Rebel: My Escape from Saudi Arabia to Freedom

‘Through her courageous resistance, she has, for a moment, drawn global attention to the ongoing struggle of Saudi women. The striking image of a young woman, wielding nothing but a cellphone, facing down the force of an oppressive government is an apt metaphor for this fraught moment in Saudi Arabia’s history.’ THE WASHINGTON POST A gripping true story of bravery and sacrifice by a young woman whose escape from Saudi Arabia captivated the world. In early 2019, after more than a year of careful planning, Rahaf Mohammed boarded a plane and finally escaped from Saudi Arabia. If caught, she was sure she would be killed, like other rebel women who had tried to flee her country’s oppressive regime. But the eighteen-year-old only made it as far as Bangkok before her passport was taken away. It was a trick, and soon she found herself trapped, barricaded in a hotel room. As men pounded on her door, the teenager decided to reach out to the world on Twitter – and the world answered. Her account gained forty-five thousand followers overnight and offered her a vital lifeline. This was Rahaf’s chance at a new life, the one she had dreamed of. Now Rahaf tells her remarkable story for the first time and reveals the dystopian reality of what life is like for women within Saudi Arabia. From the guardianship system, which places unmarried women under the full control of their male relatives, to the secretive online underground network of Saudi runaways plotting their escape, Rebel is a gripping memoir of resistance and bravery by a woman determined to tell the truth about life in the closed kingdom. In this compelling autobiography, Rahaf Mohammed exposes the harsh realities of life in Saudi Arabia, from the abuse of human rights to the stifling of sexuality. Her story is a rallying cry for activists and a stark reminder of the power of social media in the fight for justice. For fans of Nadia Murad (The Last Girl), Jean Sasson (Princess More Tears to Cry), Yasmine Mohammed (Unveiled), Azadeh Moaveni (Honeymoon in Tehran), and Qanta Ahmed (In the Land of Invisible Women). HarperCollins 2022