Inside The Kingdom by Carmen Bin Ladin is an enlightening novel by Carmen Bin Laden, the sister in law of Osama Bin Ladin. This book shines a light on the constraining lifestyle for Saudi Arabian women, the struggles of entering and leaving the country, and the way Carmen and her daughter's lives dramatically changed after 9/11. Carmen's inside perspective and engaging style makes this non fiction novel an enticing page turner.
One of the major themes explored in this book is the struggle Saudia Arabian women go through with equality and rights. Carmen expresses how in the early months of her living in Saudia Arabia, she believed her husband's money and power could help propel the country into a more modern style. She later reflects how naive these thoughts were, stating "I was young then, and believed things would change." (page 79) Being thrown into a new culture, where she was forced to veil her face and body, not talk in public, and be powerless to her husband, it is easy to compare this theme to the Shakespeare quote: "Alas, I am a woman friendless, hopeless!" This quote encompasses exactly how isolated and alone Carmen felt in the early years of her life with husband, Yeslam Bin Ladin.
Another theme that Carmen highlights in Inside The Kingdom, was her struggle entering and leaving the country. After the initial culture shock and adjustments she had to make, Carmen was able to live a fairly happy life, raising her daughters. When she decided to leave her husband and the country, she faced one of her toughest battles - to gain custody of her children. She expresses, in the first half of her book, how desperate she was to have a son. Having a son meant security, and would grant her free will to leave the country if Yeslam ever died. Otherwise, one of his brothers would take control of her and her family and make all their decisions for them. One quote from Shakespeare which fits this theme perfectly is: "What's done can't be undone," because this phrase holds true to how Carmen couldn't take back marrying Yeslam and moving to Saudi Arabia.
Lastly, Carmen Bin Ladin's novel gives the readers a glimpse into the way her and her daughters lives changed forever after 9/11. She explains how hard it was with the media, for example, one paper claimed that her eldest daughter had fled New York city (she had been there weeks before the incident attending Colombia University) because she was in on the attack. Although the family was separated from the Bin Ladins, they still held the name, and were bombarded with questions, insults, and accusations. The hatred that was targeted towards Carmen and her three daughters meant that they had to recreate a new identity for themselves, and express their sympathy to the country they loved dearly. A Shakepeare quote which fits this theme is: "God has given you one face, and you make yourself another."
Overall this book is a must read which unveils the truth about one of the most powerful, repressive and secret countries in the world. This book is targeted for anyone who wishes to understand the events of todays world, and appeals to all ages, all genders. The story however, would be particularly appealing to mothers, as Carmen focuses most of her the story and her life on freeing her daughters and being a good mother. A quote which expresses this is "Above all I could not watch my daughters be denied what I valued most: freedom and choice. I had to free them, and myself." (page 13) This mothers perspective would target women with children in particular. The tone is very serious, enlightening and empowering, as it tells the story of a very serious and relevant topic. A quote from the book which is a perfect example of this tone is: "But we will fight back. Our defense is the defense of truth."(page 204) This statement in moving and powerful, just like every other part of Carmen Bin Ladin's: Inside The Kingdom.
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