Tiffany K. (tiffanyak) - , reviewed on 8/13/2011 + 215 more book reviews

There are times when the voice of Nujood seems to be taken over by the voice of her co-author, who is obviously the one that really did the writing here. Yet, despite that, this is a very eye-opening and critical book to read in order to learn first-hand about the plight of many young "women" (I use that word very loosely, since I certainly don't believe any ten year-old is a woman, rather than a child) in the Middle East. You will feel a great deal of pain as you learn exactly what life these young girls will be forced to endure.

Nujood is a typical child in Yemen from an average poor family until, at the ripe old age of ten, her father basically sells her for marriage to a man three times her age. Her husband proceeds on their wedding night to break his vow not to touch her sexually until after puberty, and proceeds to be further abusive to his young bride. This in itself is apparently not at all an unusual practice in Yemen, or in other areas of the Middle East. What makes Nujood's case unusual is the fact that she had the courage and strength to defy her father, brother, and husband (which simply isn't done), and to seek and win a divorce, thereby inspiring other young brides in the region to challege their marriages.

Nujood's story is tragic, not just in its details, but also from the fact that the book makes it clear that what happened to her is not an exception in that region of the world. It also makes it clear that this young girl has many challenges still ahead for her. From updates online, I see her and her family are doing better (due to the proceeds from the book, and the support her story has gotten), but I can imagine she will be in for a difficult time in the future. Fortunately, the international fame her story brought her will certainly continue to lend her some protection. Hopefully, she will one day achieve her dreams, and will continue to be the voice of all the young girls who cannot speak for themselves.

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