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Warrior Marks: Female Genital Mutilation and the Sexual Blinding of Women – A Powerful Exposé Affecting Millions
Alice Walker and Pratibha Parmar expose the secret of female genital mutilation, a practice that affects one hundred million of the world’s women. New Introductions by the Authors.
400 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1993
6 people are currently reading
577 people want to read
About the author
Alice Walker
245 books7,289 followersNoted American writer Alice Walker won a Pulitzer Prize for her stance against racism and sexism in such novels as
The Color Purple
(1982).
People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.
People awarded this preeminent author of stories, essays, and poetry of the United States. In 1983, this first African woman for fiction also received the national book award. Her other books include The Third Life of Grange Copeland , Meridian , The Temple of My Familiar , and Possessing the Secret of Joy . In public life, Walker worked to address problems of injustice, inequality, and poverty as an activist, teacher, and public intellectual.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
January 23, 2014
I read this after I completed Possessing the Secret of Joy, also by Alice Walker--and I recommend that the two books be read consecutively. Walker and Parmar are on a treasure hunt, to find the roots of the practices of clitoridectomy and infibulation, and tell the stories of victims of the practice, as well as profiles of health and social workers who are trying to put an end to this dangerous, unnecessary practice, which contrary to belief is unsanctioned by any major religion.
Yes, it's a difficult read for a privileged Westerner, although similar operations were performed on girls and young women in the United States as treatment for "hysteria" and "self abuse", documented up until at least 1946 and perhaps beyond that. Autonomy of the body is still a relatively modern concept, and women continue to willingly mutilate themselves to fit some sort of ideal aesthetic--breast implants and other surgeries, complete body hair removal, so many painful procedures that are packaged as giving boosts to self-esteem, when really, it's to fit an unattainable standard of beauty.
It's chilling, when one thinks about the latest craze...vaginoplasties and labial restructuring. Western women are lining up to submit themselves to an operation that, if performed in Africa or the Middle East, they would label as barbaric.
Yes, it's a difficult read for a privileged Westerner, although similar operations were performed on girls and young women in the United States as treatment for "hysteria" and "self abuse", documented up until at least 1946 and perhaps beyond that. Autonomy of the body is still a relatively modern concept, and women continue to willingly mutilate themselves to fit some sort of ideal aesthetic--breast implants and other surgeries, complete body hair removal, so many painful procedures that are packaged as giving boosts to self-esteem, when really, it's to fit an unattainable standard of beauty.
It's chilling, when one thinks about the latest craze...vaginoplasties and labial restructuring. Western women are lining up to submit themselves to an operation that, if performed in Africa or the Middle East, they would label as barbaric.
October 25, 2011
I feel bad about not giving more stars to this book due to the subject matter but really I was not super interested in reading the "making of the movie" journal of walker. The most valuable piece of this book is the collection of interviews in the third part. I'll admit I skimmed the journal entries.
April 13, 2016
When I read this book in 1993, my eyes were opened. I thanked God that this crime against humanity had not been inflicted upon me by my mother. AnD it happens in the US. By those who are not Islamic, those live in a supposedly enlighteD first world country.
March 28, 2019
An important read on the ignorant practice of cutting as an suppression of sexuality, a patriarchal tradition inflicted on women by women out of fear. The journal entries are just heartbreaking.
June 3, 2008
After loving Possessing the Secret of Joy so much I decided to pick up this book too and I was not disappointed. Walker goes to Africa in this book to work with a filmmaker on filming a documentary on female genital mutilation (FGM) They talk with girls who have just been through the proceedure and with their mothers-it's truly gutwrenching. There is the one part that still kills me today- they ask one mother about how much pain her daughter will be in and she says no, that she will have ice cream and the pain will go away. They then ask her if the ice cream made the pain go away when she was little and they describe the look of horror that comes over her face when she realizes what she's just put her child through. Makes my heart hurt.
August 12, 2011
This is a difficult book to write about. It was a difficult book to read. The detail is sickening but the world needs to be aware, to rally against, work to end in third world countries.....difficult at best, given centuries of cultural practice. The exploitation of women considered chattel is wrong, no matter where you live.
September 28, 2008
Every woman should read this and be grateful for what she has and mad as hell about what others don't have.
April 16, 2013
Real to the point of pain
March 31, 2008
horrifying and eye-opening. save it for when you really need to cry, or forget about your stupid worries for a while or your lack of sexual fulfillment. how can you ever complain about anything in your life when millions of young baby girls are getting their clitorises brutally cut off? The film she made with Pratibha Parmar is just as beautiful, and emotionally intense.
April 21, 2008
I read this book as part of my undergrad in Women's Studies. It is an eye opener. This practice is still a part of many tribal communities today. The significance and prominence of this belief and how it affects so many young women has been a life-changing learning experience for me.
December 9, 2010
This was an amazing book about the horrors of FGM. Learning about the traditions and history behind it, it was eye opening to see just how many girls are subjected to such a horrible act. Everyone must read this!
