Souad: *~1962

Burned Alive, 2003 - Thematic Parallels: Honor Killing

Honor Killing is the act of murdering a family member, who is perceived to have brought "shame" or "dishonor" to the family or community.
Souad: Burned Alive, 2003
Souad claims to have survived an attempt on her life by being doused in petrol and set on fire as an act of so-called honor killing by her family.
The following books are thematically simliar. They lend themselves well to being read in groups, compared with one another, or used to teach a similar topic over an extended period with a class:
- Adichie, Chimamanda: Purple Hibiscus, 2003, ~300pp
  This novel deals with domestic violence and family dysfunction, themes that may overlap with the social issues around honor and violence against women.
  - Both books center on young female protagonists who live under violent, authoritarian fathers. They expose the destructive power of patriarchal authority within the household. Despite their different contexts and genres, both "Purple Hibiscus" and "Burned Alive" deliver powerful portraits of girls fighting to reclaim their voices in oppressive environments.
- Lessing, Doris: The Grass Is Singing, 1950, ~240pp
  The novel delves into racial and societal tensions, colonialism, and personal tragedy, similarly reflecting on cultural and social conflict.
  - Each narrative portrays how deeply patriarchal systems normalize violence against women and how society tacitly accepts or excuses it. Women’s identities and freedoms are shaped—and often crushed—by external social forces they cannot escape. The female body is policed, punished, and used to enforce conformity.
- Plath, Sylvia: The Bell Jar, 1963, ~250pp
  This novel deals with issues of identity, societal expectations, and psychological trauma.
  - In both works societal rules over women’s bodies and choices are central sources of suffering. Both show how societies attempt to police women’s sexuality as a form of control. Each narrative ends with a form of emergence from suffocation.
- Strout, Elizabeth: Amy and Isabelle, 1998, ~300pp
  This is a novel about about personal hardships.
  - Both Amy and Souad face intense scrutiny for their behavior simply because they are young women, and their communities impose harsh expectations of purity and obedience. Female sexuality is judged harshly, and communities use shame as a tool of control. Both narratives revolve around resilience, survival, and attempts to reclaim agency after deeply traumatic experiences.
List of general discussion questions on Honor Killing (pdf)
List of essay prompts on Honor Killing (pdf)