Malika Oufkir
Paperback | Pages: 294 pages Rating: 4.11 | 27575 Users | 3114 Reviews
Specify Books Toward Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
| Original Title: | La Prisonnière |
| ISBN: | 0786886307 (ISBN13: 9780786886302) |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Characters: | Malika Oufkir |
| Setting: | Morocco |
Ilustration Supposing Books Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
A gripping memoir that reads like a political thriller--the story of Malika Oufkir's turbulent and remarkable life. Born in 1953, Malika Oufkir was the eldest daughter of General Oufkir, the King of Morocco's closest aide. Adopted by the king at the age of five, Malika spent most of her childhood and adolescence in the seclusion of the court harem, one of the most eligible heiresses in the kingdom, surrounded by luxury and extraordinary privilege.Then, on August 16, 1972, her father was arrested and executed after an attempt to assassinate the king. Malika, her five younger brothers and sisters. and her mother were immediately imprisoned in a desert penal colony. After fifteen years, the last ten of which they spent locked up in solitary cells, the Oufkir children managed to dig a tunnel with their bare hands and make an audacious escape. Recaptured after five days, Malika was finally able to leave Morocco and begin a new life in exile in 1996.
A heartrending account in the face of extreme deprivation and the courage with which one family faced its fate, Stolen Lives is an unforgettable story of one woman's journey to freedom.
Declare Based On Books Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
| Title | : | Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail |
| Author | : | Malika Oufkir |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 294 pages |
| Published | : | May 1st 2002 by Hyperion Books (first published 1999) |
| Categories | : | Nonfiction. Autobiography. Memoir. Biography. Cultural. Africa. Northern Africa. Morocco. History |
Rating Based On Books Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
Ratings: 4.11 From 27575 Users | 3114 ReviewsNotice Based On Books Stolen Lives: Twenty Years in a Desert Jail
One night over a delicious dinner filled with literary conversation, my friend who had recently visited Africa gave me this book on the life of Malika Oufkir. In America, the book is titled Stolen Lives and was an Oprah Book Club book, but as my friend was Canadian, my copy came from abroad and was titled Le Prisonnierre.Here's the horrible gist: Malika Oufkir is the daughter of the King of Morocco's most trusted advisor. When her father tries to depose the king, the entire family is punished.
The writing style is not special in my opinion so I give this book 4 stars, but this fantastic and disturbing story is worth a 5 star rating, so another 4 ½ stars from me. Really harrowing to read. Written by a young woman who grew up in Morocco, a child of unimaginable privilege until her fathers actions got the whole family in trouble. Then an account of what happened to her and her siblings and mother see the subtitle: 20 years in a desert jail, which does not do justice to describing the
I expected to love this book because memoirs of people who have faced life's biggest challenges and survived are generally my favorite stories, but this one left me cold. While I was sympathetic to this family's plight, I disliked the writer and would have preferred a less unbiased account. Milika sounds, even at 40, like a spoiled child. She takes credit for everything -- her family's escape, the children's education, the family's entertainment, maintaining their sanity... is there anything
I found the book in my favorite American Thrift store. Like you I saw the name Oukfir and in my case immediately knew that I had been acquainted with the General and his unsuccessful coup while reading The Spy Wore Silk by Countess Romanones, who wrote about her espionage career. Even Malika's mother is mentioned in that book for her beauty and her boutiques. This book aggravated me to no end. Here is saga of real life suffering. I am a mother, I had the most emotional reaction to Abdellatif, a
When I was in my teens, an interview advertisement kept coming up about this woman called Malika Oufkir on a Lebanese channel, and my mom said I want to watch this interview. So when the interview came, she and dad watched it and were astonished. We joined them and I didn't get what the problem was until I kept on listening. Mom commented "How sad her eyes are." I still remember that. The next day my mom bought the book (Arabic translation) and devoured it in the same day and told everyone about
This was a particularly good memoir after spending two years in Morocco. The memoir name slides in quite a few big families and events that are well known in Morocco. I've heard about the Oufkir family but had not imagined that the general's family was locked up for nearly 20 years. Would recommend - especially for other MENA people and PCVs.
0 comments:
Post a Comment