I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

by Nujood Ali

Other authorsDelphine Minoui (Author)
Paperback, 2010

Status

Available

Publication

Three Rivers Press (2010), 192 pages

Description

The true story of the remarkable 10-year-old Yemeni girl who dared to defy her country's most archaic traditions by fighting for a divorce.

User reviews

LibraryThing member tututhefirst
This book left me speechless. When I saw the cover, I was struck by the shy expression on this young lady's face that was so similar to my 10 year old grand-daughter's.

Thank the good lord that my grand-daughter lives in a country that would never knowingly tolerate the abuse this young woman
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suffered. At the age of somewhere between 8 and 10 (there are no official birth records in poor villages where babies are born unattended at home), Nujood was married to a man in his 30's. Her father signed the contract, claiming that the groom promised he would not touch the girl sexually until she reached 13 or puberty. Ripped from the school and the childhood friends she loved, she was taken miles away to an isolated village, where she was immediately raped by her "husband" with the support and encouragement of his mother and the rest of his family. For months she begged and pleaded to be left alone, to go back home to her parents (even though her mother had not prepared her at all for what would be involved in "being married" and her father was the one who put her in this position to begin with.) Finally the husband took her back to visit her parents, where, with the encouragement of her father's 2nd wife, she daringly left home one morning when her mother asked her to go to the corner store, hopped a public bus, then used the bread money to pay a private taxi and asked to be taken to the court.

When she finally came before a judge, and was asked what she wanted, she answered "I want a divorce."&Nb; The ensuing story of her journey through the legal system, her befriending by a prominent female attorney and ultimate triumph are a tribute to the strength of the human spirit.  Overnight, she became somewhat of a media darling, and several benefactors have stepped forward to pay for her private education. Her life has improved, and she hopes by telling her story that other women will never have to suffer the trauma she went through. She is back in school now and says she wants to become a lawyer to help other girls.

The book itself was published last year, and her story may not be front page news in FOX or CNN land anymore, but the story is still compelling. The writer Delphine Minoui who helped Nujood by putting her words onto paper did a splendid job of capturing the anguish of the young girl without making it a soap opera tear jerker. It's factual, depressing, but hope filled. Its short, clear text makes it easy to read in one sitting, but impossible to forget.It's a must read.
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LibraryThing member amandacb
I admire Nujood and I admire her perseverance in an admittedly agonizing and unjust situation; however, I feel the narrative did not do her justice. Since the narrative is short and I read it within an hour and a half, there is not much to write; the writing is simplistic and told in a factual,
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bare-faced manner, with very little imagery or detail. Much attention, instead, is given to the injustice imposed upon Nujood, and rightfully so. However, I feel that the narrative and Nujood’s story would be much more impactful with stronger, vibrant prose. While her story itself is powerful enough to stand on its own, it is not a book I will read over and over again.
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LibraryThing member Litfan
Nujood is a Yemeni girl who grows up with a father with a gambling problem. When she is around 9 or 10 (her mother has many children and no calendar with which to keep up with birthdays and ages), her father marries her off to a much older man, with his eye on her bride price. Overnight,Nujood's
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life is turned upside down as she goes from a regular 9 year old playing with her siblings to a wife, with no rights or freedoms. Despite his promise to her father not to touch her until she reaches puberty, Nujood's "husband" savagely rapes her on their wedding night.

A cultural tradition that has held for hundreds of years in Yemen, child marriage has been coming to the forefront of children's rights issues lately. Yet no news story could bring the shocking truth to light in the way that a child's narration of her own experiences does. Nujood's voice allows us to lose our adult perspective, and see this practice as it looks and feels through the eyes of a 9 or 10 year old. The result is heartbreaking.

