Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival Paperback – October 3, 2013

This is an extreme tale of human survival within pages of extreme inhuman behaviour which was inflicted upon a Middle Eastern woman who became trapped in Kuwait during the Iraqi invasion of 1990.Yasmeena was kidnapped and subsequently raped and tortured by invading soldiers within a secret prison which housed 15 women- one woman for each sadistic soldier’s gratification under the Iraqi regime of Saddam Huieseen in the attempted taking of Kuwait as Iraq’s province 19.Yasmeena speaks her truth about the awful circumstances of that time when she was taken. A 23 year old innocent Lebanese woman who was forced to submit to months of tortuous rape and sexual assaults along with the other woman of the prison, including the beautiful 16 year old Lana, a woman with such an amazingly courageous spirit that an entire book could be created and dedicated to her strength and spirit alone. Both women posesss extreme intelligence and courage in a world where women are treated as inferior and risk humiliation,blame and even family disownership and honor killings for bringing upon them any sexual advances-EVEN abuse.Sasson not only pays tribute to Yasmeena and these women who were captured, but details the lead up to and history of the invasion and the war itself. Explaining the invasion made me feel closer to what was happening and able to relate with the women and captors of the prison. It’s as if 1990 happened just yesterday.. or today even.It truly not only educated me but allowed me to connect to the FULL story of the situation Yasmeena and the country of Kuwait was in.God bless Yasmeena and Lana. Truly corageous women.

While I do not particularly like Jean Sasson (her forewords and post story comments are very self congratulatory) - she does write well and this story is horrifying and well told. My heart goes out to the poor woman at the heart of it, not only for what she had to live through, but for the fact that in her society there is no subsequent assistance and sympathy for her plight, just more blame. This book will stay with me a long long time. What happened to Yasmeena in this story was terrible, what happened to her friend Lana was unbelievable, beyond what a human being should have to live through, especially a near child. How can a group of men be so depraved to let each other do this? How can a society exist where this is ok?I was unaware of exactly what happened during this conflict and this book brought it to life very clearly as well as giving some valuable background to the area, to rape as a tool of war and to Muslim culture and belief.it is harrowing but definitely worth reading

Jean Sasson you are an unsung hero. A woman exposing so much brutality and ugliness in the world and yet you are still unknown. You are the voice for the women silenced. You are the eyes of the women behind the veil witnessing atrocities the world is blind to. You are the courage other women draw from while they share their stories with you. You are inspiring and brave most of all a comfort to those you have encountered all over the world who have made known of their suffering and oppression.Yasmeena is a painful story to read. I can only imagine the courage Yasmeena gathered to tell of her ordeal. Difficult to imagine a woman being brutalized and unmercifully mistreated as she suffered. The strength she demonstrated is amazing and humbling.War is ugly and the atrocities suffered by many is appalling. I thank goodness Jean you shared Yasmeena's story so the world knows of the barbarity suffered by Yasmeena and so many other innocent women in the hopes of ending this horrific behavior and abuse.This is a must read for all concerned with women's rights, a story all should hear from the innocent and the forgotten. Long after war, the voices battle to be heard. Jean Sasson is a woman on a mission to bring awareness to our sisters suffering the unspeakable world wide.

Truly a horrendous account of brutal sexual violence during war. Some parts were difficult to read, at the same time I could not stop. My heart breaks not knowing if women like Lana survived, and breaks even more knowing they probably did not. Everyone interested in humanities should read.

Excellent read but felt the main story of the book just stopped abruptly. I know it was impossible to write the story further after this but it just left needing to know more (without ruining the book for people who haven't read it) and feeling a bit flat. I didn't finish the rest of the book thereafter.

I am a fan of Jean Sasson and have read several of her books. This story was the most dramatic and difficult to read of them all. Although the lives of women in the Middle East are harrowing and debilitating, having no status or value unless they produce sons, I had never imagined that such vicious, depraved animals existed in the world of human beings. No matter that these kinds of things have occurred in every war known to mankind, this book brings home the sheer horror of relentless torture and of one woman's resolve to stay alive amid unspeakable suffering. But she did it! At what cost to her body, soul and spirit . . . . . ? Thank you Jean for ultimately assuring that this book be written as a testimony to such brave women as Yasmeena and dear Lana as well as those whose lives were so viciously cut short.

I loved this book like all of Jean Sassoon books it puts u right there with her. Fantastic writer. I have read a lot of her books all brilliantly written..

This is not a book to be reviewed. Reviews are like opinions. It's a heroic story of courage. It needs to be saluted, people should read and be aware of these stories derive inspiration.

There was nothing I disliked about this book. It was a page turner. A story to be read by every woman and man ! Heart rending details of what men can inflict on women. I have read other books by Ms. Sassoon. The Author's note here caps it all. A courageous woman in her right. Thank you for letting the World know of what our other halves are capable of and our courage to take it all and still smile while living our daily lives.

A book that should be read by adults in order to understand not only general Arab culture but also how men often become beasts in times of War.

This book was extremely vivid in what many woman endured at war time and how many men showed no heart or compassion to innocent young brave women.It was a hard book to put down as you just hoped that they all would survive. It also showed how Uncaring the government was not allowing the rape victims to abort the babies making them go to full term give birth to a child whose life was bound for an orphanage as they were unwanted.Yasmeena was a brave women and should be known as a hero