DARING TO DRIVE by Manal Al-Sharif is subtitled "A Saudi Woman's Awakening" and it tells the story of Manal Al-Sharif who was imprisoned in 2011 for driving a car in Saudi Arabia (even though there was no law against doing so). Al-Sharif is an accomplished young woman; she has a bachelor's degree in computer science and was hired by Aramco as an information security specialist. Frustration welled up, though, and her actions were filmed and generated international interest such as this 2011 article in The Guardian. In DARING TO DRIVE Al-Sharif says, "I saw so many parallels between what I'd experienced in Saudi Arabia and the American civil rights movement. Saudi women and African Americans were both victims of segregation, unable to have any say in the most basic aspects of their lives."

In her book, Al-Sharif describes her contacts with the Women2Drive, an activist group. She offers more information about her efforts against oppression in this 2013 TED Talk. Somehow it feels appropriate to write about this new memoir, published by Simon & Schuster, on a day when they sponsored Hillary Clinton speaking to the American Library Association about the importance of standing up for truth. DARING TO DRIVE received a starred review from Library Journal.

Links in live post:
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2011/jun/03/saudi-arabia-women2drive-women-driving
https://www.ted.com/talks/manal_al_sharif_a_saudi_woman_who_dared_to_drive
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8OEAPSFp4c

One of my reading goal for 2017 is to read more nonfiction about women's lives. So when I saw that NetGalley had this book, I decided to request it.

I knew nothing about Manal al-Sharif before I picked up this book. I knew nothing about the lives of women in Saudi Arabia. Honestly, I even had to look on a map to find out exactly where Saudi Arabia was located. But this is a book that will stick with me because of the extent to which it opened my eyes.

Manal's story begins with her arrest for driving a car, an activity that, although not illegal, is something that women are not allowed to do. It then jumps back to her life growing up in Saudi Arabia, her family, her education, her job, her marriage and motherhood. Throughout her story, the necessary dependence of a woman on her husband or male relatives is clearly demonstrated, and the details are astonishing to many of us who know the freedoms of life in Canada. A woman is not allowed to be alone with a man, to the extreme that a male paramedic is unable to enter the home of a woman who is alone to administer medical care, and a woman in labor is not allowed to go to a hospital by herself. At times, it was hard to absorb the limitations placed on women in 2017, and I found it eye-opening and sobering.

Manal was sent to jail for her disobedience, and though she was eventually released, her life was drastically changed by her activism. Her campaign for Women2Drive, and to push for the right for women to drive, made international headlines, but ultimately resulted in her choosing to leave the country. She paid a high price for actions, but paved the way for women to follow and continue the fight.

I appreciate Manal's candor and honesty, and feel better educated about the lives of women in Saudi Arabia after reading her story.

4/5 stars

What a remarkable book! I intend to send this one to all my friends and family next Christmas. It really is a must-read.

Manal Al-Sharif's memoir about her life as a Saudi woman is eye-opening and fascinating. It is an intimate look at being female in this strictly male-dominated society. It is also a picture of a rapidly changing society that is rarely understood by the outside world, a place where religion, tradition, and law control women's lives in every aspect. It is hard to believe that such a society still exists in the modern world. It is also the story of how one simple act of civil disobedience can have repercussions throughout the world.

Al-Sharif grew frustrated by the inconvenience and expense of not being able to drive, although she owned a car. In Saudi society, women are forbidden to drive, and must be accompanied whenever they leave the house by a male family member or driver. This is often not only inconvenient, but often impossible, and a woman alone is a prisoner in her home unless she has an available male relative, or the money to hire a driver.
Like Rosa Parks on the bus, or the African-Americans at the Woolworth counter, she just got fed up with being denied her human rights, and her legal rights, since there is no law forbidding females from driving. It is merely the strength of tradition, masquerading as religion and enforced by religious thugs, that denies women this right. For one simple act, getting behind the wheel of a car and driving, she was thrown in jail without being charged with any crime, under deplorable conditions, with no representation, and for an indeterminate amount of time. Only her father, petitioning the King personally on her behalf, got her released.

