Daring to Drive, Manal alSharif
Daring to Drive, Manal alSharif
11 Rating(s)
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Daring to Drive
A Saudi Woman's Awakening

Author: Manal al-Sharif

Narrator: Lameece Issaq

Unabridged: 10 hr 17 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/13/2017


Synopsis

“A vital, inspiring book” (O, The Oprah Magazine)—a ferociously intimate memoir by a devout woman from a modest family in Saudi Arabia who became the unexpected leader of the courageous movement that won Saudi women the right to drive.

Manal al-Sharif grew up in Mecca the second daughter of a taxi driver, born the year strict fundamentalism took hold. In her adolescence, she was a religious radical, melting her brother’s boy band cassettes in the oven because music was haram: forbidden by Islamic law. But what a difference an education can make. By her twenties Manal was a computer security engineer, one of few women working in a desert compound built to resemble suburban America. That’s when the Saudi kingdom’s contradictions became too much to bear: she was labeled a slut for chatting with male colleagues, her school-age brother chaperoned her on a business trip, and while she kept a car in the garage, she was forbidden from driving on Saudi streets.

Manal al-Sharif’s memoir is an “eye-opening” (The Christian Science Monitor) account of the making of an accidental activist, a vivid story of a young Muslim woman who stood up to a kingdom of men—and won. Daring to Drive is “a brave, extraordinary, heartbreakingly personal” (Associated Press) celebration of resilience in the face of tyranny and “a testament to how women in Muslim countries are helping change their culture, one step at a time” (New York Journal of Books).

About Manal al-Sharif

Manal al-Sharif is a women’s rights activist from Saudi Arabia who was imprisoned in 2011 for driving a car. She has been lauded by Foreign PolicyTimeForbes, and the Oslo Freedom Forum. Daring to Drive is her first book.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Angela M on September 26, 2017

News update 9/26/17 : Saudi Women Are Now Allowed to Drive! [URL not allowed] ********************************** I am not inclined to read memoirs as a rule, unless it is one by a remarkable individual whose story is impactful, whose journey is more than just trying to find onese......more

Goodreads review by Esil on June 17, 2017

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......more

Goodreads review by Bianca (Back, catching up) on August 03, 2018

The recent announcement that Saudi women are finally! allowed to drive prompted me to read this memoir sooner rather than later. Manal Al- Sharif has become (in)famous for getting arrested for driving while female. For most of us around the world, this is beyond ridiculous. Well, show me a religi......more


Quotes

“A vital, inspiring book.”

“A brave, extraordinary, heartbreakingly personal story of one woman’s battle for equal rights.... The book provides a rare glimpse into... the hearts and minds of people who live in a society that is mostly off-limits to Westerners. [Al-Sharif's] literary achievement is that despite the huge cultural differences, Daring to Drive shows that Saudi women and men have dreams and fears much like our own.”

“Future generations will marvel at Manal al-Sharif, whose voice is laden with quiet dignity even at its most urgent. Her gripping account of homegrown courage will speak to the fighter in all of us.”

“An astonishing, humble, truthful book, more illuminating than a hundred newspaper stories on Saudi Arabia. Manal is no Chanel-draped, chauffeur-driven Saudi princess. Her account of why a single working mother’s life compelled her to confront the kingdom’s fiercely patriarchal ways is touching and revealing in equal measure.”

“Remarkable.”

“Inspiring.”

“Eye-opening... [and] compelling.”

 

“A captivating read. Manal al-Sharif refuses to hide her scars, unveiling what she endured and sacrificed to become a professional who has fearlessly pushed the boundaries of tradition.”

“There are vignettes of laughter and love... [and] glimpses of rich, vibrant Arab life.... A testament to how women in Muslim countries are helping change their culture, one step at a time.”

“Fascinating, powerful, and heartbreaking... a truly eye-opening read.”