Rebel: My Escape from Saudi Arabia to Freedom

Mohammed, who garnered international headlines as a teenager in 2019 when she fled Saudi Arabia and was detained by authorities in Thailand, recounts her daring path to liberation in this potent debut. The daughter of a politically powerful Sunni family, she explains that she knew from the time she was young that Saudi women were to be little more than “bodies shrouded in black bags.” In harrowing depictions, Mohammed details how, as she grew, so too did the prohibitions and violent punishments; one particularly disturbing passage recounts her being repeatedly punched by her mother after being outed by a classmate for having relationships with girls. Despite this, Mohammed sought subversion, first through a “secret world” of parties where older men—including members of the religious police—plied minors with drugs, and, later, in the online underground network of Saudi women runaways who eventually helped her plan her escape to Canada through a labyrinth of “secret codes.” While her death-defying act will leave readers breathless, it’s Mohammed’s bold unmasking of the “contradictions” of her homeland—where “tolerance and moderation” is preached, yet “anyone who doesn’t agree with the government” is “behead[ed] and tortur[ed]”—that leaves an indelible mark. Her scorching indictment serves as a beacon for women worldwide yearning for freedom. (Mar.)