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veganecurrywurst's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
vikingwolf's review against another edition
3.0
Waris has her new life in the USA but her mind returns to the family she left behind in war torn Somalia and she decides she must go home with her brother. On the journey she finds her new Western ideals clashing with the teachings she was brought up with in Somalia, and she struggles to be taken seriously because she is a woman.
This was fascinating to read although I have not read her first book where she escapes an arranged marriage in Somalia. Here we see all the differences between two cultures and how difficult it is to change opinions that have been taught for generations. I really cringed every time she talked about Female Genital Mutilation. Shudder. It scares me that young women are still subjected to this horror.
This was fascinating to read although I have not read her first book where she escapes an arranged marriage in Somalia. Here we see all the differences between two cultures and how difficult it is to change opinions that have been taught for generations. I really cringed every time she talked about Female Genital Mutilation. Shudder. It scares me that young women are still subjected to this horror.
lizautumn93's review against another edition
5.0
Very interesting story. Introduced me to an entirely new way of thinking. Highly recommend.
suzanneke's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
fast-paced
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Violence
ashieee's review against another edition
4.0
I absolutely adore Waris Dirie’s love and respect for her culture and her homeland. I love the way she tells stories.
liralen's review against another edition
3.0
In [b:Desert Flower|8745|Desert Flower The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad|Waris Dirie|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1408593037s/8745.jpg|2736618], Dirie told her story of a nomadic childhood in Somalia and her eventual escape immigration to the West; here she describes returning to Somalia for a visit after more than twenty years away.
It's true what they say; there is no feeling like it--there is no feeling like home. Oh how I missed that feeling of belonging to something much greater than myself. (180)
It's a homecoming, but Dirie also knows that she was right to leave Somalia, that she is better off in New York. Her visit is a complicated one, with Dirie at once completely at home in the desert, with her family, and also at odds with their more conservative mores and traditions. She describes clashes with her male relatives, who want her to cover up and be quiet (Dirie is willing to compromise on the former but has absolutely no interest in the latter), but also an understanding that although she was right to leave, her mother was right to stay; this is her home. It's clear, though, that change -- positive change -- will be slow.
The writing is, as with Desert Flower, energetic but rather scattered. She can be quite perceptive -- and isn't averse to turning her lens on herself as well as on others -- but the story could use a stronger framework. Still, she touches on a lot of things without easy answers. (Take for example her cousin, living in Amsterdam as a refugee -- no real interest in moving back to Somalia, but also no right to work or study in Amsterdam until conditions are 'better' in Somalia...whenever that might be. Talk of life being put on hold...)
Not sure I'll be able to find a copy of book 3, but I'd like to.
It's true what they say; there is no feeling like it--there is no feeling like home. Oh how I missed that feeling of belonging to something much greater than myself. (180)
It's a homecoming, but Dirie also knows that she was right to leave Somalia, that she is better off in New York. Her visit is a complicated one, with Dirie at once completely at home in the desert, with her family, and also at odds with their more conservative mores and traditions. She describes clashes with her male relatives, who want her to cover up and be quiet (Dirie is willing to compromise on the former but has absolutely no interest in the latter), but also an understanding that although she was right to leave, her mother was right to stay; this is her home. It's clear, though, that change -- positive change -- will be slow.
The writing is, as with Desert Flower, energetic but rather scattered. She can be quite perceptive -- and isn't averse to turning her lens on herself as well as on others -- but the story could use a stronger framework. Still, she touches on a lot of things without easy answers. (Take for example her cousin, living in Amsterdam as a refugee -- no real interest in moving back to Somalia, but also no right to work or study in Amsterdam until conditions are 'better' in Somalia...whenever that might be. Talk of life being put on hold...)
Not sure I'll be able to find a copy of book 3, but I'd like to.