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Aman: The Story of a Somali Girl
This is the extraordinary first-person account of a young woman's coming of age in Somalia and her struggles against the obligations and strictures of family and society. By the time she is nine, Aman has undergone a ritual circumcision ceremony; at eleven, her innocent romance with a white boy leads to a murder; at thirteen she is given away in an arranged marriage to a stranger. Aman eventually runs away to Mogadishu, where her beauty and rebellious spirit leads her to the decadent demimonde of white colonialists. Hers is a world in which women are both chattel and freewheeling entrepreneurs, subject to the caprices of male relatives, yet keenly aware of the loopholes that lead to freedom.
Aman is an astonishing history, opening a window onto traditional Somali life and the universal quest for female self-awareness.
Aman is an astonishing history, opening a window onto traditional Somali life and the universal quest for female self-awareness.
368 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1994
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956 people want to read
About the author
Virginia Lee Barnes
2 books6 followersAman's story was originally compiled by Virginia Lee Barnes, an anthropologist (Ph.D., University of Hawaii), and upon her death in 1989, the manuscript was completed by Janice Boddy, distinguished professor of anthropology at the University of Toronto, who added an introduction placing Aman's story in its proper historical and social context
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
February 15, 2010
The real-life heroine of this book is not perfect, and she admits her mistakes and comes across as more human because of this. Though she grew up in war-torn Somalia, the reader is not expected to pity her, but invited to understand her life. The tone is conversational, but the writing and editing superbly create a comprehensive storyline.
October 25, 2012
A good, easy read. This book was most interesting to me when Aman described daily life in Somalia.
I enjoyed her descriptions of Mango Village, where she grew up, and the way the people lived there. She clearly loved her mother, but her father, who was village chief, was somehow absent much of her life growing up.
The first half of the book is pretty much a nice coming of age in Somalia story.
Some problems that I had reading this book were:
(1) getting frustrated with Aman's dishonesty, cheating, and poor decision making, and her inability to be faithful or dependable for anyone in her life. She goes from man to man. She never intends to stay with any of them. She only wants their money. She wants to have babies but then she doesn't take care of them. I had to keep reminding myself she was still a child of only 13, 14 years old during much of the book; and
(2) her staunch defense of female genital mutilation, which she says is a matter of her religion. I have read many true story accounts by women who were circumcised, including other Somali women, and this is the first one I have ever read where any woman defends the barbaric practice. She further insists uncircumcised women are dirtier and smellier, and she compares an uncircumcised woman's private parts to a cow's vagina.
I enjoyed her descriptions of Mango Village, where she grew up, and the way the people lived there. She clearly loved her mother, but her father, who was village chief, was somehow absent much of her life growing up.
The first half of the book is pretty much a nice coming of age in Somalia story.
Some problems that I had reading this book were:
(1) getting frustrated with Aman's dishonesty, cheating, and poor decision making, and her inability to be faithful or dependable for anyone in her life. She goes from man to man. She never intends to stay with any of them. She only wants their money. She wants to have babies but then she doesn't take care of them. I had to keep reminding myself she was still a child of only 13, 14 years old during much of the book; and
(2) her staunch defense of female genital mutilation, which she says is a matter of her religion. I have read many true story accounts by women who were circumcised, including other Somali women, and this is the first one I have ever read where any woman defends the barbaric practice. She further insists uncircumcised women are dirtier and smellier, and she compares an uncircumcised woman's private parts to a cow's vagina.
September 30, 2018
I really wanted to like this first person account of life in Somalia and while it gives good insight I just couldn't wait for it to end. I found Aman's attitude frustratingly entitled and she seemed only interested in using people for the money it would earn her. she arranged her own first marriage to an old man because of the money and then ran away. she had affairs for money and the life it would allow her while not giving a care about anyone else. All in all a disappointing read for me.
November 10, 2015
What I wanted from this book was hardships, heroic struggles, cultural, racial, religous and gender clashes, something that wasn't like my own, something that made me feel for the person and the life they had lived that was so different from my own.
