Rebel

My Escape from Saudi Arabia to Freedom

By: Rahaf Mohammed

Narrated by: anonymous

A gripping memoir of bravery and sacrifice by a young woman whose escape from her abusive family and an oppressive culture in Saudi Arabia captivated the world

In early 2019, after three years of careful planning, Rahaf Mohammed finally escaped her abusive family in Saudi Arabia—but made it only to Bangkok before being stripped of her passport. If forced to return home, she was sure she would be killed, like other rebel women in her country. As men pounded at the door of her barricaded hotel room, she opened a Twitter account. The teenager reached out to the world, and the world answered—she gained 45,000 followers in one day, and those followers helped her seek asylum in the West.

Now Rahaf Mohammed tells her remarkable story in her own words, revealing untold truths about life in the closed kingdom, where young women are brought up in a repressive system that puts them under the legal control of a male guardian. Raised with immense financial privilege but under the control of her male relatives—including her high-profile politician father—she endured an abusive childhood in which oppression and deceit were the norm.

Moving from Rahaf’s early days on the underground online network of Saudi runaways, who use coded entries to learn how to flee the brutalities of their homeland, to her solo escape to Canada, Rebel is a breathtaking and life-affirming memoir about one woman’s tenacious pursuit of freedom.

©2022 R. M. (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

RIVETING!!!

And enthralling story about a woman escaping from the most oppressive country in the world when it comes to women’s rights, Saudi Arabia. How about that

Poignant and disturbing all done in the name of God

Rahaf’s story filled me with sadness. I listened, hoping against hope for a good outcome. As the story unfolded, I felt sorry and mad that anyone has had to endure the things described in this book because she is a female with an inquisitive mind. I listened to a similar book of a young woman who also escaped her Muslim family and found freedom, but who also became an atheist. I am sorry that brothers, mothers, and men in general were so cruel in the name of God. But the true God is not like that. He is merciful and gracious, long suffering and abundant in goodness and truth. It just that He is so often wrongly represented. I hope that the same inquisitive spirit will look for Him and you will find Him, when you search with the same longing as you did to be free.

Gripping and illuminating

Incredible story by an amazing young woman. It was incredibly illuminating; I had no idea about the depth of the control that Saudi women have to deal with.

Saudi Arabia is an incredibly backwards place, with the most pathetic man-children on earth. But this young woman overcame all of that, did everything she could think of, and fought every step of the way to change her fate.

Motivating and amazing story; well-written, gripping and fascinating.

Wow

Truly an amazing story of bravery. Rahaf’s story was so eye opening and heartbreaking, we like to think things like this don’t happen in 2023, but her story sheds light on what life is still like for the women of Saudi Arabia. I admire her story, her bravery, her fight.

Bravest girl on the world

for thos young woman brave, is not even close to a big enough word to describe her. I saw the 4 corners documentary on YouTube and that made me wanna read her book. I'm so glad I did this young woman went through so much trauma and after being beat and threatened, she still was able to summon up the courage to escape. this book is amazing and every woman should read it.

Só inspiring

Thank you for writing this. It was so inspiring to me.
All my daughters will read your books and know about you
You are amazing, and I am so proud of your strength

compelling

I couldn't quit listening to this story. What am amazing woman Rahaf is! It's hard to believe that 50% of the population in Saudi Arabia is of no account and treated in a sub- human manner! For all the Rahafs, there are likely 1000 women who don't escape the torture of womanhood in that backward country. It amazes me that so many western nations court the Saudi government when they have such an abominable human rights record.

Extraordinary, Inspirational and Heartbreaking

Absolutely fascinating and riveting memoir; I couldn’t stop listening once I started. I am so in awe of Rahaf’s courage, strength and intellect which far surpasses her chronological age.

She’s a true inspiration not just for women living under the restraints of an authoritarian government, but also those suffering from abusive and oppressive interpersonal relationships globally. Everyone should hear this story, whether due to internet in the sociopolitical or familial abuse dynamics existing in KSA.

Moreover, Saudi Arabia must be redefined on the international stage; their decades of breaking all human rights imaginable must be unilaterally condemned, with the country being held accountable for their worldwide terrorism, abductions, government-sanctioned executions, and forced deportations that continue with baffling impunity.

Wow!

If you didn't hate middle-eastern men who treat women so horribly prior to listening to this audiobook, you will now. As an American, it is hard to understand this story but unfortunately, this is not new as women are under the control of a man. Those not in line get beaten, raped, or worse. Then there is no escape.

She lived through hell and was very courageous to get out. Good story, perfect length.

incredible story even for me as a Saudi man

I can feel a small part of what she has been through because I live in the same environment but on the lucky side (male) , her family might be a bit more on the extreme side but still there’s so many families like hers and worse, and most of girls unfortunately don’t have the courage to rebel or escape, so they keep on living their lives under the wing of their families and just surviving day by day, so she is one of the few lucky ones.
On another side, there are some lucky girls raised in an open minded families, those one have almost no problems living in Saudi Arabia where the country is moving forward to provide more basic rights for women, but it still have a long way to go for the oppressed girls.
For Rahaf, unfortunately almost 95% of Saudi and Arab girls attack her on social media, claiming that she run away just to fulfill her sexual desires only, for those, it’s hard to explain to them what freedom is.
Saudi men; 99% attack her because they think she is setting a bad example for Saudi girls and encouraging them to disobey Islamic and traditional Saudi laws and this will lead to the collapse of society as they claim.
For me, I applaud Rahaf for her courage and intelligence, and I wish that my country and the families in my country will be more open and tolerant with the different types of personalities and orientations so that we don’t have to run away just to be ourselves.