As devastating as Nujood's story is, what truly stands out is her courage. This little 10 year old has the spunk to get away from her situation and go to the courts to request a divorce. The story moves back and forth, starting with Nujood making her way to the judge, then coming back to her childhood, marriage, and through to the ultimate outcome of the court case. It's a story that manages to be appalling, riveting, terrifying and uplifting all in less than 200 pages. Nothing brings an issue to light like the true, and well-told, story of one who has lived it.
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LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
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
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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 supposedly doing better (most likely 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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LibraryThing member labfs39
In 2008, Nujood's father married ten-year-old Nujood to a man in his thirties in exchange for a dowry. Nujood was taken to live with her new husband and his family in a remote village. He repeatedly raped her and when she sought protection from her husband's family was beaten. She finally convinces
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her husband to take her to visit her parents, who do nothing to help her, so she goes, on her own, to the courts and seeks help.

It was a famous case in Yemen at the time, and Nujood became the first child bride to be granted a divorce. Her story, as told here, reads as though it is a young adult book, but it may be because she is so young. Regardless, it is an interesting glimpse of life in a country where 14% of girls are married before age 15 and 52% before they are 18. One of the things that I found most interesting was that Nujood refused offers of refuge and an education abroad and chose to continue to live with her family, including her father who was brought up on charges during the divorce trial.
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LibraryThing member krazy4katz
This little book is definitely worth reading for understanding the enslavement of women (and girls!) in Nujood's culture. It is not well written but "the story tells itself". This brave little girl has shone a light on the shameful violence perpetrated against women in some parts of the world and
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she deserves to be heard as a representative of these enslaved souls.
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LibraryThing member meggyweg
The story should be compelling, but I found this memoir to be remarkably shallow. Nujood is barely literate and the memoir was actually written by the journalist Delphine Minoui. I'm not sure how much of the book is Minoui's and how much is Nujood's dictation. Certainly the author is consciously
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trying to sound like a ten-year-old girl, which is a main part of the problem.

The details that could really enrich this story are lacking. Nujood goes to ask for a divorce and is told this is unprecedented and it will be a difficult case. Then she has a hearing and -- presto! -- gets a divorce. What happened in between times? What efforts did her protectors make to get that divorce for her? It can't have been as easy as she makes it sound. Also, more details about Nujood's relationship with her family after the divorce would have been nice. She had, after all, had her father temporarily put into prison, and I would have liked some information on how the family dynamics changed. All the characters are cardboard as well. Almost all the women, except Shada, are beaten-down, severely depressed doormats. And the men, except the judges and the one journalist who assisted Nujood, are either evil (her husband) or selfish and/or lazy (her father, her oldest brother).

I can't escape the feeling that this girl is being used, and I wonder if she regrets this book's publication or will regret it in the future. Certainly it brought unwelcome notoriety to her family in a culture that prizes honor above everything.

This book would, I think, have been better off as a third-person biography of Nujood, perhaps set in the broader context of a study of child marriages in the Middle East. As it was it left me feeling rather uneasy.
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LibraryThing member Jellyn
A relatively short book about Nujood's life and how she was married at the age of 10 to an abusive man, and filed for divorce.It's really a more an amazing story when you read it than it sounds like in a summary. Not that her situation is unique, but it takes a strong will and intelligence to get
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herself out of it at such a young age.You're reading the story through so many filters though, that it's hard to know how genuine every detail is. She didn't write the story by herself. I don't think she even wrote the story herself. I suspect it was more a series of interviews. And I know nothing about the woman whose name is also on the byline. What country is she from?Added on top of that, the book was then translated into English. So when I see words that I really don't think a 10 year old would use, how do I know who put that word there? Does it sound more like a 10 year old in the original?I would be interested in seeing if Nujood writes her own story, in her own words, once she's older.
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LibraryThing member JanaRose1
This remarkably true story is about Nujood, a child from Yemen who was forced into marriage at the age of ten. One of many children, her family lived in poverty, scrounging for every meal. In order to rid himself of another mouth to feed, Nujood's father marries her off without a second thought.
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Despite an agreement not to touch his wife until she came of age, Nujood was immediately subjected to his sexual desires. Beaten and abused, Nujood is in for a life of misery and servitude. Through her courage and determination to be free from her husband, Nujood runs away and asks for help at the courthouse. Through the help of lawyers, sympathetic judges and the international press, she is granted her divorce.

