Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

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Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

3.83 of 5 stars 3.83 · rating details · 1,701 ratings · 311 reviews

"This woman is a major hero of our time." —Richard Dawkins

...more "This woman is a major hero of our time." —Richard Dawkins

Ayaan Hirsi Ali captured the world’s attention with Infidel, her compelling coming-of-age memoir, which spent thirty-one weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. Now, in Nomad, Hirsi Ali tells of coming to America to build a new life, an ocean away from the death threats made to her by European Islamists, the strife she witnessed, and the inner conflict she suffered. It is the story of her physical journey to freedom and, more crucially, her emotional journey to freedom—her transition from a tribal mind-set that restricts women’s every thought and action to a life as a free and equal citizen in an open society. Through stories of the challenges she has faced, she shows the difficulty of reconciling the contradictions of Islam with Western values.

In these pages Hirsi Ali recounts the many turns her life took after she broke with her family, and how she struggled to throw off restrictive superstitions and misconceptions that initially hobbled her ability to assimilate into Western society. She writes movingly of her reconciliation, on his deathbed, with her devout father, who had disowned her when she renounced Islam after 9/11, as well as with her mother and cousins in Somalia and in Europe.

Nomad is a portrait of a family torn apart by the clash of civilizations. But it is also a touching, uplifting, and often funny account of one woman’s discovery of today’s America. While Hirsi Ali loves much of what she encounters, she fears we are repeating the European mistake of underestimating radical Islam. She calls on key institutions of the West—including universities, the feminist movement, and the Christian churches—to enact specific, innovative remedies that would help other Muslim immigrants to overcome the challenges she has experienced and to resist the fatal allure of fundamentalism and terrorism.

This is Hirsi Ali’s intellectual coming-of-age, a memoir that conveys her philosophy as well as her experiences, and that also conveys an urgent message and mission—to inform the West of the extent of the threat from Islam, both from outside and from within our open societies. A celebration of free speech and democracy, Nomad is an important contribution to the history of ideas, but above all a rousing call to action.

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Hardcover, 277 pages

Published May 18th 2010 by Free Press (first published 2010)

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Oct 02, 2010 Milan/zzz rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2010, nonfiction

Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s books are not the type of books for which you can say “I like it” or “I don’t like it”. Those sorts of evaluations are just too trivial and utterly inadequate. ”Nomad” is not exception. Her Infidel” blown me away and this one is a sort of sequel.

She’s an exceptionally brave woman and in her books she’s not compromising with very sensitive issues which leaves two options to the reader: to agree or disagree. But then she elaborates her statements incredibly strongly so when you...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Nicki Hill rated it 5 of 5 stars

very pertinent to me: "Social workers in the West will tell you that immigrants need to maintain group cohesion for their mental health, because otherwise they will be confused and their self-esteem destroyed. This is untrue. The idea that immigrants need to maintain group cohesion promotes the perception of them as victim groups requiring special accommodation, an industry of special facilities and assistance. If people should conform to their ancestral culture, it therefore follows that they s...more

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May 03, 2013 Elizabeth rated it 4 of 5 stars

I very much enjoyed reading her story. I thought it was heartfelt, honest, and very informative. This book is based soley on her experiences, thoughts, and opinions and the reader should remember that throughout.

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Jun 19, 2010 Megan added it

She is a courageous woman but this book, I'm sorry to say, is disappointing, disjointed and ranting.

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Jan 13, 2013 Kathy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This followup to "Infidel" takes us further along Ali's journey - a journey which touches our own American shores. There are many things I loved about this book, specifically, her great insight regarding the future effects of Islam (Sharia/dhimmi) in our own country. We are obviously blinded as to the effects of Islam in our own country because our unyielding desire to embrace all with equality sometimes clouds our vision from rational thought. Nomad clears the fog with reasonable observations t...more

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Dec 15, 2012 Mikey B. rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This, again, is a most striking work by the maverick Somailian, ex-Muslim writer. She is begging the West not to give away its’ values of liberty and secularism, and to stop giving into and appeasing Islamism. She provides many useful warnings – as in honour killings (in the U.S. and Canada) not recognized as being linked to Islamic beliefs for the fear of being offensive to religious values.

This book is even more personal than her previous books. She describes in some detail her family and the...more

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Oct 03, 2012 Jillian O'connor rated it 3 of 5 stars

Hirsi Ali's second polemic is a personal story of her disillusionment with Islam and her infatuation with the West. Her romantic interpretation of American ideals through show tune lyrics smacks of a newcomer's naivete. Her assertion that her family's dysfunction is entirely the result of Islam ignores the role that mental illness seems to have played in her family's history.