What I got was a poorly written account of a rebellious teenage girl in a different country. Apart from the brief touch on female circumcision and arranged marriages, this story could be from any country around the world. After so much back and forth, so much indecision and childish accountability I felt very hard to actually like the character of Aman. And seeing as though every other person in the book is simply noted or described as just a figure, in the end you don't know or like anyone. Makes it hard to like a book, or care about the story, when you're apathetic about anything in it.
What I got was a poorly written account of a rebellious teenage girl in a different country. Apart from the brief touch on female circumcision and arranged marriages, this story could be from any country around the world. After so much back and forth, so much indecision and childish accountability I felt very hard to actually like the character of Aman. And seeing as though every other person in the book is simply noted or described as just a figure, in the end you don't know or like anyone. Makes it hard to like a book, or care about the story, when you're apathetic about anything in it.
March 5, 2011
At first, I couldn't put the book down. But the story ended up dragging on quite a bit. It's a fascinating story, but much like Frank McCourt's books, I didn't always like the narration, the character of or the actions of the main character. I was hoping to see a redemption but the story abruptly stopped. Still, I learned from reading this book about another culture and FGM, which is much more barbaric than I had realized.
October 24, 2013
Aman makes rebellious choices and ones that influenced by her strict culture. She tries to balance being an independent woman with not disgracing her family's name. She willingly becomes circumsized, marries young but also divorces and goes from man to man, for money and lives on the street. All before her 15th birthday. Living in a time of social change and war in Somalia, she struggles to find happiness. Her view on sex and FGM is important. You can see that she is missing out on sexual pleasure and views sex as painful and a financial transaction, even with the men she loves. But she also sees FGM as neccassary and better. That they should still be doing it. It's hard to agree with her views but you understand why she feels this way. Written in her voice and a unique read.
January 15, 2013
For those of you who read Infidel and were upset by her obvious catering to right wing America I highly suggest Aman. This book does not portray a helpless women bound and gagged in her stifling male-centric Islamic society, but rather is an extraordinary look into the efficacy of women and how they operate "behind the lines" of public culture. I loved it.
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March 15, 2012wht th fuack historiyadiina maxaa loo arki la ayahay kuwa kaleba waa la arakayaa iman la an udhin ta ee maxa ka gadaysaan waxaa uuf somali banba adunka unacay
April 29, 2020
I last read Aman at least 10 years ago and decided it was worth a revisit because I never reviewed it. It tells the story of a young and poor Somali girl who just wants to be able to live her life and take care of her family. These are her words, as written by the author. She tells of common practices in their area, such as divorce and female circumcision. Women often marry for money because they had little options as far as work.
I think a lot of reviewers judge Aman because of her choices, forgetting how young she was, that she was thrown into marriage before she had a chance to mature. Also, I feel some of these reviews come from a place of entitlement because it's easy to judge someone else's choices in the way they need to make money because they've always had it. There are many details in this book, from their way of life to the differences between men and women, to the building of their houses, and so much more. It's an educational read that is a blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
I think a lot of reviewers judge Aman because of her choices, forgetting how young she was, that she was thrown into marriage before she had a chance to mature. Also, I feel some of these reviews come from a place of entitlement because it's easy to judge someone else's choices in the way they need to make money because they've always had it. There are many details in this book, from their way of life to the differences between men and women, to the building of their houses, and so much more. It's an educational read that is a blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
November 20, 2024
Incredibly told and so interesting to be immersed in her life
July 4, 2017
Mielenkiintoinen kurkistus somalialaiskulttuuriin nuoren tytön silmin nähtynä, hyvin aidon oloisesti kuvattua elämää, vaikka luku- ja kirjoitustaidottoman Amanin tarina onkin antropologien kirjalliseen muotoon saattama. Erityisesti tytön ympärileikkaukseen liittyvät yksityiskohdat ja tytön ajatukset siitä kuvautuivat paljon omakohtaisempina kuin yleensä kirjoissa. Miinusta kirjan paksuudesta, puolen välin jälkeen koin väsymystä lukiessani Amanin lukuisista miessuhteista, ja olisihan tässä ollut tiivistettävää muutenkin.
