Unbroken Spirit: How a Young Muslim Refused to Be Enslaved by Her Culture

by Ferzanna Riley

This is the incredible true story of Ferzanna Riley, a Pakistani Muslim who could not be broken, despite an abusive family and their brutal efforts to enslave her. Her violent childhood, during which she was beaten on an almost daily basis, transformed her into a desperate and suicidal teenager, and led her to question the faith and culture she had been born into.

After starting a new life in London, a shocking turn of events led Ferzanna and her younger sister to be tricked by their family into going into Pakistan, where they were held captive.

Inspiring and moving, this astonishing story paints a picture of an amazing woman who broke the cycle of abuse and survived against all the odds.

Genres: Nonfiction

304 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2007

Reviews

[Erica⭐ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this book to anyone!! Not only is it written in an easy to read and very informative style, but you will also get hooked on the story. I was not able to put it away once i had started.

It amazed me how strong Ferzanna was and is and that she never lost her sense of humour even after all that happened to her.

The conflict of religion and life style was also written with great passion and detail. I learned a lot of things about muslim culture, their life style and religion which i hadn't known before.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

En både intressant och fasansfull berättelse om vad familjer är villiga att göra för att upprätta sin "heder". En sann berättelse som till viss del är svår att ta till sig, men viktig att läsa. Ferzanna växer upp i England, lever i den brittiska kulturen men hennes familj är från Pakistan och vill hålla fast vid tradition och värderingar från sitt muslimska hemland. Mitt emellan hamnar barnen som lever i en helt annan värld än den som föräldrarna (till viss del) vill upprätthålla. Med uppväxt i Sverige är det i princip omöjligt att förstå en hederskultur, den är så långt ifrån vad jag själv upplevt och det är känns helt världsfrånvänt att en ogift dotter skulle vara ett problem för familjen. Författaren reflekterar över vad tradition och kultur är jämfört med religion, för står verkligen det som föräldrarna påstår i Koranen? Boken gör mig både arg och ledsen, arg för att vi inte har kommit längre, ledsen för de flickor och kvinnor som drabbas av dessa förlegade traditioner. Men det finns också hopp, det kan bli förändring, det måste bli förändring.

[Gail murray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written some parents shouldn't have children.

[Michelle Edwards]

The book may have been very good but I couldn’t get past the awful reader. Really disappointed as it sounded really interesting

[Sabrina Rutter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ferzanna Riley being born muslim was already going to have a very trying life, add an abusive father, and the fact that her mother neglected to teach her about her religion and cultural expectations and it becomes even more difficult.My heart really goes out to this woman for all of the unnecessary suffering she had to endure. She could have been a muslim parents pride and joy had she had the right guidance.
Ferzanna always expected she would have an arranged marriage and had no problem going along with that. Her only problem was at the time she should have been in the asian marriage market her father had no dowry prepared for her, nor did her mother spread the word. So at twenty four Ferzanna was considered a spinster according to her Pakistani culture.
Living in her own apartment with her younger sister five hours away from the family home didn't make her parents to happy at all so her mother tricked the girls into going to Pakistan. What was supposed to be a two week trip turned into a fourteen week mightmare for Ferzanna and her sister. They knew they were totally at their parents mercy in Pakistan. If her parents wanted to they could easily kill their daughters and tell anyone who asked that the girls were simply married away.
As an American woman I can't relate to anything, even pride being more important than my daughter. I love nothing more than I love my children. I don't mean to offend anyone but the muslim faith reminds me of the mormons who believe in polygamy and live in secluded areas of the US. It seems very cultish to me when parents are willing to force their children into marriages to complete strangers, and willing to kill them in the name of honor. I'm not against arranged marriage, I just believe that if the daughter feels that she doesn't want to marry the man her parents choose they should keep looking.

[Kennie Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbroken Spirit is the autobiography of Ferzanna Riley, a young Muslim woman who refused to be enslaved by her culture in 1980s Britain. It speaks of the abuse she suffered by the hands of those she thought loved her and how she rejected them and their beliefs to live a life of her own.

It is a powerful story of courage, sorrow and triumph that shines a light on the dark side of growing up in a strict culture.

[Stella]

This book was quite heartbreaking. How one's own family can be so cruel is crazy. It's a story of will power and survival and hope even in those times when one was hopeless..I cried a lot while reading it. No child should go through what Ferzana went through yet so many go through worse and their stories remain untold...

[Kay Wells · Rating 5 out of 5]

True story of a girl who has been abuse by her parents. Two different cultures 1 Engish 1 Asian.
Not going to say too much more otherwise will spoil the book for the people wanting to read it. Very Good Read.

[Kennice M · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heart breaking but very uplifting. A must read.

[laqueus · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not looking forward to it.
But it was really good and I learned a lot about stuff I'm very ignorant of.
Made me angry though.