The real reason she was jailed was that she had started a Facebook page encouraging all Saudi women to drive on a certain day and had inspired a lot of women to join her. There is no law against driving, and nothing in the Koran forbids it, but tradition alone is so strong, and the fear of losing control of women so irrational, that this simple act changed everything in her life. She lost her job, and due to hateful threats, had to move to Dubai, She also lost custody of her oldest son when she remarried as that is the law in Saudia Arabia, where men have all the power in the family, as well as all religious and legal power.
In spite of all she gave up, her life improved dramatically and her message about the plight of Saudi women was spread all over the world. She was recognized by international human rights organizations and invited to speak about these conditions, and received awards because of her courageous acts.
I highly recommend this absorbing and fascinating book. With anti-Muslim rhetoric and hate crimes on the rise these days, it provides an intimate view of everyday life in Saudia Arabia, and I hope, more understanding of those who practice Islam, and more empathy for the plight of women there. I guarantee you will be surprised many times, and your preconceived notions will be shaken up.

Note: I received an eARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This is Manal Al-Sharif's story of being a activist for women's rights in Saudi Arabia. This book tells the story of Manal Al-Sharif's childhood to the day she was imprisoned for driving while being female in Saudi Arabia. It is a coming of age story of how Manal grew up in an Islam fundamentalist environment and how she immersed herself into their particular views and lifestyle. She then goes to college where her whole life changes and she is able to see the bigger picture of the country she lives in and changes her lifestyle. She is a very successful woman who stands up for all women's rights in Saudi Arabia, in particular the right for woman to drive.
Overall I rated this book four stars out of five. This was an excellent book, I am so glad I read it. Reading it was so empowering especially for females. I love reading books of different cultures and learning about different traditions and customs out there. I love reading books that deal with injustice, and inequality. This book had both so it was the perfect book for me to read. It was a very inspiring book, and well written also. I can't imagine all the obstacles that Manal had to overcome just to write this book and get to where she is today. I find it amazing how education can open a person's world. That Manal's story could have been much different if she did not attend college and receive her education. I like how Manal combined her own personal experiences with facts on Saudi culture and history. It was a really well balanced book. You could definitely tell that Manal Al-Sharif poured her heart and soul and her passion into this book. With all this said I highly recommend reading this book.
I would like to thank Netgalley, Manal Al-Sharif, and Simon & Schuster for giving me the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

A high 4 stars. I can't begin to imagine what it feels like to live in a society in which there are so many restrictions on women's rights and freedoms. Daring to Drive is Manal al-Sharif's memoir of her life in Saudi Arabia. Her claim to fame is that she was arrested for driving, and that she has led a campaign to give women the right to drive in Saudi Arabia. Manal's writing is straightforward and powerful. She recounts her childhood, her university years, her first marriage and her work as the only woman in a tech group in a state owned company. Throughout she makes very clear the practical and emotional impact of the restrictions on women's freedom in Saudi Arabia. Not being allowed to drive is just one example, but it means that women have little freedom of movement, limiting their access to education, work and even basic health services, while placing them at the mercy of male drivers. From my perspective, what Manal describes feels incredibly claustrophobic, reading like some kind of dystopian fiction. Manal's book is important because it is told from the perspective of a woman who grew up in Saudi Arabia. This is not the judgemental view of an outsider, but rather the perspective of someone who has lived the nuances of her society. In many ways, her parents are despicable but they are the products of their world and Manal sees the good and the bad in them, ultimately loving them for their strengths. She does not denounce her religion, but she denounces the manner in which it has been interpreted. Manal no longer lives in Saudi Arabia, but I would hope that she will share future memoirs about her life as she clearly still has a lot to say and contribute to issues of women's rights in the Middle East. Highly recommended. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an opportunity to read an advance copy.

A recommended read to anyone interested in a contemporary story of resilience and refuse to accept the permanent marginalization of women. It also offers a pretty interesting view on Saudi Arabia and its attitude towards women, from the perspective on a practical Muslim woman.

