Zainab Salbi was eleven years old when her father was chosen to serve as Saddam Hussein's personal pilot, her family often forced to spend weekends with Saddam. As a palace insider, she offers a glimpse of life under a dictator and provides an intimate portrait of the man she was taught to call "uncle". She was asked to erase her memory as she heard of crimes she was not supposed to hear of, and witnessed her mother hiding her tears lest it upset Saddam. Her mother eventually sent her to America for an arranged marriage, to spare her from Saddam's affection, but the marriage turned out to be another world of tyranny and abuse. Despite extraordinary challenges, she started over as a champion of female victims of war, dedicating her life to speaking out on behalf of oppressed women around the world. But until now, she has never told her personal tale.--From publisher description.