September 12, 2015
I have to be honest and say that I would only rate the story, itself, as 3 stars. I found Aman's story interesting, but I also found her telling of it to not be terribly self-reflecting. Also, as a Muslim reader, I was quite caught off-guard by the sheer promiscuity that was "allowed" in Somali culture in previous generations/decades (obviously barely tolerated, but still possible with subterfuge). In addition, I was shocked at the large-scale practice of multiple divorces (whereas, theologically in Islam, divorce is allowed, but it's considered "the most reprehensible allowed practice" in the religion, and there are untold "required"/encouraged steps that an individual and family must take before supporting a family member's divorce). So I had a bit of a hard time not being "shocked" at so many described practices in a Muslim country that, theologically, are considered rather reprehensible in Islam.
With all of this said, the Afterword following the story is fascinating and extremely educational. I spent the majority of the time reading the 50+ pages saying, "Really?" and "Oh, NOW that makes sense," and "Wow, that is SO interesting." The Afterword explains SO much of the context for the story (why divorce is so common in Somali culture, among other things), as well as providing enormous insight into the modern Somali community (extremely helpful, given that I live in MN, which has one of the largest Somali communities in he world). If you are interested in the Somali community and the underpinnings for Somali cultural beliefs/practices, reading the novel and then ALSO the Afterword is a must. For Muslims, the book helps explain WHY Somali culture/practice differs from that of the majority of Muslim countries (for good and bad).
For example, why division of the sexes is not common in Somali culture: "In practice women are expected to submit to the authority of fathers, brothers, and husbands, and are enjoined to display modesty and exercise self-restraint. In other Muslim societies this has led to the division of communities into sexually distinctive spheres of action and physical space. But a herding lifestyle, with its need for flexibility and mobility, makes such sustained division impossible."
Also, how "honor" is defined differs (less a Muslim thing than n Arabic cultural construct, where in Arab culture honor resides in control over a woman's sexuality/purity): "Honors stems first and absolutely from nobility of ancestry, which women AND men share by virtue of their common descent."
Other interesting notes...
On Somali women and submission: "The good woman is reasonable, well-behaved; she acts properly in social life and is finely attuned to her relative position in all interactions. She comports herself modestly, with effacement before superiors, yet she is not passive or unassertive in all social situations with equals she is, and is expected to be, bold, wilful, independent. Passivity is therefore not so much a feminine personality trait as tactical behavior to be used in appropriate circumstances, a behavior that young men also evince in the company of older men."
On why divorce is so common in Somali culture: "Sexual attachment poses a major threat to patrilineal allegiance. However deep the conjugal bond, loyalty to one's husband or wife should never exceed loyalty to ones lineage and natal family. Thus, marriage seems to have the characteristics of an uneasy truce: each partner views the other with suspicion; each seeks to gain something from the other without relinquishing ground. And a married woman must behave honorably, with dignity, for she represents her family in the alien camp."
What a daughter's sexual misconduct means in Somali culture: It "implies a lack of solidarity and discipline, weakness both moral and political, on the part of her lineage's men; her action is a public statement that her superiors are unworthy of her respect."
"Though there are numerous contradictions for women within the lineage system, its alternatives may be worse. In urban areas there has been a breakdown of arranged marriage. This, while personally liberating, has had a price. For few such marriages last, and rural young who move to the city and wed without consulting or even informing their kin give up the support that family offer in the event of divorce. Rural women who have offended their patrilineages can seldom marshal the economic means on which their family might subsist."
With all of this said, the Afterword following the story is fascinating and extremely educational. I spent the majority of the time reading the 50+ pages saying, "Really?" and "Oh, NOW that makes sense," and "Wow, that is SO interesting." The Afterword explains SO much of the context for the story (why divorce is so common in Somali culture, among other things), as well as providing enormous insight into the modern Somali community (extremely helpful, given that I live in MN, which has one of the largest Somali communities in he world). If you are interested in the Somali community and the underpinnings for Somali cultural beliefs/practices, reading the novel and then ALSO the Afterword is a must. For Muslims, the book helps explain WHY Somali culture/practice differs from that of the majority of Muslim countries (for good and bad).