Wow. This book was amazing--educational and inspirational. Manal al-Sharif grew up in Saudi Arabia. After a stint as a fundamentalist, Manal left her home to attend college, where her eyes were opened and she learned to become an independent thinker. After graduating from college, she began working for Aramco, whose campus offered Manal a world completely different than that in which she spent her childhood. Manal challenged the establishment by daring to drive--women were not allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia--and she ended up in jail for doing so. Note that this did not happen decades ago; it happened about 6 years ago. Although this book was sometimes difficult to read because Manal describes how she was mistreated by many people in her life, it ends on a hopeful note and no doubt will inspire many other women to stand up for themselves and not be afraid to challenge the establishment. A must-read!

The more I read about the condition of women in Saudi Arabia the more upset I get. Sometimes I wonder how is it possible to live like that, and how could the rest of the world plaude to that, than I remember the oil money and everything has its own wrong sense.

Piú leggo libri sulla condizione delle donne in Arabia Saudita e piú mi arrabbio, Spesso mi chiedo come sia veramente possibile vivere cosí e come mai nessun altro paese del mondo condanna la situazione, poi mi ricordo del petrolio e tutto torna ad avere un senso, sbagliato, ma un senso.

THANKS TO NETGALLEY FOR THE PREVIEW!

This book was moving, enlightening, and sometimes horrifying. It's hard for us in the West to understand just how restricted Saudi society is for women, even today. You may have heard stories about Arab women with designer clothes under their required veils, but the picture al-Sharif paints in this memoir is quite different. It's a world of isolation for girls and even more for adult women, of religious indoctrination for boys and girls in school, of beatings, of no opportunity. Her clear way of telling her story and that she didn't shy away from the hard things or any part of her past makes it all the more compelling.

The focal point of the story is in inability of women to drive in Saudi Arabia. This is not because of a written law, but because of the unwritten ones of custom and religion that underlie much of Saudi life, and which through the author's life has become increasingly fundamentalist and extreme, She started a movement to challenge this custom by driving and was detained and put in prison. Her situation made world-wide headlines and catapulted her into her current role as an activist for women in her country.

Her actions and activism make sense when you read her life story. Much else about the current state of things in the Middle East also makes sense. It's not the easiest book to read, but it's fantastic!

"Daring to Drive" is much more than Manal al-Sharif's story of driving in Saudi Arabia. It's a gripping memoir of her life as a Saudi woman, from her birth to a Libyan mother and Saudi taxi driver father in Mecca through her childhood, Salafi years, career at Aramco, marriage, travels outside the kingdom and rise as a feminist activist.

From the guardian system to lack of personal ID, Sharif details the ways women are systematically restricted to the domestic sphere. Her picture of women's status in Saudi Arabia is grim but multifaceted.

As a former Salafi teenager, Sharif understands the ways women can deeply internalize misogynistic and extremist attitudes. Later, as a university student and then Aramco employee, Sharif begins to challenge the role forced upon her, from playing sports to becoming the only woman in her information security division. Her memoir is a compelling read and searing indictment of Saudi patriarchy.

This book was absolutely fascinating, at times horrifying and shocking, and an absolute must-read for women. It's amazing how a simple thing like driving, which most of us do every day without much thought, can change a woman's life for the better. The book and the movement are about so much more than driving though.

Daring to Drive is a blunt, honest, and captivating memoir that describes Manal al-Sharif's story. al-Sharif tells of her childhood growing up in Mecca where she was educated according to strict religious doctrines and her journey to being imprisoned for driving while female. While not a legal violation in Saudi Arabia, women driving goes against Saudi tradition and is subject to the religious police interfering. al-Sharif was imprisoned in a jail with terrible conditions while the outside news world told egregious lies slandering her. This book is an incredible look into Saudi society and especially the lives of Saudi women.

