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akublik's review against another edition
3.0
A powerful story of a very brave girl. I was pleasantly surprised that the judges at the court acted so quickly, to be honest. I had half expected Nujood to meet more resistance from the legal system.
rhookpietsa's review against another edition
5.0
This might be my favorite book of the year so far. I am very ignorant of Yemeni--and much of the Eastern world's specific issues. I'm aware that child marriage is a common practice, but because I'm not exposed to the tradition where I live, the concept seems almost unreal to me. However, Nujood's story has enlightened me, and humanized the concept that this is a real occurrence amongst the world. I'm very glad to have read it.
mollysticks's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what courage. Good for her, taking her fate into her own hands and changing her life in a culture where that is not so easy, especially for women.
lannthacker's review against another edition
3.0
A fast-paced re-telling of 10 year old Nujood's heartbreaking story. She moves with her family to the big city and is married to a man 20 years her senior. After a few horrifying months in the rural north of Yemen, she returns to the city for a visit and escapes to the courthouse where she petitions for, and wins, a divorce making her the youngest divorcee in the country's history.
mercbubble42's review against another edition
5.0
Such an inspiring story of an incredibly strong and brave little girl! A very quick read and well-worth every second!
stindex's review against another edition
dark
informative
sad
fast-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Torture, Violence, Physical abuse, Panic attacks/disorders, Pedophilia, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Gaslighting, Misogyny, Rape, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Sexual assault, and Sexual violence
Moderate: Kidnapping, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Trafficking, Infidelity, Police brutality, Abandonment, Death, Blood, and Pregnancy
donnaadouglas's review against another edition
4.0
This is the kind of book that really puts things into perspective. When you think that there are women in Europe calling themselves modern day 'feminists' and fighting for the right to go topless or not, whilst in another part of the world female children are being married to men more than three times their age, unable to challenge this as the 'men' in their life get to dictate their every move. Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting! A real eye-opener which makes you appreciate everything you have got. I admire the courage of this girl and hope others in her position and able to find the same courage within themselves.
heatherg213's review against another edition
4.0
Forced by her father to marry a man three times her age, young Nujood Ali was sent away from her parents and beloved sisters and made to live with her husband and his family in an isolated village in rural Yemen. There she suffered daily from physical and emotional abuse by her mother-in-law and nightly at the rough hands of her spouse. Flouting his oath to wait to have sexual relations with Nujood until she was no longer a child, he took her virginity on their wedding night. She was only ten years old.
Unable to endure the pain and distress any longer, Nujood fled—not for home, but to the courthouse of the capital, paying for a taxi ride with a few precious coins of bread money. When a renowned Yemeni lawyer heard about the young victim, she took on Nujood’s case and fought the archaic system in a country where almost half the girls are married while still under the legal age. Since their unprecedented victory in April 2008, Nujood’s courageous defiance of both Yemeni customs and her own family has attracted a storm of international attention. Her story even incited change in Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries, where underage marriage laws are being increasingly enforced and other child brides have been granted divorces.
Review:
Nujood's story is simply but powerfully written. Detailing a loss of innocence that was made all the more brutal for coming from the betrayal of her parents, I Am Nujood is both an easy and a difficult read. While the sexual assaults that she endured daily are only described in much detail once, the effect of it on her is both tragic and ultimately redemptive. Despite all teachings to the contrary, Nujood refuses to accept that her fate as a woman is to be beaten and raped by her "husband", showing a bravery that not many adult women in repressive societies do. Her determination to move forward and help other girls is an example to any survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, whether from countries where the practice is societally supported or from more "enlightened" countries like America, where supposedly we value women more.
But this book is much more than one personal story of survival and redemption. This book can be used to highlight the very real problem of forced child marriage that exists in parts of the developing world. Unicef estimates that in Africa, there the practice is prevalent, 42% of girls will be married before the age of 18, many without their consent. This means that a lack of formal schooling and a separation from the rest of society will only lead to a perpetuation of the cycle for their daughters. Child marriage is most often the result of poverty combined with a rigid sense of honor. This sense of having to "honor" the family by putting up with abuse is pervasive and makes girls in this situation feel ashamed of their desire not to be married. There is much work to be done to help women world-wide gain the education and rights necessary for them to have true self-determination, not to have to choose between the equally unacceptable alternatives of staying with their family and starving or being forced into a marriage with an older man and enduring whatever abuse he chooses to throw her way.
