Muna Alyusuf was born, raised and educated in Saudi Arabia. Her memoir examines a tribal world and brings to life the experiences of many women living in a remote village in the Eastern Province. From the 1960s to the present, she records the impact of local and world events.

In the shadow of her voice is a reflection on and insight into Saudi society and cultural reality as lived and experienced by women from the Shia minority that has become increasingly marginalized in recent years. Taboos are broken as family, religious, sexual, societal and political boundaries are crossed.

She traces...