For example, why division of the sexes is not common in Somali culture: "In practice women are expected to submit to the authority of fathers, brothers, and husbands, and are enjoined to display modesty and exercise self-restraint. In other Muslim societies this has led to the division of communities into sexually distinctive spheres of action and physical space. But a herding lifestyle, with its need for flexibility and mobility, makes such sustained division impossible."
Also, how "honor" is defined differs (less a Muslim thing than n Arabic cultural construct, where in Arab culture honor resides in control over a woman's sexuality/purity): "Honors stems first and absolutely from nobility of ancestry, which women AND men share by virtue of their common descent."
Other interesting notes...
On Somali women and submission: "The good woman is reasonable, well-behaved; she acts properly in social life and is finely attuned to her relative position in all interactions. She comports herself modestly, with effacement before superiors, yet she is not passive or unassertive in all social situations with equals she is, and is expected to be, bold, wilful, independent. Passivity is therefore not so much a feminine personality trait as tactical behavior to be used in appropriate circumstances, a behavior that young men also evince in the company of older men."
On why divorce is so common in Somali culture: "Sexual attachment poses a major threat to patrilineal allegiance. However deep the conjugal bond, loyalty to one's husband or wife should never exceed loyalty to ones lineage and natal family. Thus, marriage seems to have the characteristics of an uneasy truce: each partner views the other with suspicion; each seeks to gain something from the other without relinquishing ground. And a married woman must behave honorably, with dignity, for she represents her family in the alien camp."
What a daughter's sexual misconduct means in Somali culture: It "implies a lack of solidarity and discipline, weakness both moral and political, on the part of her lineage's men; her action is a public statement that her superiors are unworthy of her respect."
"Though there are numerous contradictions for women within the lineage system, its alternatives may be worse. In urban areas there has been a breakdown of arranged marriage. This, while personally liberating, has had a price. For few such marriages last, and rural young who move to the city and wed without consulting or even informing their kin give up the support that family offer in the event of divorce. Rural women who have offended their patrilineages can seldom marshal the economic means on which their family might subsist."
August 21, 2011
I have to admit when I first started reading this that it seemed really unprofessionally written, but I suppose I was being a bit harsh as the author is in fact just an ordinary Somali woman, not some published, studious author. It's actually a very interesting book about the day to day life of what it's like to live in the more traditional bits of Somalia in the 60s/70s. Many parts had me thinking, 'wow! what a crazy life!' I wish I knew more about how she ended up in the US, but I can guess that she gained refugee status at some point along the way. Just wish I could've found out more about that.
May 9, 2012
I read it many years ago. Can't remember in detail. I liked the book despite some shock like the description of feminine circumcision (mutilation). In general I don't agree with pressing other peoples to end their traditions, but this is absolutely one necessary exception... At least the brutal variety of the ritual practised in Somalia (it seems it is not a full mutilation in Guinea-Bissau but some sort of scratching). Many Westerners wrongly think this is an imposition of Islam on women. It just happens to be practised in A FEW muslim cultures as part of local lore which ended up overlapping with Islam.
June 16, 2009
This is an amazing read on many levels. First, because it is the story of a remarkable woman who kept herself alive despite incredible odds. Second, because it brings the reader into what life was like in both her village and also in Mogadishu, before and after the military dictatorship. It's fascinating. I found myself reading sections to whoever would listen to me. Anybody who thinks that muslim women are passive needs to read this book.
July 9, 2015
Could not put this book down...inspired me to do a little research on Somalia/history...
Loved aman's honesty.. Her choices are questionable, but interesting insight into becoming a woman in Somalia/customs and her journey...
The end is abrupt and caught me by suprise as her journey I imagine would of continued
Loved aman's honesty.. Her choices are questionable, but interesting insight into becoming a woman in Somalia/customs and her journey...
