--- product_id: 3749880 title: "Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival" price: "R716" currency: ZAR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/3749880-yasmeenas-choice-a-true-story-of-war-rape-courage-survival store_origin: ZA region: South Africa --- # Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival **Price:** R716 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival - **How much does it cost?** R716 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.za](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/3749880-yasmeenas-choice-a-true-story-of-war-rape-courage-survival) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description This is the true story of Yasmeena, a bright and beautiful young Lebanese woman who was imprisoned in Kuwait during the first Gulf War. Yasmeena's shocking journey is a tale of the madness of war, of the sexual brutality unleashed by chaos, and of one woman’s courage to stand in danger’s way to aid her fellow sufferers. This is an explicit, graphic, and honest book. It is for mature audiences only.Jean Sasson has spent her career sharing the personal stories of courageous Middle Eastern women. PRINCESS: Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia was an international bestseller. It has become a classic, taught in colleges and high schools and devoured by anyone who aspires to understand the Middle East. Yasmeena was quite literally an innocent abroad. She was a college educated, English-speaking flight attendant graced with an unusual amount of confidence and sophistication. She was also a virgin and a conservative Muslim daughter and sister. When Yasmeena's flight out of Kuwait was delayed, it was because Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait. Iraqi soldiers threw her into a woman's prison where the guards committed ghastly sexual attacks and tortured the women in excruciating ways.After Yasmeena was brutalized by the captain of the prison, she thought she was the most unfortunate woman on earth. But that was before she befriended Lana, whose brutal rapist took glee in inflicting hurt. Yasmeena used her position as the captain's favorite to protect her friend, though she also was forced into a wrenching decision.YASMEENA'S CHOICE reads like a thriller. As the Americans and other allies march into Kuwait and the Iraqis flee, Yasmeena escapes. Eventually she finds a safe harbor where Sasson interviews her and records every horrific element of her experience. Sasson has wanted to write this story for many years. But she knew that the sexual explicitness and violence would make the tale difficult to publish. A year ago, Yasmeena's story and the choices she was forced to make invaded Sasson’s dreams. She realized that now was the right time to share the story. And so here it is, Sasson's testament to an articulate, angry, brave young woman who not only survived but who was eager to share her story with the world.PRAISE FOR JEAN SASSON'S WORK:"Absolutely riveting and profoundly sad..." --People magazine"A chilling story...a vivid account of an air-conditioned nightmare..." --Entertainment Weekly"Must-reading for anyone interested in human rights." --USA Today"Shocking...candid...sad, sobering, and compassionate..." --San Francisco Chronicle Review: Corageous. - 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. Review: I will never forget this story - 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 ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #1,220,599 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #148 in Historical Middle East Biographies #497 in Middle East History #1,055 in Women in History | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 1,398 Reviews | ## Images ![Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71-1fBMU8hL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Corageous. *by K***I on December 21, 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. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I will never forget this story *by S***Y on December 8, 2013* 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 ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Yasmeena's Choice by Jean Sasson *by C***E on October 19, 2013* I Just finished reading Jean Sasson's 'Yasmeena's Choice' and I feel that this is a watershed book that deserves top Journalistic awards. It's not just a well-written book. It's hard to think of a word that's strong enough to express my opinion of how incredible it is. Like others, once I began reading it, I couldn't put the book down. Though it is necessarily quite graphic, that is necessary to convey the depth of this story. However, the author handled it as discreetly as possible and yet convey the horror of the situation. There are writers and then there are writers. Jean Sasson was the right writer for this book as she is so knowledgeable of the middle east and so aware of the mores of people. Great book! ## Frequently Bought Together - Yasmeena's Choice: A True Story of War, Rape, Courage and Survival - Mayada, Daughter of Iraq: One Woman's Survival Under Saddam Hussein --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/3749880-yasmeenas-choice-a-true-story-of-war-rape-courage-survival](https://www.desertcart.co.za/products/3749880-yasmeenas-choice-a-true-story-of-war-rape-courage-survival) --- *Product available on Desertcart South Africa* *Store origin: ZA* *Last updated: 2026-10-14*