Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad

I will never understand why FGM is still practised in the world today, especially when it is only done to appease men. Babies of a few weeks or months are having this done now. This book is just heartbreaking and I applaud Waris for trying to stamp this out.

Back Cover Blurb:
Born a Somalian nomad she was circumcised at five, survived genital mutilation and a face-off with a tiger, fled an arranged marriage at 12, then became a Pirelli girl in her teens. Waris is now a UN special Ambassador and she is still fighting, still using her beauty and courage, to take what she has learned to try and put things right and end this barbaric act.

Disappointingly light for a subject as serious as Female Genital Mutilation. I was glad to learn that modern Western surgery can ameliorate the results of this barbaric, inhumane practice and make it easy to pee freely. It might have been nice if Waris had mentioned that rehabbing her vagina was helpful when she gave birth, but she was far more interested in revisiting the excitement of a modeling career than discussing her surgery. Interesting, but not enough to hold onto this book.

This is the story of a Somali nomad girl who becomes a famous international model. After learning at age 12 that her father wants to marry her to a 60-year-old man in exchange for five camels, Waris (meaning 'desert flower') runs away from home. She makes it to London, working as a servant-girl for her uncle, the ambassador. Later she is discovered, and goes on to work as a top model and a UN spokeswoman on women's rights in Africa.

This autobiography delves into Waris's childhood as part of a nomadic tribe living off what they could find in the desert. It also describes her horrific circumcision at the age of five and the ongoing legacy of that ordeal. It is an inspiring story, made all the more sad by the fact that the barbaric show more practice of female genital mutilation (FGM) is still be carried out on little girls, without anesthetic, leaving them with a lifetime of pain and discomfort. Shocking!

'I had to learn new survival skills for this new world, which were different from the ones I was raised with in the desert. Here I needed to learn English, and how to communicate with all sorts of people. Knowing about camels and goats wasn't going to keep me alive in London' (p. 123).

'The health problems I've coped with since my circumcision also plague millions of girls and women throughout the world. Because of a ritual of ignorance, most of the women on the continent of Africa live their lives in pain. Who is going to help the women in the desert - like my mother - with no money and now power? Somebody must speak out for the little girl with no voice' (p. 225). show less

after reading INFIDELITY I was hope to get more inside of the situation of women in Africa and I got it, but I am scared that young girl might stat to think it is easy to run and away and then your become a model and famous and rich. These stories are single stories and so many young girl vanish and die. I just hopethese books will open the eyes of a lot of people and they will start to make a change.

Desert Flower is as an excellent introduction to the nomadic culture of the Somali desert. Somalia, as described by Dirie, is a beautiful and dangerous place. The people who inhabit the desert must use all their strength to create a life using only sand and the little water that can be found. It is this strength that enabled Dirie to survive female genital mutilation, her flight across the desert to avoid an arranged marriage, living as a servant in England, and finally achieving success as a model.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, finding it to be easy to read and well-written. Dirie manages to describe the more intimate events in her life with just enough detail to get her point across. She is factual, but not over the top. I am now show more looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Desert Dawn. show less

I'm taking a brief foray out of urban fantasy to read another autobiography. I'm a big fan of (auto)biographies, especially when they're written by people who've faced a lot of adversity. The woman in question this time is Waris Dirie, a model turned activist from Somalia.

In Desert Flower, she recounts her life story. While she's not the most compelling writer, her story deserves to be told. Born a Somali nomad, she was circumcised and fled her family when she was a teenager. She made her way on her own, illiterate and poor, eventually getting to the U.K., where her modeling career got underway. She eventually became a supermodel (although not one I would recognize) and then spoke out against female circumcision. She then became a U.N. show more special ambassador in the fight for human rights. Her story is one of courage and inspiration.

I really enjoyed learning more about this extraordinary woman and the struggles she's faced. It was interesting to read her words, even if her writing style isn't the most sophisticated. Her personality definitely shines through and I'm really glad I picked this book because it's reminded me about how fortunate I am, as are millions of other people, to have basic amenities and education. She's also inspired me because she came from so little but got so far by relying only on herself, which makes me feel like I should be able to conquer my (admittedly less mountainous) obstacles too.

Originally published at http://ireadgood.wordpress.com show less

Though some of us cringed as we read parts of this book, it was enlightening but terribly sad. We felt that parts of the book seemed to be written by two different people ..... perhaps the presence of the writer who helped her write the book? Never mind all that .................. at least the book is serving to make the world aware of the terrible procedure that is still occuring today..... and hopefully one day help will come and things will change.