The Dawn of Saudi: In Search for Freedom

by Homa Pourasgari

This poignant mystery is about three people whose lives intertwine in a tale that depicts the oppression of women and the human rights abuse under the pretext of religion. Dawn Parnell made the mistake of marrying a Saudi; Sahar Al-Hijazi is forced to marry a man she doesn't love; Jason Crawford has business ties to the Al-Hijazi family. As the lives of these three people cross paths, the story takes the reader on a dangerous journey from Saudi Arabia where women are considered the property of a man, to United States where women are independent.

352 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2009

About the author

Homa Pourasgari spent hours in her father’s home office, writing, reading and letting her imagination carry her to unseen worlds. She moved to Los Angeles, California, at a young age. After graduating from Loyola Marymount University with a degree in business, she went to Paris for a year to study literature at the Sorbonne. Before becoming a full-time writer, she ran her own boutique, worked at a bank and a CPA firm, was a personal trainer and even taught spinning and cardio kickboxing. When she is not writing, she is stumbling, miming and pointing to find her way in a foreign country. Her latest novel, The American Outsider, is based on her travels in Japan.

Reviews

[Malcolm · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Center for Democracy & Human Rights in Saudi Arabia says that, “as documented by Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Freedom House and even the US Department of State, Saudi women are among the most oppressed and marginalized citizens in Arab and Muslim countries.” In an author’s note at the end of her novel, Homa Pourasgari describes the social and legal environment in Saudi Arabia more directly: “Women have no rights and are considered the property of a man.”

Pourasgari’s powerful romantic mystery “The Dawn of Saudi” focuses on the lives of two young women who meet while attending college in Barcelona, Sahar Al-Hijazi of Saudi Arabia and Dawn Parnell of the United States. Sahar, whose travels have given her a taste of freedom, fights her family’s attempts to force her into a loveless marriage with Husam. Dawn, however, doesn’t heed her best friend’s warnings and marries a Saudi man whom she believes is a progressive thinker and finds herself trapped instead within a hopeless world.

“They buried her in an unmarked grave,” the novel begins. “Only in death did Saudi women and men receive equal treatment.” On the next page readers learn that Sahar collapsed on her wedding night, went into a coma, and died within an hour of an aneurysm.

In California, Jason Crawford worries over the news of Sahar’s death because he has business ties to the families involved and doesn’t want to see a pending merger with Crawford Enterprises jeopardized.
Subsequently, Dawn Parnell begins work as a housekeeper at the grand Crawford estate. While the house has a large staff, Dawn catches Jason’s attention even though she’s definitely not the eye-candy type of woman he usually dates and discards. Among other things, he notices that her intelligence, skills and interests greatly exceed those normally expected in a maid placed by an employment agency. How, for example, can she be an expert skier and horsewoman? Since Dawn won’t talk about her past, Jason can only wonder what she is hiding and why she hides it so fiercely.

Pourasgari’s inventive plot and strong characters not open a wide window onto Saudi oppression of women, but make for a very strong story with the poignant moments of well-told romance and the twists and turns of page-turning mystery. Both the oppression and the fear associated with it are aptly shown from a woman’s perspective through Dawn and Sahar. Jason’s silver-spoon lifestyle and love-them-and-leave-them approach to women stands out in start contrast to Dawn’s and Sahar’s experiences, and this adds greatly to the depth of the story.

The story’s pacing is disrupted in several sections due to the need to convey a large amount of background information to readers and to other characters about Saudi culture and conservative Islamic law through dialogue and narrative; a longer preface with basic Saudi facts might have reduced the strain on the story. An over-abundance of detail gives an intrusive travelogue flavor to a trip to a resort and a disruptive interior designer’s guidebook tone to walks through the Crawford mansion.

That said, “The Dawn of Saudi” remains a very satisfying novel with unforgettable characters who must fight through a labyrinth of western apathy and frightening conservative Islamic beliefs in a search for freedom. The novel is both an education and an oasis for the human spirit.

