Some Girls: My Life in a Harem

by Jillian Lauren

Book Overview

A jaw-dropping story of how a girl from the suburbs ends up in a prince's harem, and emerges from the secret Xanadu both richer and wiser

At eighteen, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout with a tip about an upcoming audition. The "casting director" told her that a rich businessman in Singapore would pay pretty American girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Soon, Jillian was on a plane to Borneo,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0452296315
• ISBN13: 9780452296312
• Release Date: April 2010
• Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.7" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

A Story that Must Be Told

Jillian Lauren might be considered an opportunist, both in her decision to enter the employ of the Prince of Brunei and the decision to write this memoir. But after I read "Some Girls," I realized that Lauren's decision to venture to Brunei were founded on circumstances that she neither fully understood at the time, nor even grasped the significance of. She was up against someone in a position of power who did not seem to give a second thought to exploiting those who were not. The decision to write this memoir is simply the decision to tell a good story; one that must be told. Therefore one cannot call neither her trip to Brunei, nor her memoir an opportunistic decision. The most compelling part of "Some Girls" is not what it purports to explore from the cover--the juicy details and tabloid like tidbits--but a deep search within a woman's soul and her place in the world. Lauren does this beautifully, poetically, and with a perspective that few of us achieve in either living or writing. All good stories present a main character who is interesting, who goes on a journey, and who is ultimately enlightened. As a reader, I was intrigued, then engrossed, and ultimately educated. I look forward to seeing what stories this author will present us with in the future.

You WANT to read THIS!

You want to read this book! It held my attention the whole time, and I had a problem putting it down. While I felt that she did cut the end a little short, I understand that there was a lot of material she was working with. That is why I'm hoping out hope that she will go back, and write an additional book that elaborates more on the last few chapters. BUT if she doesn't I'm grateful she shared what she did about her life. It was a great read, holds your attention, and leaves you satisfied but ready for more.

Beautifully written, fascinating memoir.

Some Girls: My Life in a Harem by Jillian Lauren is a beautifully written and fascinating story about how she, a girl from suburban New Jersey became an international concubine and emerged from the experience a stronger and wiser woman. I read this book in one sitting. I could not put it down. I was totally swept away by Lauren's writing. Her story is eye-opening and moving and I HIGHLY recommend it. At eighteen, Jillian Lauren was an NYU theater school dropout chasing down a tip about an upcoming audition: a rich businessman in Singapore would pay pretty American girls $20,000 if they stayed for two weeks to spice up his parties. Independent, rebellious, and estranged from her adoptive parents, Jillian was soon on a plane to Borneo, where she would spend the next eighteen months in the harem of Prince Jefri Bolkiah, youngest brother of the Sultan of Brunei. She became one of the first Western women to infiltrate this modern-day take on an ancient institution and found herself enmeshed in an unexpected love affair with the restless prince. With SOME GIRLS, Jillian Lauren portrays the complexity of her experience and presents readers with more than just a salacious page-turner, but a story of resilience, redemption and forgiveness. She poignantly traces how a struggling teenager learned to believe in herself, find the courage to meet her birth mother, and eventually adopt a baby boy. Jillian Lauren is an extremely talented writer and Some Girls is a must-read.

Beautifully Told Memoir About A Harem, Family, Identity, and Tattoos

Some Girls is about, on the surface, Lauren's time spent in a harem in Brunei, but dig just marginally beneath that surface and you will see that this is a memoir that tackles major moments in both her life and one's that many women struggle with. Lauren leaves home at 16 to head out on her own at NYU, but soon finds the life of the theater and, later, escorting, more her style. She is young, brash and carefree, but Lauren never makes it as easy as "I was rebelling." She transposes her freewheeling time against her search for meaning--and her birth mother. Her descriptions of life in the palace, the over-the-top, almost sickening shopping sprees, and encounters with Prince Jefri vividly, including rivalry, jealousy, desire and boredom. Some of the most moving scenes here, though, having nothing to do with the harem, even if they were informed by her time there. Her quest, and eventual success, in finding her birth mother is at the core of what it means to find oneself, and the ways that meeting falls short of Lauren's expectations are poignant. When she writes of her accidental pregnancy, the boyfriend who wasn't interested, and how she chose to deal with that, she starkly highlights the humanity within the debate around abortion in a way we truly need to see more of in our society. And when Lauren finds tattoo culture (fun fact: Ed Hardy once had a magazine called Tattootime, which becomes Lauren's bible), she writes of having found her people, and promptly gets a major tattoo that even her tattoo artist advises her against. I found myself repeatedly marveling that the protagonist is only, at most, 19 or 20 when most of the scenes here take place. Lauren displays a maturity beyond her years in her self-assurance (though, again, beneath the surface much more than toughness bubbles up) as well as in the writing and self-reflection. This is a memoir in the truest sense of the word, not a dashed-off "I did this for a year" but a piece that flashes back and reveals her childhood piece by piece, showing why she had this restless yearning to travel so far and get involved with the Prince, even dreaming of having his child at one point. She complicates prostitution and her role in it, while never disowning or disavowing that word or the reality of what she did, and in doing so, has written an outstanding story that is both a fast, at times glamorous read, and one that is very likely to make you cry which, in my book, makes it a winner.

Fascinating look at the life of a modern harem girl

Difficult to put this book down. How an adopted girl from a Jewish background became a stripper and an escort, and as if that were not enough- a harem girl of a prince! Lauren is a gifted writer, and this story is so amazing, it is truly a jaw-dropper. Lauren dared to tread- at quite a young age- where most of us would not even think about going! And the reality of life as a harem girl is so different than what I had thought it might be. If you love clothes and jewelry, you have to read about some of the harem girls shopping sprees and gifts! In exchange though, the girls were virtually prisoners, with little freedom, and the 24/7 surveillance of them would have unnerved anyone. The girls are pitted against each other to gain the favor of the prince. Lauren showed she had true courage throughout the book, and thankfully managed to escape the direction her life was heading. This was one of the most entertaining and riveting books I have read in the past few years! The book is not intended to read like an erotic romance novel, and thankfully doesn't. Instead it offers a rather analytical view of why she was such a wild teenager, with problems ranging from substance abuse and eating disorders. Her issues with her volatile father and him cutting her off financially led to her becoming a stripper, which led to other things. She was in the harem for quite a while before it dawned on her that it was even a harem- they had been told they would be paid to party. I suspect she waited to tell the story due to the piles of unreported cash she earned. I would have liked more details- I don't think she ever said exactly how long she was there the first time, or how much money she made. If you have teenage girls, you really should read this!