Summary:
In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of The Caged Virgin, Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West.
My Review:
Unlike Ayaan Hirsi Ali I grew up in a loving home with the right to practice religion freely. I was able to read Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte and dream of falling in love and marrying some day – knowing full well that the man I chose would be one I loved. The concept of abuse was foreign to me as was the idea that young girls were being genetically mutilated in countries across the globe from me.
As with all memoirs, I’m sure that there are parts of this book that were embellished as well as glossed over – but that does not distract from the powerful story that Ayaan tells.
Before starting to write this review (and while taking time to gather my own thoughts) I decided to read a few others, and while the reviews were interesting it was comments that really caught my eye. In the comments people were attacking one another based on their own religious views. I read attacks on Muslims, Christians and Mormons and marveled at the strength of a message and of one woman’s words to be able to incite people so angrily.
One review in particular had me a bit confused. It stated that, in the end, Ayaan turns away from God. I did not get that message from this book. Instead I saw a woman who was crying out for God wanting to understand why, in their interpretations, men were given license to abuse and mutilate women in the name of their faith. This was Ayaan’s life; things that she experienced, and while I did not read this book for “pleasure”, I did read it to be informed and to have my eyes opened. Seeing the world through Ayaan’s eyes only causes me to feel grateful and thankful for my own world and to pray in my own faith and spread the word to help fight against the abuse of others, be they women, children or men.
