She has three mansions on four different continents, private jets, and numerous servants (read: house slaves) who attend to her every need. Are you jealous yet? Don't be. In reality, she hides under a veil. Sultanta cannot marry a man of her choice, must bear sons, and is subject to opression from the males of her soicety. Yeah, still jealous?

It's no secret that Saudi Arabia has an international reputation of violation of womens' rights. It's a questionable accusation, but the facts cannot be disregarded. Women must travel at all times with a male guardian. They cannot drive or vote. The black veil they must wear covers their eyes. Lots of public spaces are segregated with "No Women" signs. Hey, to one's own opinion, but... at the very least, one could call it a lack of freedom.

The following is the link to a video of a Saudi Princess retelling her tale:
https://themuslimissue.wordpress.com/2012/11/09/video-saudi-princess-describes-the-treatment-of-women-in-saudi-arabia-as-slavery/

Her experiences are hauntingly similar to Sultana's, and they may or may not be entirely the same person. Coincidence? I think not. The truth of the story is, there are countless Sultana's living amidst the brutality of their fathers, husbands, brothers, and sons. There are countless stories of women old and young, rich and poor, who all yearn for freedom. There are countless spirits waiting to be freed.

It's important to note that this book was written waaaayy baacck wheeen in 1992 when Saudi Arabia was first opening its arms towards modernization. Slow changes have been made, and... now women have the right to vote - *disclaimer* starting in 2015. Yay, what a let down. But in all seriousness many violations still occur. The driving ban has not been lifted, and recently in 2008,  Wajeha al-Huwaider gained international fame after a film of her driving was posted to Youtube.

In light of the events of 9/11, and more recently, the Women 2 Drive campaign, many people around the globe (cough, mostly us 'Muricans) still hold a negative perspective of the Islamic religion. The Qu'ran does not actually explicitly state that women should be treated any less than their male counterparts- their relationship to God (Allah) is the same. Men are considered a degree above women, but keep in mid that during the dinosaur age (7th century, for you history geeks), most women of other religions were seen as nothing more than possessed, soulless, sinful creatures. So by those standards, the Muslims were pretty avant-garde. The "oppressive" regime is probably caused more by the factors of the Saudi culture, rather than the factors of Islam. In plain English, some of us are ignorant fools! Look no further than Twitter (#islamopobia) for justification.

Take a closer look around you. We see all forms of oppression in all cultures and societies. Saudi Arabia's example of violation of women's rights is an especially extreme example. The fight for freedom is so commonplace that we often don't stop to acknowledge it and participate ourselves. From the book, you can begin to dull the lines drawn between the western movement and Saudi Arabian movement on women's rights. Though we stand up in different ways, and stand for different beliefs, we all stand behind one mantra: Fight for freedom... it is priceless.

It is a funny story...

It's Kind of a Funny Story. Really. I'm serious.

I have this theory that the title of a book determines its fate.

Gasp! Connie is judging a book by its cover!

Fortunately in this case, It's Kind of a Funny Story has lived up to its name- in the most subtle, contradictory, hear-wrenching way. 

Craig is a 15 year-old high school guy. He's interested in three things: 1) Getting good grades so he can go to a good college and therefore get a good job. 2) Getting more good grades to impress girls, and, 3) Getting more and more good grades all while acting cool and going to parties. He's an ambitious student (no duh) who strives to get into the prestigious Executive Pre-Professional High School in Manhattan. Wow, that was a mouthful. The pressure to succeed builds up and his internal anxiety finally erupts. Craig finds himself clinically depressed. In his own words, 
“I can't eat and I can't sleep. I'm not doing well in terms of being a functional human, you know?” 

When asked by his Shrink about things in life he does enjoy, he replies simply, "...Peeing.Yeah, it's simple." "You like simple?" "Doesn't everyone?"

Craig's thoughts soon turn suicidal. One night, he heads to the Brooklyn Bridge, to do the unthinkable. Luckily, he calls the Suicide Hotline and lands himself in a psychiatric hospital where he meets a girl who scarred her own face with scissors, a transgender addict, and other people who, he realizes,  are equally as messed up as he is.

Who would've guessed that such a serious topic could be translated into... well, a funny story? In a way, all 444 pages congregate into a huge paradoxical metaphor for life. 

Yup. Another life lesson: The journey of self discovery is difficult but worthwhile. 
Hehe... I guess that was a good time to sneak in the theme.

Several times throughout the novel, Craig's Cycling thoughts race around in his head so fast, that he feels exhausted from just ...being. 
“I didn't want to wake up. I was having a much better time asleep. And that's really sad. It was almost like a reverse nightmare, like when you wake up from a nightmare you're so relieved. I woke up into a nightmare.” 

Despite the immense amount of pain Craig dealt with, also he manages to offer some surprising pieces of advice. 
“Things to do today:
1) Breathe in.
2) Breathe out.” 

It's evident that his voice is genuine. After doing some research (thanks to Google), I found out that Ned Vizzini, the author, based Craig's story off his own struggles with depression. What's interesting is, Craig comes from a privileged family who sincerely supports him. His parents and sister are loving and kind, and... normal. In a good way. Most times, we tend to relate suicide with kids from disadvantaged backgrounds- it's true in a lot of cases- but not his. 

I think this seemingly minute detail is what truly makes the theme of this book outstanding. Vizzini's story extends beyond our preconceived notions of mental illness and allows us to recognize the individual battles being fought by all 7,271,978 homo sapiens inhabiting this planet. (Again, let's applaud Google.) People who appear to have plastically perfect lives may be enveloped in a disguise- whether it be depression, anxiety, stress, poverty, discrimination- we all have something that sends our brains into Cycling mode. Perhaps we should all listen to Craig, a boy so mature beyond his years, yet still riding through the ups and downs of an endless journey. Perhaps we should pause in our steps and allow ourselves to just breathe in, breathe out... 

It's Kind of Funny, how we as living beings have to learn to live all while living. By using charming wit and the right amount of sarcasm, the author has created a delicate balance that strikes the right tone- the funny yet realistic voice of the main character humanizes his experience while not making too much light of it.  

I'm sure you've all seen online blogs with pictures and captions targeting self harm. We can argue 24/7 about whether or not these posts and photos actually "romanticize" depression. We can debate on and on about the correctness of suicide and honoring its victims. We can simultaneously find fault or merit in books like It's Kind of a Funny Story. 

In the end, however, it boils down to one thing: depression is not a black hole that sucks you in and keeps you prisoner. It's a place where your brain crawls to when it starts to wander off. Reading It's Kind of a Funny Story made me laugh and cry and develop dark circles under my eyes... and most importantly, it empowered me. While I (unapologetically) sympathized and empathized with the characters, I realized that, indeed, "Not all those that wander are lost". As long as you search, they'll always be find a way to find home. 

So, keep looking.
Keep living.