Her passionate arguments for feminists to stand up and call out the mistreatment of women within the Muslim community are...more

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Jul 20, 2012 Paul rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography

For me, this book is a real conundrum. For atheists like Sam Harris and Christopher Hitchens who endorsed the book, it seems to be a hit, although I have to wonder if it's just because she professes to be an atheist herself.

The book is part autobiography in that it describes her life in Holland to which she fled from her father's arranged marriage to a distant cousin, to gaining her education in Holland and serving in the Dutch Parliament, to her life being threatened after co-producing a film o...more

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Jul 18, 2012 S'hi rated it 3 of 5 stars

After Infidel, in which Hirsi Ali outlines her journey from Islam into the West and eventual representation in the Dutch parliament, Nomad gives the view of her life after her settlement in the United States. Using a variety of styles this book considers the choices, or lack of choice, experienced by her fellow Muslims from the perspective of someone who was prepared to make choices for herself.

The surprising thing is the value of a lie.
Not only was it her ability to see things differently for h...more After Infidel, in which Hirsi Ali outlines her journey from Islam into the West and eventual representation in the Dutch parliament, Nomad gives the view of her life after her settlement in the United States. Using a variety of styles this book considers the choices, or lack of choice, experienced by her fellow Muslims from the perspective of someone who was prepared to make choices for herself.

The surprising thing is the value of a lie.
Not only was it her ability to see things differently for her own benefit, but being able to pick up the cues from those around her to shape her story at the critical moment into what was going to get her what she needed made all the difference to her journey.
Despite feeling guilty for having achieved her own resident status, Hirsi Ali was encouraged by others to maintain her own position by those who only partially understood the necessity of lies within their own system. Then from the safety of that position Hirsi Ali was able to look around her at the situation and circumstances of so many of her fellow travelers. From her assessment of their situation, and her desire to change the options available to others still trapped within a repressive society, she embarked on political science studies and began writing and speaking to bring about change.
Knowing what this requires within herself – exploring while protecting her ‘old self’ to the point of no longer being able to hold the ‘new’ at bay any longer – she mixes compassion with disdain for those who could not see beyond their own situations in life. She recognizes how every action becomes maintenance of the very values she could no longer abide.
Having her own commitment to something greater than just her own freedom, Hirsi Ali writes a letter to her Grandmother to honor the spirit in her to long for a better a life. She uses the letter to both settle something about the past and to release herself from it.
Then she becomes the Western woman making a stand based on critique of others in the world of ideas and policy decisions. Germaine Greer, in particular, comes under attack for her dismissal of issues she considers too big for herself. Hirsi Ali makes the point that principles should be applicable across boundaries.
But more surprising is her suggestion that Christian organizations could play a bigger role in changing the hold Islam has in many areas. Without going into the issues around why Islam has had a greater effect and hold in many of these societies, and despite her own position as an atheist, she feels the Christian influence has a part to play here.

She speaks of assimilation as the compulsion for all non-Western groups to transition into modernity (p.419), yet overlooks the capacity of resources to allow that. But greater still is the failure to tease out the resilience and fortitude of existence within these societies which is undercut by such modernization. Even within the American landscape itself there are those who suffer from fundamentalism and lack of self-responsibility and choice in their own lives. These same processes are at work under the guise of a different religion, or perhaps even without recourse to an identified religious belief. Here, it would seem, Hirsi Ali has overstepped her own capacity to understand and advise.

While I appreciate her intent to improve circumstances and options, in particular for women, her own analysis highlights how it is not actually separate from the journey men need to take through this territory. The story of Hassan in particular highlights the double-bind of moving forward oneself while trying to bring others along. One’s own efforts for oneself have to be greater as an example others will want to follow, than they are in providing for their more immediate needs or wants. It is the internal change which has to taken on by each person, rather than the outward show. Until it penetrates deeply enough as a conviction, even the show of most Western goods among westerners themselves is only a pretense rather than arrival.

