In the Land of Invisible Women

A Female Doctor's Journey in the Saudi Kingdom

By: Qanta A. Ahmed MD

Narrated by: Nicola Barber

The decisions that change your life are often the most impulsive ones. Unexpectedly denied a visa to remain in the United States, Qanta Ahmed, a young British Muslim doctor, becomes an outcast in motion. On a whim, she accepts an exciting position in Saudi Arabia. This is not just a new job; this is a chance at adventure in an exotic land she thinks she understands, a place she hopes she will belong. What she discovers is vastly different.

The Kingdom is a world apart, a land of unparalleled contrast. She finds rejection and scorn in the places she believed would most embrace her, but also humor, honesty, loyalty, and love. And for Qanta, more than anything, it is a land of opportunity. It is a place where she discovers what it takes for one woman to recreate herself in the land of invisible women.

©2008 Qanta Ahmed (P)2012 Brilliance Audio, Inc.

just loved this story

Would you listen to In the Land of Invisible Women again? Why?

I really enjoyed listening to Quanta's story because liked her as person, it was very easy to see her experiences through her eyes.

What did you like best about this story?

I originally had purchased this book out of cultural interest, but as I read this shifted more to be interested in who Quanta is and how she feels as a person about the daily life in Saudi-Arabia

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved that she met this doctor, I can not remember his name, she fell in love with. For some reason I kept hoping for a happy end ..........

Any additional comments?

The storyline is well structured and well narrated

An intimate view

Loved the narrator. Felt like I was just listening to a friend talk about her travel to a new place.

incomplete insight into the life in Saudi Arabia

I like how the book narrates outsider insight from the eyes of a doctor. However, I can tell as a Saudi citizen that many issues raised by the author lack deep understanding of other dimensions and perspectives. Also, one issue I noticed about the author is her prejudice towards the Saudi culture and quick judgement, sometimes generalisation from one incident she faced or even heard from colleagues. overall, the book is interesting and may worth listening to.

Women under war

As our newspapers and news inform us there is a war on women in America. While they gloss over the fact the countries such a Saudi Arabia & Pakistan kill their women for being whores.

Enjoyed the book, enjoyed the voice of the narrarator. The thing of it is....

Where are all of the books written by women or for women who were not so lucky?

We can all grab bios on Tina Fey or Suzanne Sommers.

What about Wafta Sultan, Souad and Rana Husseini? What about some audiobooks from women in Saudi Arabia, Jordan or Pakistan?

Just Saying.

Very interesting, though biased...

Would you try another book from Qanta A. Ahmed and/or Nicola Barber?

I don't think that, based on this book, I would read another by the same author.

What was most disappointing about Qanta A. Ahmed’s story?

I was a little bit alarmed by the degree of bias about the hijab. I mean, she wrote about it erasing women, stealing their personhood and their rights. I certainly understand that she was writing from her own experience as a Western woman, but it seemed to project a western interpretation of a foreign practice. The whole book did that, really. I think that was both honest and unfair. It made the book interesting, but also disappointing. I mean, one doesn't need to go to the Saudi Kingdom to get a Westerner's take on women's rights in the Middle East.

Which scene was your favorite?

I loved the chapters about the haj.

Did In the Land of Invisible Women inspire you to do anything?

It inspired me to find books written by women who are actually from the Saudi Kingdom.

Any additional comments?

I appreciated the kind of investigatory nature of the book and the "revelation" of the women's world in the Saudi Kingdom.