I was touched by Nujood's strength and determination. Just as easily, she could have been killed as an example to other women or just sent back to her husband. However, through her force of will, she has now paved the way for other child brides to obtain divorces. I believe this book touches upon an important, and little known, social issue. It is important to read and learn about these issues in order to spread awareness. In addition, this book was extremely well written. It was a quick read, one many can enjoy.
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LibraryThing member WeeziesBooks
This is the heartbreaking story of a young woman from Yemen, forced into marriage by her father and the circumstances of her life. Her strength of character comes through as she fights for her freedom from a life of abuse and cruelty. Although the writing is not of high quality, the story is
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compelling. It is a very quick read that will touch your heart.
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LibraryThing member mrn945
Sometimes a book tears at your heart in such a profound manner that you find yourself unable to breathe. This was one of those books for me.

This memoir has been talked about quite a bit lately in my circle of friends, several asking me if I had had a chance to read it. After some quick searching
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online, I figured out what they were talking about and decided to give the memoir a chance.

The voice of tender young Nujood reminds me of the stories I've read of pioneer women making their way through a treacherous landscape to settle the west. In a sense, Nujood is a pioneer, a revolutionary. In a country where it is more acceptable than we dreamed possible for a young child to be married to a lecherous man, she refused to accept this lot in life.

The writing itself is simple, the girl is allowed to tell her story with only a small amount of embellishment. The voice is honest and clear with a surprisingly happy ending. Although I know that things will probably not always be good for her, there is just so much hope inside this child that you cannot help wanting to sweep her up in a hug and help her. The book was released quite recently, so we shall see if her life turns out as she dreams. I for one will be keeping an eye out for updates on Nujood!
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LibraryThing member katiekrug
Nujood is 9 or 10 (no one can tell her for sure when she was born) when her father marries her off to a man three times her age. After a few months of sexual and physical abuse, she escapes and petitions for a divorce. That part of her story is shocking enough, but equally shocking is that this
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young girl found the strength inside herself to expose what was going on and demand justice in a very conservative Muslim country where girls rarely go to school, much less have a voice.

It's an interesting story and a quick read - I think it is intended as a YA book - though not particularly well-written. Whether that is the fault of the translator or Nujood's young voice, I don't know. Definitely worth reading, especially for those with an interest in international womens rights and/or understanding other cultures.
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LibraryThing member redheadish
This is the heart wrenching story of a girl that was forced to marry very young and how she found a way out. read in 2010
LibraryThing member Carolee888
This is the story of a brave little ten year old girl. She was living in the deepest of poverty, one of the 12 out of 16 who survived childbirth. Her father, disabled and addicted khat, agreed to have her married to a man much older to her. That man smelled of cigarettes and khat and even though he
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promised not to touch her until she was older, he raped her on the first night of the marriage day. He beat her and abused her in many ways. It was the little girl, Nujood, who had to decide whether to endure her new life or to seek some way out. She didn’t really have any choice if she ever wanted to go back to school, learn more than how to print her first name, to be a child again, to play outside like the little girl she was. But it took tremendous courage for her to come up a plan to escape her husband. This book tells of the time before her marriage, her extraordinary escape. If she had been caught it would have been the worst thing possible that could happen in her life.
The writing is straight forward and honest, through the little girl’s eyes and words. To explain how her situation could happen, she told of the customs, especially among the poor and those who live in the country in Yemen. It is of course written with co-author of whom we know nothing. It would have been good to include a page biographical information about her.
I was reading this book while waiting for an appointment at my doctor’s office. One of the nurses noticed what I was reading and asked me about it. I didn’t ask which country he came from but I knew he was from the Middle East by his name. He told me that awful situation is much better today. He said that there has been a lot of information on TV about what to do. Now, if married at a very young age, the girl knows to go to the television station. She should not go to the police because they will send her back to her husband. He said that if you go to the television station, you can see all the girls sitting on benches waiting for help. The news of Nujood’s courage and success in escaping has spread around the world and mostly to other Middle Eastern countries. But from what the man at my doctor’s office said, there is so much more room for improvement. There need to be enforced laws that would forbid such marriages and provide protection for little girls, snatched out of their childhoods and forced to endure all kinds of abuse. In the back of the book, there is a very useful glossary, reading guide and a plea for donations for The Girls World Communication Center which helps girls get training, scholarships and leadership skills.
I recommend this book to all women and men who willing to recognize that the lives of girls and women in Middle Eastern Cultures and other restrictive culture need to have simple human rights and respect.
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LibraryThing member dsafire
Mediocre book about an extraordinary child.
LibraryThing member dara85
**S* P* O* I* L* E* R**