While the reading level for this book is quite low, the content is mature, and should it should be read with guidance by younger teens. I believe that it could be a very powerful book to use in the classroom, however, not necessarily for its literary merit as much as for the issues it raises about human rights. While the description of Nujood's rape on the first night of her marriage is disturbing, it is not graphic in nature in terms of language. I believe that it would make an excellent addition to any high school literature or social sciences curriculum, and that it could be used as a jumping-off point for a unit on the status of girl children throughout the world
Unable to endure the pain and distress any longer, Nujood fled—not for home, but to the courthouse of the capital, paying for a taxi ride with a few precious coins of bread money. When a renowned Yemeni lawyer heard about the young victim, she took on Nujood’s case and fought the archaic system in a country where almost half the girls are married while still under the legal age. Since their unprecedented victory in April 2008, Nujood’s courageous defiance of both Yemeni customs and her own family has attracted a storm of international attention. Her story even incited change in Yemen and other Middle Eastern countries, where underage marriage laws are being increasingly enforced and other child brides have been granted divorces.
Review:
Nujood's story is simply but powerfully written. Detailing a loss of innocence that was made all the more brutal for coming from the betrayal of her parents, I Am Nujood is both an easy and a difficult read. While the sexual assaults that she endured daily are only described in much detail once, the effect of it on her is both tragic and ultimately redemptive. Despite all teachings to the contrary, Nujood refuses to accept that her fate as a woman is to be beaten and raped by her "husband", showing a bravery that not many adult women in repressive societies do. Her determination to move forward and help other girls is an example to any survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, whether from countries where the practice is societally supported or from more "enlightened" countries like America, where supposedly we value women more.
But this book is much more than one personal story of survival and redemption. This book can be used to highlight the very real problem of forced child marriage that exists in parts of the developing world. Unicef estimates that in Africa, there the practice is prevalent, 42% of girls will be married before the age of 18, many without their consent. This means that a lack of formal schooling and a separation from the rest of society will only lead to a perpetuation of the cycle for their daughters. Child marriage is most often the result of poverty combined with a rigid sense of honor. This sense of having to "honor" the family by putting up with abuse is pervasive and makes girls in this situation feel ashamed of their desire not to be married. There is much work to be done to help women world-wide gain the education and rights necessary for them to have true self-determination, not to have to choose between the equally unacceptable alternatives of staying with their family and starving or being forced into a marriage with an older man and enduring whatever abuse he chooses to throw her way.
While the reading level for this book is quite low, the content is mature, and should it should be read with guidance by younger teens. I believe that it could be a very powerful book to use in the classroom, however, not necessarily for its literary merit as much as for the issues it raises about human rights. While the description of Nujood's rape on the first night of her marriage is disturbing, it is not graphic in nature in terms of language. I believe that it would make an excellent addition to any high school literature or social sciences curriculum, and that it could be used as a jumping-off point for a unit on the status of girl children throughout the world
eva__pires's review against another edition
5.0
Um relato chocante de uma realidade comum em vários países, descrita pela voz inocente e inexperiente de uma criança que infelizmente (como aliás tantas outras) se vê atirada para uma realidade esmagadora, cruel e desumanda. Uma realidade que viola os principios mais básicos da condição humana.
Ao mesmo tempo é uma relato de esperança que mostra como as mentalidades aos poucos e poucos estão a mudar e que fornece a outras crianças na mesma situação um exemplo que possa despertar a sua própria coragem.
Parabéns Nojoud! Espero que consigas alcançar todos os teus sonhos.
Congratulations Nojoud! I hope you succeed in all your dreams.
تهانينا! أتمنى لكم النجاح في كل ما تبذلونه من الأحلام.
Ao mesmo tempo é uma relato de esperança que mostra como as mentalidades aos poucos e poucos estão a mudar e que fornece a outras crianças na mesma situação um exemplo que possa despertar a sua própria coragem.
Parabéns Nojoud! Espero que consigas alcançar todos os teus sonhos.
Congratulations Nojoud! I hope you succeed in all your dreams.
تهانينا! أتمنى لكم النجاح في كل ما تبذلونه من الأحلام.