February 28, 2022
Black History Month #8
This was a book about the making of the documentary of the same name, so it wasn't necessarily a book simply stating facts.
What I was most fascinated by was the way in which they talked about how we need to oppose this practice. This book was written in 1995 (the documentary came out in '93), so I don't know how the numbers have decreased since then. But all women were adamant that it is something which MUST be opposed, world wide. Culture does not involve mutilation; culture does not involve violence. There is ZERO need to be sensitive about a cultural practice that mutilates women - though we should be sensitive to the women who have been mutilated, and not shame them. This practice isn't only in Africa: Asian countries, particularly those like Indonesia with Muslim governments or large populations, Europe, UK, and USA all have communities practicing this. In the UK, at the time of the documentary, an African Britain wanted the government to legalize this brutality, in order to protect the cultural rights of immigrant communities.
It is a part of the war against women. It is not only physical mutilation, but psychological. It is a part of the patriarchy to continue subjugating women. It is a misrepresentation of the Korean; Islam itself does not require it, though it is practiced by predominant Muslim communities. Women are considered dirty, unclean, unmarriageable if they are not mutilated. As women are often bred only for marriage, mothers allow this to happen to their daughters so that they'll have a chance at marriage - a roof and provider.
It's ingrained, and it's simply what's done. Only by speaking out, with both women and men raising their voices, will it end. One of the more fascinating interviews was with an Islamic man who was adamantly opposed to the practice, and vehemently speaking out.
Even if it is not a part of a community, there are many other things. Child marriage - especially in Central America. Polygamy. The veil. Girls being jailed or murdered in India for insufficient dowries. The West's obsession with "perfect women."
We must rise up and assert our beauty and our worth, given to us by Christ, and never to be demeaned.
This was a book about the making of the documentary of the same name, so it wasn't necessarily a book simply stating facts.
What I was most fascinated by was the way in which they talked about how we need to oppose this practice. This book was written in 1995 (the documentary came out in '93), so I don't know how the numbers have decreased since then. But all women were adamant that it is something which MUST be opposed, world wide. Culture does not involve mutilation; culture does not involve violence. There is ZERO need to be sensitive about a cultural practice that mutilates women - though we should be sensitive to the women who have been mutilated, and not shame them. This practice isn't only in Africa: Asian countries, particularly those like Indonesia with Muslim governments or large populations, Europe, UK, and USA all have communities practicing this. In the UK, at the time of the documentary, an African Britain wanted the government to legalize this brutality, in order to protect the cultural rights of immigrant communities.
It is a part of the war against women. It is not only physical mutilation, but psychological. It is a part of the patriarchy to continue subjugating women. It is a misrepresentation of the Korean; Islam itself does not require it, though it is practiced by predominant Muslim communities. Women are considered dirty, unclean, unmarriageable if they are not mutilated. As women are often bred only for marriage, mothers allow this to happen to their daughters so that they'll have a chance at marriage - a roof and provider.
It's ingrained, and it's simply what's done. Only by speaking out, with both women and men raising their voices, will it end. One of the more fascinating interviews was with an Islamic man who was adamantly opposed to the practice, and vehemently speaking out.
Even if it is not a part of a community, there are many other things. Child marriage - especially in Central America. Polygamy. The veil. Girls being jailed or murdered in India for insufficient dowries. The West's obsession with "perfect women."
We must rise up and assert our beauty and our worth, given to us by Christ, and never to be demeaned.
May 23, 2024
Disturbing beyond belief. Our world needs more people like Alice, fighting this important fight!
May 15, 2007
It's made up of diaries, letters, and poems both writers kept whilst filming 'Warrior Marks', about FGM in Africa and in the African diaspora. Very revealing and touching.
July 14, 2007
Motivated me to research and learn more about FGM. For a while, it was an issue that I followed very closely - all because of this enlightening book.
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March 19, 2008i used this as a reference to my fgm paper in school. there is a dvd that goes with it too.
April 26, 2008
As you can tell by the title, this isn't a fast read, but if you ever wanted to know more about female genital mutilation, this is a great book.
June 6, 2008
This was a eye opening account of the mutilation that happens in our society- not for the weak hearted!
August 4, 2008
It is shocking to think this is practiced today. It was very eye-opening. It makes me feel very lucky I was born in a time and culture that does not believe in this practice on women.
August 8, 2008
Has an accompanying video.
March 8, 2009
To say I enjoyed this book is not exactly accurate. It is informative and horrifying at the same time.
December 16, 2009
where do we draw a line between human rights and respecting a culture as it is?
June 28, 2011
It's a beautiful book, but reading about FGM is very difficult. There were some passages I had to skip because it was all so overwhelming.
July 16, 2012
Breathtakingly disturbing
February 9, 2016
I cried a great deal as I read this book.
June 23, 2015
A good book about women making a movie.
January 19, 2022
This book impacted me so that I began researching FGM in-depth and wrote several scholarly articles on it throughout college and law school.
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews