What is rajaa alsanea?

Rajaa Alsanea is a Saudi Arabian author, best known for her debut novel "Girls of Riyadh" which was published in 2005. Born in 1981 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Alsanea received a Bachelor's degree in Dentistry from King Saud University before moving to the United States to pursue a Master's degree in Syrian-Lebanese History from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

"Girls of Riyadh," her first novel, was a bestselling work of fiction based on the daily lives of four young woman living in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The book was controversial in Saudi Arabia for its frank portrayal of the issues facing women in a conservative society and was banned in the country. However, it was widely read and discussed in the Arabic-speaking world and was eventually adapted into a successful play in Lebanon and France.

Since the publication of "Girls of Riyadh", Alsanea has become an advocate for women's rights in Saudi Arabia and has written columns for various newspapers and magazines. She is also an accomplished academic and has received a Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Indiana, where she currently teaches.