The end is abrupt and caught me by suprise as her journey I imagine would of continued
September 8, 2024
that was…bleak
September 14, 2020
This was an incredibly eye-opening story about a young woman named Aman and her story about growing up in a small village in Somali in a traditional village.
This tale was different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed Aman's storytelling and thought that the way she told her story was very unique. She took us through childhood through becoming a woman. Each story that she adds shows vulnerability and honesty and a certain joy to some extent when talking about happier times in her life. Aman is a multi-faceted person who has been through a lot.
As a young girl, she lived a nomadic existence with her mother. Her father was never involved in her life, although she and her mother eventually move to his village, Mango Village, when she is young.
By the time she was 9, Aman had experienced being hospitalized and ostracized for having TB, she underwent FGM at age 11 and fell in love with a white boy at age 12. Her relationship with him results in his death.
At 13, she is married to a 55-year-old man who wants to cut her open and have his way with her, so she ran away and lived on the streets. From there, her daily life is one encounter after another with men who want something from her. She expresses some of the things that she wishes or hopes for, but time and time again, we read about people who are preying on her. They want something from her, and she soon realizes that she must capitalize on this in order to survive.
Her stories might seem cold and calculated at certain points in the book, but having undergone many traumatic events at such a young age, I have no idea if there is a better way to relay what happened to her.
What choice do girls have in places like Somali when they have nothing but their father's name? How do you provide for yourself or care for yourself or your loved ones when your sole reason for existing is to please others? It's a heart-breaking read. I feel nothing but empathy for her and a better understanding of what life is like for women in countries like Somali.
While it was hard to read her account of FGM and her defense of it, it's also easy to understand because, as she points out at the end of the book, her account is her own. Her religion is her own. Her belief is her own. She was never given the opportunity to experience anything different.
I do not agree with FGM, but I do agree with a woman being able to talk about her experience and state her beliefs, as long as it does not harm others. (If she had a daughter and she had subjected her daughter to this, perhaps my review would be different, but there is no such thing in this book.)
Her views on this are important because it's clear that sex was traumatic for her and it was also used as a financial transaction. She sees FGM as necessary because of her religion. I disagree, but I also respect her for talking about her views and telling her story in this way.
The things that Aman had to go through to get where she is today are shocking and shameful.
No child should have to go through the things that Aman went through. No woman should have to go through the things that Aman went through. She was treated more like a possession or an animal than as a human being. She did the best she could to take care of herself. That's what a survivor does.
It made me sad to read some of the reviews that judged her. After all, the point of anthropological studies is to study patterns of behavior as well as cultural meaning, including the norms and values of each society. This is a story about an imperfect person who lays her whole life bare for us to learn from.
This tale was different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed Aman's storytelling and thought that the way she told her story was very unique. She took us through childhood through becoming a woman. Each story that she adds shows vulnerability and honesty and a certain joy to some extent when talking about happier times in her life. Aman is a multi-faceted person who has been through a lot.
As a young girl, she lived a nomadic existence with her mother. Her father was never involved in her life, although she and her mother eventually move to his village, Mango Village, when she is young.
By the time she was 9, Aman had experienced being hospitalized and ostracized for having TB, she underwent FGM at age 11 and fell in love with a white boy at age 12. Her relationship with him results in his death.
At 13, she is married to a 55-year-old man who wants to cut her open and have his way with her, so she ran away and lived on the streets. From there, her daily life is one encounter after another with men who want something from her. She expresses some of the things that she wishes or hopes for, but time and time again, we read about people who are preying on her. They want something from her, and she soon realizes that she must capitalize on this in order to survive.
Her stories might seem cold and calculated at certain points in the book, but having undergone many traumatic events at such a young age, I have no idea if there is a better way to relay what happened to her.
What choice do girls have in places like Somali when they have nothing but their father's name? How do you provide for yourself or care for yourself or your loved ones when your sole reason for existing is to please others? It's a heart-breaking read. I feel nothing but empathy for her and a better understanding of what life is like for women in countries like Somali.
While it was hard to read her account of FGM and her defense of it, it's also easy to understand because, as she points out at the end of the book, her account is her own. Her religion is her own. Her belief is her own. She was never given the opportunity to experience anything different.
