Loading
Book Information
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad
By Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
Book Actions
Start ReadingDescription
Waris Dirie leads a double life—by day, she is an international supermodel and human rights ambassador for the United Nations; by night, she dreams of the simplicity of life in her native Somalia and the family she was forced to leave behind. Desert Flower, her intimate and inspiring memoir, is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about the beauty of African life, the chaotic existence of a supermodel, or the joys of new motherhood.
Waris was born into a traditional Somali family, desert nomads who engaged in such ancient and antiquated customs as genital mutilation and arranged marriage. At twelve, she fled an arranged marriage to an old man and traveled alone across the dangerous Somali desert to Mogadishu—the first leg of an emotional journey that would take her to London as a house servant, around the world as a fashion model, and eventually to America, where she would find peace in motherhood and humanitarian work for the U.N.
Today, as Special Ambassador for the U.N., she travels the world speaking out against the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation, promoting women's reproductive rights, and educating people about the Africa she fled—but still deeply loves.
Book Actions
Start ReadingBook Information
Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad
By Waris Dirie and Cathleen Miller
Description
Waris Dirie leads a double life—by day, she is an international supermodel and human rights ambassador for the United Nations; by night, she dreams of the simplicity of life in her native Somalia and the family she was forced to leave behind. Desert Flower, her intimate and inspiring memoir, is a must-read for anyone who has ever wondered about the beauty of African life, the chaotic existence of a supermodel, or the joys of new motherhood.
Waris was born into a traditional Somali family, desert nomads who engaged in such ancient and antiquated customs as genital mutilation and arranged marriage. At twelve, she fled an arranged marriage to an old man and traveled alone across the dangerous Somali desert to Mogadishu—the first leg of an emotional journey that would take her to London as a house servant, around the world as a fashion model, and eventually to America, where she would find peace in motherhood and humanitarian work for the U.N.
Today, as Special Ambassador for the U.N., she travels the world speaking out against the barbaric practice of female genital mutilation, promoting women's reproductive rights, and educating people about the Africa she fled—but still deeply loves.
About the author
Reviews
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 looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Desert Dawn.
Rating: 5This 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 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).
Rating: 4An incredible story about a very different life than one shared by most of us.
Rating: 4Ich habe mich lange davor gedrückt dieses Buch zu lesen, denn ich dachte, es ginge in diesem Buch in erster Linie um die Genitialverstümmelung von Mädchen - so wichtig dieses Thema ist, das was ich bislang davon gelesen hatte reichte mir so schon, da brauchte ich eigentlich nicht noch ein ganzes Buch. Deshalb habe ich es nur gelesen, weil es zu denn 100 beliebtesten Büchern der Deutschen gehört und ich bei einer Challenge mitlese, in derem Rahmen diese Bücher gelesen werden.Und dann kam die große Überraschung: von der ersten Seite an war ich von der Autorin und ihrer Geschichte gefesselt. Die Schilderung des Nomadenlebens in ihrer Kindheit ist faszinierend und hinter allem steht ihr positives Denken - wenn man abends nichts zu essen bekommt, schläft man halt hungrig, am nächsten Tag wird es schon wieder etwas geben. Und so geht sie generell mit dem Leben um - sie denkt unheimlich positiv und jammert nicht sondern versucht etwas zu ändern.Natürlich ist die Genitialverstümmelung ein Thema - immerhin wird sie im Alter von 5 Jahren beschnitten und dementsprechend gehört diese Erfahrung zu ihrem Leben, aber es steht mit Ausnahme von wenigen Seiten nie so im Vordergrund wie ich es erwartet hatte. Sie schildert es genauso wie alles andere, das ihr im Leben widerfahren ist - positives und negatives.Auch die Zwangsehe ist ein Thema - aber auch dieses wird nur soweit behandelt, wie es in ihr Leben gehört. Denn der ausgesuchte Ehemann ist der Grund dafür, dass sie wegläuft - und irgendwann zum Topmodel wird.Für mich ist dieses Buch die Geschichte eines schwierigen aber auch faszinierenden Lebens, die mich gefesselt hat.
Rating: 5
This is a very skilled and sophisticated book. Dirie opens up about life as a Somali woman and is a bright light for the future
Rating: 5Angus and Robertson Top 100 (2006-2008) Book #100This autobiography was very enjoyable to read. It contained some very tragic elements, but I believe that it is a book that everyone should read. It provides a direct insight into the treatment of women and young girls in Africa.
