Saturday 7 November 2009

Desert Flower


This is one of the most inspirational books I have ever read.

Desert Flower is a memoir written by Waris Dirie, its about her journey of leaving Somali where she was brought up as one of 12 children of a Nomad family.  Waris ran away at the age of 13 to escape a marriage to a 60 yr old man.  She survived a traumatic trek across the desert and ended up in London.  Through shear instinct and courage Waris found her way and became a supermodel and Bond Girl.

One thing that has really stuck in my mind about this story is the brutal female circumcision that Waris survives at the age of 5.  In 1997, Waris decided to focus her work against female circumcision, this being appointed UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation.

This book is well worth a read!

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