This book took five years. Many times, I almost gave up. But after my mother was diagnosed with stage-four cancer in June 2015, and I spent months with her until her death in February 2016, I understood why this book took so long. I was still learning my mother’s story and my own. Deep inside, I have always wanted to tell my story. What I could not have known was that after May 22, 2011, my story would be of interest to millions of people simply because I, a Saudi woman, drove a car.
About the Author
Manal al-Sharif was born in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, in 1979 and grew up poor in a religiously devout society. After earning a computer science degree, she was the first Saudi woman to work in information security in the kingdom and was hired by the Saudi-Aramco oil company. In 2011, she was imprisoned for driving a car, charged with “driving while female.” The mother of two sons, Manal is now a leading women’s rights activist, She has been lauded by the Oslo Freedom Forum, Foreign Policy, Time, and Forbes.
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Author’s Note: This book is based on my personal recollections. I have endeavored to be as accurate as possible, but I do not claim to be a historian or religious expert. In most cases, I have removed names or used only first names. Any errors or missing details are unintentional. My apologies for any mistakes in these pages.
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Copyright © 2017 by Manal al-Sharif
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First Simon & Schuster hardcover edition June 2017
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Interior design by Lewelin Polanco
Jacket design by Alison Forner
Jacket photograph by Maha Nasra Eddé
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Sharif, Manal, 1979– author
Title: Daring to drive : a Saudi woman’s awakening / Manal al-Sharif.
Description: New York : Simon & Schuster, 2017.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016041017 (print) | LCCN 2016050553 (ebook) | ISBN 9781476793023 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781476793047 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Sharif, Manal, 1979– | Women—Saudi Arabia—Biography. | Women political activists—Biography. | Women automobile drivers—Saudi Arabia—Biography.
Classification: LCC HQ1730.Z75 S47 2017 (print) | LCC HQ1730.Z75 (ebook) | DDC 320.082/09538—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016041017
ISBN 978-1-4767-9302-3 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4767-9304-7 (ebook)
Daring to Drive Page 31