I do not agree with FGM, but I do agree with a woman being able to talk about her experience and state her beliefs, as long as it does not harm others. (If she had a daughter and she had subjected her daughter to this, perhaps my review would be different, but there is no such thing in this book.)
Her views on this are important because it's clear that sex was traumatic for her and it was also used as a financial transaction. She sees FGM as necessary because of her religion. I disagree, but I also respect her for talking about her views and telling her story in this way.
The things that Aman had to go through to get where she is today are shocking and shameful.
No child should have to go through the things that Aman went through. No woman should have to go through the things that Aman went through. She was treated more like a possession or an animal than as a human being. She did the best she could to take care of herself. That's what a survivor does.
It made me sad to read some of the reviews that judged her. After all, the point of anthropological studies is to study patterns of behavior as well as cultural meaning, including the norms and values of each society. This is a story about an imperfect person who lays her whole life bare for us to learn from.
February 25, 2023
What a huge disappointment of a book. I found Aman exceedingly unsympathetic. She was a wild, shallow, promiscuous teenager, who is pretty calculating in her choice of men for money and luxuries.
Except for the horrific account of her circumcision, there was nothing moving, powerful or poignant about Aman or her story. Also was bemused to see how supportive Aman is of female circumcision. To each her own, but doesn't she believe women have a right to enjoy sex without mutilating their private parts? Considering how sexually active she is, wouldn't she have regretted the childhood procedure that brutally put an end to her ability to enjoy sex in a normal way?
She seems to be fixated on partying, bar hopping, buying stylish clothes and accessories, but beyond that she does not show much substance, except towards the very end when she starts trading spices and making an honest living.
The day before she plans to flee to Kenya, she goes dancing with friends to celebrate. Wouldn't she have wanted to spend it with her son who she was leaving behind with her mother instead?
Hard to sympathize with for her youth and naivete as she makes certain very adult, calculating, ruthless decisions such as freeloading on Carlos and cheating on him at the same time.
The writing style was annoying...not sure if the writer was going for authenticity in a Somali voice, but the cutesy expressions such as "aaah", " gu gu gu", "whooooosh" , "ki ki ki" " white, white, white , soooooo white" got very annoying.
Except for the horrific account of her circumcision, there was nothing moving, powerful or poignant about Aman or her story. Also was bemused to see how supportive Aman is of female circumcision. To each her own, but doesn't she believe women have a right to enjoy sex without mutilating their private parts? Considering how sexually active she is, wouldn't she have regretted the childhood procedure that brutally put an end to her ability to enjoy sex in a normal way?
She seems to be fixated on partying, bar hopping, buying stylish clothes and accessories, but beyond that she does not show much substance, except towards the very end when she starts trading spices and making an honest living.
The day before she plans to flee to Kenya, she goes dancing with friends to celebrate. Wouldn't she have wanted to spend it with her son who she was leaving behind with her mother instead?
Hard to sympathize with for her youth and naivete as she makes certain very adult, calculating, ruthless decisions such as freeloading on Carlos and cheating on him at the same time.
The writing style was annoying...not sure if the writer was going for authenticity in a Somali voice, but the cutesy expressions such as "aaah", " gu gu gu", "whooooosh" , "ki ki ki" " white, white, white , soooooo white" got very annoying.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 12, 2020
This is hard to rate. I found the story fascinating because I knew next to nothing about Somalia. I appreciate the introduction to Somalian history and culture, especially through the appendix at the end of the novel which provides an academic and historical account of Somalian history and women's place in society.
I found Aman at first a character one could feel sympathetic for, but who, as the novel progresses, never seems to learn from her mistakes or to feel remorse towards the people she uses. The constant influx of new men (PEDOPHILES) and her appreciate of them, her total lack of awareness that they were in fact raping her was difficult to read. My god, the men in this book are awful from beginning to end (no shocker there!). Her defense of female genital mutilation was also a big disappointment. I'm not a relativist. Mutilation of healthy female flesh in order to deny women pleasure, or even a pain-free existence, is disgusting.