Rating: 4There are three reasons why I chose to pursue "Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie. Her book showed up as a GoodReads recommendation with a summary about the author overcoming tremendous odds in Africa; I delved into the book and realized that I recognized the author to be an international super model; and, once I started reading the book, its contents were so compelling that the text was difficult to set aside for even a little bit of time.
"Desert Flower" is an autobiographical account of how Waris Dirie survived female genital mutilation (FGM) and many rape attempts, escaped the life plans her family had for her in Africa, created a completely new future for herself, and became an icon for helping other females whose lives started with a parallel path to that of her.
I was in pure awe of this woman's life experiences and how she conveyed them. Several times my jaw dropped, leaving my mouth open for a while as my eyes felt like they were doubling in size due to sheer astonishment, shock, horror, lack of understanding that I felt while reading Waris' accounts.
Dirie gave an account of how she developed scarred feet and how she was repeatedly questioned about them. She indicated that marks and other facets on your body equated to your history. Everyone had a story to tell...some with more significant demarcations than others. Her story incorporated the lives of many women in varying circumstances and in a number of countries; but, ultimately, it came back to their plight(s): a life of suffering physically, intellectually and emotionally. Decisions were made for them and there was a double standard that became a life-long burden. This book educated the reader about the concept of "ritual of ignorance" (pg. 213); one example was female genital mutilation. Many believe that FGM was a religious practice specified in the Koran and/or the Bible; but, the reality was that the behavior was demanded by its men who view women as their property. The author expressed her pride in being a product of Africa and lamented that outsiders did not understand true nature and kinship. She did not want the reader to confuse the author's humanitarian work and desire to end FGM with not being proud of her heritage; she considered it a separate mental model.
Waris Dirie was offered, and accepted the position of, Special Ambassador to the United Nations Population Fund, to join the fight to stop female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that, due to immigration, has spread vastly beyond the confines of Africa's borders. It has achieved international reach. Her goal was to strive to stop females from having to endure her early life experiences. The reader could not help but want to be a part of the author's fight. Waris Dirie's book was an outstanding read and easily earned its five-star rating.
Rating: 5"Desert Flower" is an autobiographical account of how Waris Dirie survived female genital mutilation (FGM) and many rape attempts, escaped the life plans her family had for her in Africa, created a completely new future for herself, and became an icon for helping other females whose lives started with a parallel path to that of her.
I was in pure awe of this woman's life experiences and how she conveyed them. Several times my jaw dropped, leaving my mouth open for a while as my eyes felt like they were doubling in size due to sheer astonishment, shock, horror, lack of understanding that I felt while reading Waris' accounts.
Dirie gave an account of how she developed scarred feet and how she was repeatedly questioned about them. She indicated that marks and other facets on your body equated to your history. Everyone had a story to tell...some with more significant demarcations than others. Her story incorporated the lives of many women in varying circumstances and in a number of countries; but, ultimately, it came back to their plight(s): a life of suffering physically, intellectually and emotionally. Decisions were made for them and there was a double standard that became a life-long burden. This book educated the reader about the concept of "ritual of ignorance" (pg. 213); one example was female genital mutilation. Many believe that FGM was a religious practice specified in the Koran and/or the Bible; but, the reality was that the behavior was demanded by its men who view women as their property. The author expressed her pride in being a product of Africa and lamented that outsiders did not understand true nature and kinship. She did not want the reader to confuse the author's humanitarian work and desire to end FGM with not being proud of her heritage; she considered it a separate mental model.
Waris Dirie was offered, and accepted the position of, Special Ambassador to the United Nations Population Fund, to join the fight to stop female genital mutilation (FGM), a practice that, due to immigration, has spread vastly beyond the confines of Africa's borders. It has achieved international reach. Her goal was to strive to stop females from having to endure her early life experiences. The reader could not help but want to be a part of the author's fight. Waris Dirie's book was an outstanding read and easily earned its five-star rating.
Interesting, impressive, sad and inspiring all at the same time.
Rating: 2This 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 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).
Rating: 4Though 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.
Rating: 2after 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.
Rating: 2A Somalian nomad tells of her harrowing childhood in the dessert (including genital mutilation), and her rise to fame as a model.
Rating: 3Desert 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 looking forward to reading the next book in the series, Desert Dawn.
Rating: 5This is a powerful book about Warus Dirie. As a child she ran away from her Somali nomad life. Through many amazing circumstances she made it to England and then into the high fashion industry. It is very eye-opening into the tribal life of Africa for women, particularly the continuing practice of female genitalia mutilation.
Rating: 4