The history of this book and how it came to be was very interesting. The story of King Shahryar and His Brother was pretty entertaining also, but also disturbing. It seems all the stories are about women being unfaithful to their husbands. It's ok for the kings, and sheiks to have concubines to sleep with, but the wife has to remain faithful. When she does become unfaithful, she is labeled evil and it is deemed no woman is ever faithful. Do they have a vendeta against women? King Shahryar kills his first wife and every wife after her for 2 years. Why was he allowed to do this? The people of his kingdom had to know what he was doing. His last wife, Shahrazad is highly intelligent and educated. I think she was faithful to her husband, but they never do say if she was or not.
I also read The First Shaykh's Story. In this story the husband takes a concubine because his wife of 30 years has been unable to produce an heir for him. The concubine gives him a son he dotes on and again they make the wife into a witch who turns the concubine and her son into a heifer and a calf and turned them over to the herdsman's care. The son and his concubine were both slayed for the Great Festival of Allah.
The Take of the Trader and the Jinni is a strange tale. I'm not sure I understand this one, but it was interesting to read.
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