I think there is value in this book, but that lies in the knowledge one can gleam from discussion of Somalian history and culture.
I found Aman at first a character one could feel sympathetic for, but who, as the novel progresses, never seems to learn from her mistakes or to feel remorse towards the people she uses. The constant influx of new men (PEDOPHILES) and her appreciate of them, her total lack of awareness that they were in fact raping her was difficult to read. My god, the men in this book are awful from beginning to end (no shocker there!). Her defense of female genital mutilation was also a big disappointment. I'm not a relativist. Mutilation of healthy female flesh in order to deny women pleasure, or even a pain-free existence, is disgusting.
I think there is value in this book, but that lies in the knowledge one can gleam from discussion of Somalian history and culture.
Read
October 17, 2023Cruel y real, así es la vida que llevan muchas mujeres somalíes, lo que viven y soportan física, psicológica, familiar, socialmente, sus creencias y religión les obligan a vejámenes y humillaciones, no tienen decisión sobre sus cuerpos sometidos sí o sí a ser circuncidados e infibulación entre los 7 y 12 años y enseguida ofrecidas en matrimonio les guste o no, de ahí en más una vida que no es vida.
Conoceremos un poco de su cotidianidad y orígenes, Mogadiscio donde transcurre gran parte de esta historia, el porque y como de llegar al divorcio por parte de la mujer y entender tambien el porque de la deshonra en las familias luego de ello según como se de .
Conoceremos un poco de su cotidianidad y orígenes, Mogadiscio donde transcurre gran parte de esta historia, el porque y como de llegar al divorcio por parte de la mujer y entender tambien el porque de la deshonra en las familias luego de ello según como se de .
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2017
A true story of survival. A definite eye-opener for anyone, like myself, who has only witnessed the Somali culture through tv and internet articles. It's incredibly engaging and interesting learning about Aman's life as a child, and how the tribe lifestyle works.
The book is an easy read, but I found that it dragged in the final chapters and ended rather abruptly.
However it is still a valuable read.
The book is an easy read, but I found that it dragged in the final chapters and ended rather abruptly.
However it is still a valuable read.
September 27, 2025
3,5 stars
Aman taught me a lot about Somali, its people and culture. It's common to see girls being married at a very young age. But what I was more doubtful about was the accuracy of her age throughout the story : between the age of 12 to 17, she seemed to have experienced what an average person lived from a lifespan of 20 to 40. I appreciated her respect and love for her mom and her tenacity but I didn't appreciate the way she used people and most of her life choices.
Aman taught me a lot about Somali, its people and culture. It's common to see girls being married at a very young age. But what I was more doubtful about was the accuracy of her age throughout the story : between the age of 12 to 17, she seemed to have experienced what an average person lived from a lifespan of 20 to 40. I appreciated her respect and love for her mom and her tenacity but I didn't appreciate the way she used people and most of her life choices.
February 20, 2021
There was certainly lots of content but the writing was sloppy. Key points that would have been interesting to flesh out were glossed over. And just as the plot took an interesting turn with the take over and her subsequent flight the narrative ends. All we know is that she comes to America but how? Something was missing from the two women that wrote her story.
April 3, 2024
Op een mooie manier geschreven, je leert veel bij over een andere cultuur en het is een aangrijpend verhaal. Het verhaal wordt sterker omdat het geen fictie is en het is echt geschreven alsof het je persoonlijk wordt verteld. Het nawoord is wel heel lang, dus dat heb ik niet gelezen :))
April 13, 2019
History of a life of a Somali girl. Direct narrative of a difficult life with many very difficult experiences. She has a lot of heart to keep pushing forward.
May 25, 2020
I read this book two times for projects in both high school and college. It is so detailed and gave me a look into the life of a Somalian young girl and her struggles to survive and escape.
July 20, 2021
This book gives real insight into Somali culture and it's patriarchal, misogynist roots told from a young girl's eyes.
February 1, 2022
Life changing journey, from the very bottom climbing up the hill
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