Born a princess on the African spice island of Zanzibar, Emily Ruete was brought up in a harem in the Sultan's palace, naturalized as a German through marriage, and then manipulated by both Germans and British in their efforts to gain control over the island. Her engrossing memoirs, set against the backdrop of political intrigue in the great age of European colonialism, offer a vivid portrait of nineteenth-century Arabic life, not only in the palace but in the city and on the plantations as well. It also explores relationships within her family and to the Arab and black communities, children's education, and the role of women in a polygamous society.