Malcolm R Campbell for POD Book Reviews and More

[Reader Views · Rating 5 out of 5]

In “The Dawn of Saudi: In Search for Freedom” Homa Pourasgari takes us deep into a patriarchal society where the government has zero tolerance for criticism, with discrimination against women both in law and practice being entrenched in every aspect of family life. Despite the introduction of significant women’s rights reforms, these developments remain superficial as the text demonstrates, with the Saudi government falling short of nurturing an environment that supports equal gender rights.

Sahar is a young woman from Riyadh, Saudi, who finds herself trapped in Saudi under the subjugation of her father who wants her to get married. Her grandfather, Kadar, is a mean and controlling man. He was a wealthy man who invested his money in foreign properties and who Sahar’s father never said no to. Driven by greed and the desire to salvage his failing businesses, he finds Sahar a suitor, Husam, a well-known billionaire, further hoping that a union between them would cement a solid relationship between the two families. But Sahar wants more than being conformed to Saudi societal conventions of being a subservient wife and child bearer.

Dawn, on the other hand, is Sahar’s best friend, whom she met while attending college in Spain. She makes a life-altering mistake, falling in love with a Saudi man old enough to be her father. Despite Sahar’s protests, she drops out of school and moves to Riyadh to begin a new life with her husband, a move she quickly regrets prompting her to seek freedom the best way she knows how.

Elsewhere, Jason, the son of Andrew Crawford and heir to the multi-billion dollar Crawford Enterprise, conducts business with Saudi investors having business ties with Sahar’s grandfather, Kadar. When he learns of Sahar and Dawn, he is unsettled by the profiteering of their company from an oppressive system that does not recognize the value of human life. The lives of the three characters intertwine most unexpectedly, revealing a stunning panorama of the strength and frailty of the human soul.

Once in a while, we stumble upon a book so outstanding and illuminating that it leaves a lasting effect on us. “The Dawn of Saudi” was that book for me. The author managed to elicit an array of emotions in me by depicting a solid tale of perseverance, courage, fortitude, and feminism. She speaks for many women who have had to grow up in a system that holds on tightly to traditions and old value systems that are punitive to women. The characters are vividly drawn with the plot giving ample time for their evolution across the pages.

In our quest for purpose and truth, life appears to offer an unending succession of veils. The book skillfully mirrors this along with the intricacies of the human species, and what freedom really means to each person. I liked how the author effectively got into the character’s thought processes, giving readers a multi-layered perspective of the subject matter. Ultimately, “The Dawn of Saudi: In Search for Freedom” by Homa Pourasgari is a plausible imperative text from an author with a story to tell.

[Sharon Martin · Rating 5 out of 5]

'Wow' is the best word I can use to describe this book. The story itself is a fantastic read with a major, unexpected, twist that blew me away, the author also includes powerful differences between east and west cultures in the book.


The story follows the Grand Daughter of a powerful businessman, Sahar, who with her friend Dawn, schooled in Vancover and Barcelona, adopting some of the ways of the western culture while they were there. Unfortunately for them in Saudi Arabia these ways are totally unacceptable and they must adhere to the rules. For Sahar this means a forced marriage to a man 46 years her senior, even though it breaks her parents hearts they must follow their culture but more importantly follow the Grand Fathers demands as he is relying on this marriage to aide his failing business by both families merging their businesses after the marriage. Her parents also knew that if Sahar did not marry a Saudi man without the kings permission, which is extremely unlikely, she would be condemned to death by her family and courts, even if she moved outside the country she would be hunted down.


Sahar could not bear the thought of being this man's property so he could do as he wanted with her, whether that included abuse, rape or torture. The culture means that Sahar would has basically no rights as a woman for help, she couldn't bear it any longer and decided to kill herself on her wedding night.