This memoir is incredibly well-written and evocative. Perhaps it's strongest aspect is how upfront and honest al-Sharif is about various aspects of her life, including her own foray into religious extremism and her damaged familial relationships. She provides a full picture of growing up as a girl in Saudi Arabia, telling a compelling and infuriating story of what it means to be a woman in this country. An inspiring read, I recommend this to all mature readers (there are some descriptions of violence and brutality).

Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for a fair review!

I found this book absolutely fascinating - especially with regard to the Saudi world and how women are treated within it. I was particularly interested in how the author became radicalised and how she found her way out of that mindset. I remember hearing about the Women2Drive campaign when it happened - and wondered at the fact that it had to happen at all.. Ms a-Sharif has no doubt inspired confidence and the willingness in other women to take a stand on this score - and I'd be surprised if not on others!

Daring to Drive is the life story of Manal al-Sharif, a Muslim woman who fought for women's rights in Saudi Arabia, most importantly the right to drive a car. Despite the Saudi women who followed Manal and risked arrest and prison and drove anyway, the law against women driving still stands. It is an insane law, carried out for insane reasons by men who believe driving will lead to prostitution, homosexuality, and loose women. When in reality, women like Manal who live in a difficult society, need and must drive for their own survival.

Manal's story begins with her arrest for 'driving while female' and is sent to jail. From there readers are given an account of what it was like for Manal to grow up in Saudi Arabia, attend school, live in a devout Muslim household, marry, and work in a male dominated company. Manal learned from a very young age that women had very few rights in Saudi Arabia, and she vowed to work for a more fair society.

Having worked in Cairo, Egypt, for two years, books about growing up Muslim in the Middle East have always fascinated me. This book in particular gives extremely accurate accounts of what an Islamist society is like for females. Manal writes openly and honestly and doesn't back down from the truth. She is courageous in all that she does to help right the wrongs toward Saudi females, even while she is threatened, ostracized, and imprisoned. I am impressed by Manal al-Sharif's story and in awe of women like her who are out there in the world working to better the lives of all women who live in male-dominated societies. I highly recommend this well-written and powerful book to those also interested in the Middle East and women's rights. Manal's story is one that will truly live in your mind and heart.

I received this book through NetGalley

Daring to Drive is an inspirational story that must be read.

What an empowering book, this is a must read! I grew up in Saudi myself and found the book a very measured response to the experience of living in the kingdom.

Wow... Just wow... Daring to Drive is an incredible book written by an incredibly brave woman, Manal Al-Sharif. In fact, I will go so far as to say that you will not walk away from reading this book unchanged and I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Manal tells her amazing life story so masterfully that I found myself being challenged on every level. I developed a better understanding of what it has been and, in many ways, continues to be like for women in the Middle East. I also learned about the cultural mindset of Islam at both moderate and extremist levels. It really has caused me to strengthen my outreach to people all over the world whether we have the same viewpoints or not.

Manal Al-Sharif has not only inspired women from the Middle East, but also women from all over the world. She is a true hero.

This is a well written story that should scare everyone that women are still treated this way.
Please read to have your eyes opened to a totally different world.

The title of the book is compelling, but more compelling was the author’s description of her life as a Saudi Arabian woman, not just her act of civil disobedience for women's rights. I feel this book is important because it reveals the hidden world of Saudi Arabian women and how few civil rights they have. The author chronicles her extraordinary personal story as a female in S.A. and how difficult it is to live a modern life in a country where female repression is sanctioned by both society and the state. U.S. women should read this book and be made aware the fragility women's rights and how they should appreciate and defend the civil rights afforded to women in the U.S. and abroad.

This is the story of what it means to be a woman in Saudi Arabia. Even today women are treated as subjects to their husbands desires and society's mores. Despite having grown up in an extremely abusive home, Manal managed to overcome radical islamic beliefs and bias toward infidels. Her mother's motivation for her children to be educated seems contrary to the cruelty both parents inflicted.
She managed to educate herself by applying herself amid extreme subjugation and misogyny.
She managed to escape her abusive husband.
She managed to inspire other female inmates in the cockroach infested jail where she was illegally held for 'driving while female' by listening to their stories.
She managed to become an activist by daring to drive.