Diary of a Lost Girl: The Autobiography of Kola Boof

by Kola Boof

Kola Boof's long awaited autobiography "Diary of a Lost Girl" is nothing less than magnificent. Many will be spellbound by more than 90 pages detailing her terrifying experience as Osama Bin Laden's former mistress, but the Sudanese-born Novelist/Poet writes even more profoundly about the hardships of being vaginally circumcised, about witnessing her birth parents killed in her presence as a small child, about slavery and Arabism in Sudan, about being adopted and raised in the U.S. by African Americans, about her quest for true love, and in one particularly daring chapter, about her hopes for the future of her sons. Add to that years of psychiatric treatment, a struggle with manic anger and quite a few daring romances other than Bin Laden and you've got the perfect ingredients for a feature film.

Critically acclaimed for her powerful novels "Flesh and the Devil", "Pure Nigger Evil" and the classic short story collection, "Long Train to the Redeeming Sin"...I'm now convinced that there's no way Kola Boof could ever create a fictional character in one of her novels that is more glamorous, sad, enigmatic and intriguing than she herself is in real life.

Genres: Memoir, Biography, Nonfiction, Biography Memoir, Autobiography

441 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

Reviews

[Beautifulguyana · Rating 5 out of 5]

I personally don't care whether or not she's crazy or even telling the truth. This book helped me to rediscover the feminist in myself and should be a must read for all women.

[Barrett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kola Boof's writing is captivating, as is the story of her life. The ideas in her book dealing with race, color, and sexism are fascinating, challenging and ring true. Her style opens her up to us and shows a genuine person, one you might not always like, but certainly genuine, certainly showing us humanity coming from a life full of hardship and beauty.

I really enjoyed the book, and found Boof charming and real. She seems to have some beef with fatness and "ugliness," which made me wary, as well as some confounding ideas about relationships between men and women. But it was all wonderful and eye opening, and I feel richer for the reading.

I highly recommend the book, and be prepared to read some difficult passages regarding rape, murder, racism, colorism, sexism, and the treatment of people as subhuman.

[Lynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a difficult book to read as Kola shares her difficult story. Her courage is amazing and sets her apart from others. I definitely recommend this book to everyone and I would be happy to let you borrow it!!

[Joe Salamone-masterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting book. Have been following her career for a while now, and was highly intrigued and enjoyed what I read. Definitely a must-read for anyone!

[Msladydeborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diary of a Lost Girl by Kola Boof is an essential read if you want to understand what motives Kola Boof's statements about women, race and life in general. She is a very interesting individual and her autobiography holds nothing back about her story as an African woman making her way in the world.

[Asabagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read my review here: http://jazzuloo.blogspot.com/2011/09/...

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Bit Much But Interesting

This book described very interesting life stories about Kola. Almost unreal. It was a good book but it was a bit overwhelming and repetitive.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read but I still wonder if it is all true.

[Chanel Antoinette · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read!

[Laura Hedrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

So far, I can't put the book down, & know I will be reading & watching everything I can from her (most of which i will probably have to find on the internet). It is not an easy read, but she has struggled to have her voice heard, & I am so glad she has that opportunity now. Warning: it is not "PG", & there are some tacky, shocking, & revolting sentences spoken, often in an expression of suppressed (or not so suppressed) anger, imo. My eyes are opened to so much of the injustice around the world & middle eastern names are no longer "Greek to me"--they all have a personal element now. This woman's difficult life, & the telling of it from her perspective, will one day have a great impact on the world. She knows both English & Arabic from childhood, & some of her mother's native tribal language. She has a way that only she can have of tying together tribal Africa, with Arab Muslims, with Al quaeda, with "black" America, & "whites" of the world. Her experience from birth is unique & just having read 1/2 of her autobiography, I feel like a much more dimensional person. I feel her story is relatable, & there are probably hundreds with similar experiences who have been "successfully" silenced by their oppressors. I will hopefully have time to do a better review upon completion of the book, because I do not feel I have done it justice. I recommend that anyone with a heart, or a care in the world, read this. & yes, I believe her story.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.goodreads.com/images/layou...

[Shawanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and intriguing to say the least, often times redundant. I may be interested in reading something else by Kola Boof but I need to let my brain marinate on this particular read.

[Palmyra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought it was a bit repetitive, and racist. However, it gives you food for thought, and allows you to see things from her perspective. Hers is a story most of us don't have to live through, for that, I'm very grateful.

[Bonnie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book by a controversial author/woman. I think the book could have been reduced to half the number of pages as she is very redundant. Gives the reader a lot to question/speculate. I don't doubt that she was the "mistress" of Osama---who would want to make up such a story?

[Senait Berhe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

I chose this rating because it was a good read, funny, informative, real (sincere). I would like all women to read this book. Love your work. Thank you for sharing the most intimate part of your life. You are a good story teller.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hard for me to stay with - interesting, glad I read it.

[Marsh]

This is written by Osama's former girlfriend. He is obsessed with Whitney Houston and she looks a lot like Whitney so he made her be his girlfriend.

[Slee]

I don't know how to begin to respond to the Autobiography of Kola Boof, but I've done my best at Biblivoracious.

[Jack · Rating 2 out of 5]

This starts out as a compelling and readable autobiography, even if I don't believe it's exactly truthful, but gradually disintegrates into a denigration of virtually every person in the world, either individually or generically by subgroup or gender.

[RYCJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a hard book to close. There’s a lot of rant and she is young, but “she’s spent her whole life being dictated to.” Love her... believe her…agree with her… or not, her thoughts, opinions, and story is real talk.