Her friend Dawn was lucky enough to fall in love with a Saudi man who treated her like a princess and promised her that they would not live in this extreme culture and would live in the westerners compound where life was more relaxed. After changing her religion to Muslim they married but he had lied to her, he had two other wives and she was forced to live in the normal ways of Saudi culture. Soon after his business started to go downhill and starting taking it out on Dawn, she applied many times for divorce but as a woman she had no right to complain. One night he started to hit out yet again and she could not take anymore and killed him.


Dawn fled with help and became a servant for the Crawford household who owned a multi billion dollar business, this was run by the romeo son, Jason, due to his fathers ill health. Jason's love for Dawn starts to grow immediately and this begins a complicated and unapproved romance between the employers son and a servant. Will their love survive??


As westerners we take our freedom for granted, going out when we want and who we want to go out with, having rights as women, being treated fairly. Reading the shocking and sometimes heart wrenching insight into another culture just made me realise how lucky we are. The story itself was beautifully written and I was totally engrossed in the book, especially the romance and mystery between Jason and Dawn, literally urging them on to be together. Once I started to read the book I found it very hard to put down and cannot praise it enough. Highly recommended

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sahar Al-Hijazi is a 22-year-old Saudi Arabian woman who was given the opportunity in her younger years to travel and study abroad. While studying in Spain, she befriended an American girl, 19-year-old red-headed blue-eyed Dawn Parnell, a Mormon from Utah. Dawn fell in love with a very wealthy Saudi man old enough to be her father and against all begging, pleading and warnings from her friend she converted to Muslin, married him and moved to Saudi Arabia where he promised her the world. Eventually, it was heard that Dawn grew tired of her husband’s beatings so she killed him and was never heard from again.

Sahar’s family is very wealthy, and does business with a large corporation in America owned by the prestigious Crawford family. Until he became too frail to travel all business in America was handled by her grandfather, and after that by her father.

It was time for Sahar to wed, and she had endured many introductions, all of which she managed to fumble enough where the men did not want her. She had no interest in marrying and had every desire to travel again. Eventually a widower was introduced to Sahar who looked past her antics and decided he wanted to marry her despite her games, as then the families would join in business. He was 68 years old, and he was a cousin of hers. On her wedding night, just before her wedding was consummated, Sahar died, reportedly of a brain aneurysm.

The scene changes to America, and a couple of months later there is a new girl working in the sprawling Crawford home as one of the housekeepers. Her name is Dawn Parnell. She has red hair and blue eyes. She wears heavy glasses and retainers on her teeth and attempts to be as unobtrusive as she can be.

Eventually Dawn comes under the watchful eye of bachelor son Jason Crawford who quickly discovers that she is not as simple as she makes herself out to be. He determines that she is actually quite cultured and has an abundance of knowledge that the average maid wouldn’t have. He befriends her, and things slowly start to change.

This was a fascinating, devastating and wonderful book that I was constantly making time to read, and what I have described is really truly only the very tip of the iceberg. I strongly urge and recommend this book to women in particular. There is a lot of history and explanation of the whys and hows of the inner workings of the Saudi Arabian government and why nobody has been able to change things. The women and little girls continue to live like slaves, being treated like dogs.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Saudi is a mystery novel about two women who fight for freedom. It's about the oppression of women and the human rights abuse that occurs in Saudi Arabia. One women in the book; Sahar Al-Hijazi won't allow men to choose the path she takes unlike her best friend, Dawn Parnell. She made the mistake of changing her religion and marrying a Saudi. She ended up being misled and now she is trapped in Riyadh. Both of these women desperately search for a way to escape.

The story will take you on a journey through the stressful lives of these women in Saudi Arabia where women are considered the property of men into the land of freedom, known as the United States, where women can be independent.

Sahar happened to love the man she was with; Jason. However, Jason felt as if their relationship was getting too serious. When he feels this way he tends to want to go meet other women. He uses this as a way to get to away and forget about things, in this case, Sahar. Sahar may love Jason but she starts feeling too comfortable in his mansion so she decides it's time for her to move. While she leaves the mansion and heads for the taxi that is waiting for her outside, she notices that is not the only thing waiting for her. Jason is outside too and tells her he doesn't want her to leave. She explains to him that sometimes she needs more then love and that she was just getting too comfortable in his home.