Despite all the gifts and the money after her divorce, Nujood's family lives in extreme poverty and she and her sister were forced to drop out of school due to her parents illnesses. They later were sent off to boarding school, using the money she received from the book
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publication etc. It bothered me that the father was all about family honor and yet with all the children he lost the only job he ever had and has not worked since.
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LibraryThing member mrsderaps
am trying to get more and more nonfiction onto my free reading shelves for my students. This is not an easy task when it comes to needing accessible, interesting material for teens aged 14-19. Lately, though, there have been more nonfiction options for teens. This is one such book.

First of all, the
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title is intriguing and basically says a lot with just a few words. I've done two book talks for this memoir already, and each time there have been audible gasps when I just hold the book up and students read the title. It's shocking. And, when I tell them that it's real, students just can't believe it. There is no better hook than a gripping, emotional title.

This story takes place in the small, conservative Muslim country of Yemen. I am trying to learn more about the Middle East (and other areas of the world) in hopes of teaching World Lit in a more current, interesting way. Traditionally, sophomore English at our high school is called World Lit and the materials are all ancient and Euro-centric. It's comprised of Shakespeare, Greek Mythology, Greek literature, and Kafka. Not a modern, non-male, non-white perspective to be had.

This book would be a perfect way to introduce women's rights, children's rights, and Middle Eastern culture/ religion/ philosophy to students. In it, Nujood basically causes a small revolution when she escapes her home and forces a group of judges to listed to her case. Married off at the age of ten, she was brutally raped and abused by her "husband" and his family. Her own family did not support her desire to divorce her husband, so she ran away and advocated for herself. All of this action is in spite of the dangers that could have befallen her if her relatives had decided to shun or harm her for shaming them.

After this case received national and international attention, other girls came forward with their cases and laws about the age of consent have been changed. Of course, there are still lots of instances where young girls have been married off to much older men, but this spark has caused a wave that could help many girls and women in countries like Yemen.

Most importantly, this book offers a window into a foreign world and does so with great respect for the culture and traditions of the Middle East. It is not a smear, but an insight into a way of life and thinking that is very unfamiliar to myself and my students. Plus, it's well-written and engaging.
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LibraryThing member jaidahsmommy
This is the true story of Nujood, and ten year old girl who is married off by her father to a man three times her age. All Nujood wants to do in life is go to school and play with her friends. Her father marries her off to a man who agrees not to consumate their relationship until the year after
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Nujood reaches puberty. However, that man does not keep that promise and begins sexually assaulting her the firt night they are back at his home. Not only is this poor little girl married and viciously sexually assaulted by this disgusting man, but she is also fiercely hated by her new mother-in-law that she abuses Nujood too. Having more than enough, Nujood is able to talk her husband into letting her visit her family where she makes an escape to the court house. Nujood is able to find help from a lawyer who agreed to help her win a divorce, something that was unheard of in her home country of Yemen.

This story is so heartbreaking yet inspiring at the same time. How anyone can think it is ok to do such horrible things to children is beyond me. I think we as people need to stop hiding behind the gauze of "culture" and do something about it. We are all to blame for not taking action because "that is just their culture" and nobody wants to offend it. Well, I am sorry, but just because something has been happening for a long time, it does not make it right. Nujood is an amazingly brave girl for getting herself out of that situation and paving the way for other girls to find help too. This is definitely a must-read!
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LibraryThing member emilyannward
This is the story of a girl in Yemen named Nujood. Her father married her off at age nine to a man three times her age. It tells about her short-lived, frightening marriage, and the successful divorce with the help of the courts and a lawyer who didn't charge her anything.

It's a very inspiring
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story, and I really felt for Nujood. She's a brave girl, and I'm really glad that her story is shedding some light on this issue. Of course, I wish she'd never had to go through that, but her courage is helping other girls.