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was a very well written story, and it kept me busy. It was hard to put the book down but that allowed me to finish the book pretty quickly.
I have read other stories that were similar to this, and they always manage to keep my nose in the book. It's very sad how women have to live their lives in these countries that have poor rights for women.

[Trista · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Saudi is an intense book that every woman should read. It tells of two women who are a part of the Muslim Saudi Arabian culture. I only know a little about this culture and was beyond surprised at what they have to do, like forced marriages. Can you even imagine what that would be like? As an American girl I think it was a benefit to date guys and see what qualities you definitely do not want in a future husband/father of your children. When one is picked for you, based on importance of the man dealing with his society status and wealth, it could ultimately end in heartbreak and mistreatment. Because this stuff actually happens in the real world, it is saddening and horrific at the same time. The main character, Sahar, is a young girl in her twenties. She had the privileged of going to another country for school, where she met and befriended an American girl named Dawn. Sahar literally made men not want to marry her, which was a fantastic idea to me. However one day a 68 yo who happened to be her cousin decided he would. Does her family have a problem? Of course not because it was done so her Grandfather's ailing business can be helped! Sahar was a bright young girl who decided against it all on the night of her wedding. Supposedly she "died of an aneurysm" but she despised him and the cultural norms so you can just imagine what happened. Her friend Dawn from school thought she met the perfect man, who yet was older than she. She thought love was mutual and he promised her so much, but promises are broken when she begins be be beat. One night her husband went above and beyond beating her, so she protected herself and fought back. He will no longer harm another women and offer broken promises. *I was given a book to review! I only give an honest opinion and I loved it!

[Kim Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently finished reading Lemon Curd, another novel by Homa Paurasgari. Like Lemon Curd, The Dawn of Saudi did not disappoint! If I’m to be completely honest, this is a difficult book to read, but one I feel anyone (especially women) should read cover to cover.

I think (hope) that most people in the US have an idea of how horribly women can be treated in other countries, but this book deals with the issues in very clear, yet sometimes horrifying detail. Human rights is something that I have always been interested in and tend to devour television shows and books on this subject. Even though this book is fictional, it is very believable and you find yourself engrossed in the characters.

Even though the subject matter is serious, this is still a mystery and a love story that revolves around two very different women who meet when they are attending college together. Sahar is a women who is given the opportunity to attend university, but is being forced into an arranged marriage. Dawn is an american woman, attending the same university who decides to marry a Saudi man – even though Sahar tries to warn her not to do it.

Along with the love story, there is also a mystery that unfolds throughout the book. I wasn’t sure if I would enjoy this book, primarily because of the subject matter, but the author makes it a very interesting read full of mystery and eye opening information. I really enjoyed it!

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the privilege of reading your book "The Dawn of Saudi" as being a Business2Blogger reader and writer.
When I first started reading the book i was very intrigued and captivated by reading this fiction book. It started off being so realistic in the way it was written, very in depth writing that I had no problem following along with the story line. It was portrayed the main character, Sahar , as a very dominant figure in the book she was mentioned from beginning to end. When Dawn came into play and was mentioned I was curious how she tied into the story but as I was reading it was very apparent who "Dawn" was and why she had been mentioned but was not a key player at the beginning. I enjoyed the "Jason" character as he really didnt fit in with any of the characters, he was a businessmen and he was very open in relationships, he became the very caring and compassionate character. I thought, you, as the author really had a fantastic way of writing as I felt pulled into the story. This book started off as reading when i had that brief moment, to a cant put it down till I was finished.
It was very enjoyable reading, not enjoyable to the pain and hurt, but enjoyable as an eye opening of a different culture in recent time. The three characters really had a way of meshing through the book.
Thank you for allowing me to read and enjoy your writing, as well Thank you for signing my book:)

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was really addicted to the book I was reading called "The Dawn of Saudi" written by Homa Pourasgari. When I began reading this book I thought it would just be a book talking about the politics and lifestyles of women in Saudi but I was wrong. This book is an intricate web of love, mystery, human nature and human rights. I the beginning we meet Sahar a women born into a country where by just the mere luck of being born a girl she has no rights at all. through her we are introduce to Jason a businessman and son of a wealthy business owner and soon Dawn a girl who gave up everything for love and soon regrets it. The lives of these three people become entwined shadowed by mystery we learn that not all people have equal rights nor do all people view the world the same and that sometimes freedom comes at a very high price.

This book captures my attention from the first chapter and held it throughout the book. I found myself thoroughly caught up in the lives of these characters and found myself cheering them on hoping they would get their happy ending though not all ended well I was very happy how it all played out and I loved that I was swept up into a mystery of who's who in this story. I highly recommend this book if you are into romance and mystery with a sprinkle of politics and human rights thrown in.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

It absolutely amazes me that in this day in age, when so many people have died to fight for freedoms of opressed people that we will still have forms of slavery that occur in various parts of the world. I realize my views of equality between men and women come solely on the notion that I was born and raised in the United States and have seen nothing else. However, how a person feels they have the right to consider another human being their property and can do what they wish with them baffels me. Homa Pourasgari really opened my eyes to what many women have to deal with in the Saudi Arabia that, as she says, we hear nothing about here in the US. I realize the story of these women is fictional, but there is nothing that makes me think it has not, if not currently happening to someone. We live in a great land of freedom and it is not until someone points out that others don't have it, do we realize we take it all for granted. AWESOME READ!

[SaraLee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would recommend this book for any person to read, not just women. It grabbed my attention from the very first page! Even though this is fiction, I could pick out realistic events. This book documents the injustices to women in all of Saudi Arabia. If someone has read the true story "NOT WITHOUT MY DAUGHTER" they will be equally enthralled with DAWN OF SAUDI. This book should stand as a reminder to all Americans just how fortunate we are to have our freedoms and a reminder to Americans that we lose our rights in some foreign countries. Sometimes there is absolutely no help available to us. I will put Homa Pourasgari on my list of authors to look for in the future. This is not a "feel good" story of romance, more realistic than fiction. This book created every emotion in me, smile, sad, scared, mad and pure joy that I live in the USA! Buy it, read it and send it to a friend.

[brandy oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fascinating book, which told a tale I never hear about to often.
This has been going on for so long, and really, what are we or anybody else doing about it?
It doesn't matter if you are Republican, Democrat, whatever, this should be priority, and it's a horrible shame that this is going on, anywhere.
I enjoy reading books from this author, she has a neat way of writing that seems like it's just like a sister or a close friend telling you a story.
I really thought this was especially an excellent book, because there was a LOT of twists, and turns and definitely keeps your attention!!
I appreciate Homa, for opening our eyes to this, yet again, and hope she inspires many, many more.

[Debi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished reading The Dawn of Saudi. This book was not what I expected when I started and I loved every page. This book is about 2 young women who are struggling to get their freedom from the harsh reality of the severe Muslim Saudi Arabian culture. The story tells of them trying to get away from a life they hated. The story travels to the US as the lives of the girls become intertwined with the life of Jason Crawford, a wealthy young business man. I hope this book will bring awareness to equal rights in the middle east while entertaining people. I easily read it in under a day.

[Misty · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very powerful mystery revovling around three very different people whose lives suddenly collide. This book is not only a strong echo of oppression, but also a romance. It makes you feel and makes you want to make change. I highly recommend this book o anyone and everyone. You will not be disappointed.

[Kimberley Meier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Dawn of Saudi is the perfect combination of mystery and romance. Though fictious this book sends a very powerful message and gives a startling look into the Arab culture, arranged marriages, and the treatment of women in the Arabic culture. I loved how Homa Pourasgari intertwined the need to bring awareness within the story. I loved it and think this would be a great vacation read!