It's horrible that child marriage happens all over the world, and laws aren't enough to deter people from it. There's a lot behind it, including cultural customs and sometimes what the family thinks is the girl's best welfare. Nujood's father claimed he wanted to protect her from some of the things her older sisters had gone through, and the men agreed the husband wouldn't touch her before she hit puberty, but that wasn't upheld. In the end, her father and brothers were more angry with Nujood for bringing shame on their family than glad she was getting out of that relationship. I don't want to judge them too harshly - I'm glad they didn't react to Nujood with violence.

The writing wasn't stellar, and I don't know who the "blame" goes to. I'm assuming Nujood told her story to Delphine Minoui, who wrote the original manuscript in French. Perhaps it was the translator. The narrative kept using cliches like "flying off the handle" and "on the spot" and others. Since it was a first person narrative, it took me out of Nujood's voice, since I'm sure she wouldn't say things like that in Arabic. There was also a lot of weird tense changes. It didn't get in the way of the story, though, which was very inspiring and also heartbreaking.
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LibraryThing member Den282
This was a very quick read, and written from the perspective of 10 year old Nujood who finds herself married off to a man 25 years her senior. Horrifying that this actually happens in the world today. This is a tale of Nujood's bravery and fortitude to extricate herself from a terrible life.
LibraryThing member Mrs.Stansbury
I enjoyed the book, however, it was simply written. The author writes as if the book was dictated by the ten year old girl. I appreciated not having to read an abundance of details of abuse. The abuse Nujood suffered was covered and was disturbing. I will be able to recommend this book to mature
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teens who have an interest in stories of real life.
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LibraryThing member HHS-Students
Reviewed by Brittany (Class of 2014)

Life for 10-year-old Nujood isn’t easy when her father decides to make her marry someone three times her Age. In the beginning, her father wanted her to be married because of what happened to her sister. He wanted someone who is going to protect Nujood, but her
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husband was doing the opposite, beating her and taking advantage of her. Her father made him promise not to take advantage of her because she’s so young, but he broke his promise. Nujood tries to tell her family about what happened but no one would listen to her. She goes to Dowla, her father’s second wife. She tells Nujood to go to court and ask for a divorce. The next day she does.
This book is interesting and heartbreaking but, in some parts I got bored with it because it was taking me so long to get to the interesting parts. It is very heartbreaking because of the things he did to her. She had a lot of courage to go against her father by going to the judge to ask for a divorce. I enjoyed this book because of her courage and learning about the different cultures in the world.
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LibraryThing member mjspear
Najood Ali is, at 10, married off to a man 3x her age. She is raped and beaten by her husband. She escapes to the big city, finds the civil court, and applies for a divorce. Aided by many, including a sympathetic female attorney and judge, she becomes the first woman to win a divorce in Yemen
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history. Sadly, this compelling tale is a so-so read.
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LibraryThing member sealford
This story touched me from beginning to end. Nujood is a little girl in Yemen who was forced into an arranged marriage by her family. Even though they were against it, they felt bound to it by their society's honor traditions. I dare not speak of what this poor little girl went through, but as an
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American I am appalled. It's bad enough when this sort of thing happens to adults, but to think of it happening to a child is inconceivable. However, I'm glad that she had the courage to write her story and let the rest of the world know what happens outside of our country.
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LibraryThing member drachenbraut23
I have read in the June' 11 edition of the National Geographic this very long article about arranged marriages in many countries all over the world. This topic touched me very much and I felt daunted. Also I knew that there are things like this still happen around the globe, in general it is much
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easier not to think about that. Anyway, in this article they also talked about this little girl and this book.
I thought this book was very well written in the voice of Nujood. It showed very clearly the complex honour bound tradition's of this society and how difficult it is to break this traditions. Also they do have already laws in Yemen which forbid children marriages (not arranged marriages) it is not working because of this complex society. This book very much touched my heart and I was happy that this little girl was able to get out of this marriage and is now able to continuous her education.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2009

Physical description

8 inches

ISBN

9780307589675
Page: 0.7254 seconds