Hirsi Ali’s journey continues.
As a member of the Board of Womens Health In the North, based in Melbourne Australia, I know the work being done to educate on issues of female genital mutilation here. I appreciate the variety of positions expressed through local interfaith councils, and the secular approach of many not-for-profit organizations. But the understanding of issues around violence against women permeates all sections of society, and is still largely played with through marketing campaigns rather than in school programs. Bullying permeates the political system, and therefore the education system. It is not necessarily gender based or religious in focus. There are many aspects in our history which are never talked about in ways which allow an opening of our awareness around such things. Yet we would all benefit from a greater understanding of how we hold our differences to mean so much, when perhaps the attitude of wanting to be different is the only thing which really holds us apart.
Perhaps it is time for me to join people such as Hirsi Ali in direct conversation, discussion, and debate. Perhaps together we could alter our agenda enough to really make a difference for ourselves and each other. Such a journey would begin an exploration of unknown territory, and require leaving behind even more of the baggage we all have been carrying so long.
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Jun 27, 2012 Gaby rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I wonder what it would have been like to read this book without having read Infidel first. I feel that without reading the author's experiences as she describes them in Infidel, and the bravery and strength that oozes out of the pages of that book, it would be hard to understand where she is coming from. That personal connection was missing from Nomad, with the exception of the first part of the book. She still makes very interesting arguments, but due to some bad editing or writing, ends up rep...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Robin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book tells us why the West should be wary of Islam. I found it interesting, but a bit scary (that the Muslims can do real harm to the world). The author grew up Muslim, then when she was being forced into marriage with a distant cousin, "escaped" to the Netherlands. She tells us many of the differences between Western culture and the Moslem culture.

The author seems incredibly intelligent. After she escaped, she learned 2 new languages (Dutch and English). She went to college and studied, a...more

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Jan 27, 2012 Marcy rated it 4 of 5 stars

I had read Infidel before reading Nomad, both by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Infidel was Ayaan's personal memoir. Nomad is almost the same story, but goes deeper into her family members' stories. I found Ayaan's brother's story very compelling. He was the only son of a father who had the highest expectations of him. Mahud could never live up to these expectations and was berated and beaten by his dad. Mahud fulfilled his father's prophecy. He could not hold down a job, and failed as a husband and a father....more I had read Infidel before reading Nomad, both by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. Infidel was Ayaan's personal memoir. Nomad is almost the same story, but goes deeper into her family members' stories. I found Ayaan's brother's story very compelling. He was the only son of a father who had the highest expectations of him. Mahud could never live up to these expectations and was berated and beaten by his dad. Mahud fulfilled his father's prophecy. He could not hold down a job, and failed as a husband and a father. Ayaan spends a lot of time writing about her wishes for a better life in Jacob's, (her nephew's) future.

Ayaan retells about her own Muslim, restrictive and abusive childhood. Her childhood beliefs in Islam were strong, but as she began to grow and became exposed to western novels and ideas, Ayaan questioned the Islam religion, and began voicing her opinion against the Islam violence against women that ensures obedience. It is at this point that Ayaan's story was a bit redundant, too much information that had already been written in Infidel.

Ayaan is a powerful writer. I did not know much about the Islam religion until I read both books. Ayaan educates her readers about the Muslim "veil," the confinement and domination of males over females, the young girls' subservience, the "honor" killing of 5,000 young women a year who bring shame to their fathers all over the world. This particular book scared me. I have heard about the extremists of the Islam religion, and after seeing the 9/11 attacks in the news, I began to understand the craziness of fanaticism. I did not realize, however, that the majority of the Islamic children are encouraged to hate their prime enemies, the Jews and infidels of the west, in school and at home. Young children are brainwashed. Anti-semitism has run rampant. Ayaan claims that unless "enlightenment" in the Islam religion is attained, the west will never be safe. She challenges the Christian churches to work together to try to "educate" and enlighten the Islamic population. Education corrupts subservience. Without education, Islamic girls and women will never question their status.

Because Ayaan has spoken out against the views of the Islamic faith, she fears for her life, even in America. She is protected around the clock. At the end of the novel, Ayaan writes a powerful letter to her unborn child, wishing her the freedom, love, education, independence and "openness" of western society. In Ayaan's introduction she states the purpose of Nomad. "The message of Nomad is clear and can be stated at the outset: The West urgently needs to compete with the jihadis, the proponents of a holy war, for the hearts and minds of its own Muslim immigrant populations. It needs to provide education directed at breaking the spell of the infallible Prophet, to protect women for the oppressive dictates of the Quran, and to promote alternative sources os spirituality." I, personally, have a feeling of dread after having read Nomad.
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Jun 02, 2011 Katherine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-non-fiction

Nomad covers a lot of the same group as Infidel but from a different perspective. Ail makes a strong case for the dangers that Islam poses to Western societies. In the name of sensitivity and multiculturalism Europeans and Americans refuse to recognize the violence inherit in the Islamic faith and the fact that Muslim women in the West are being killed by their brothers and fathers in honor killings, that female genital mutilation occurs on kitchen tables in the US and Europe, that most Muslim i...more

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May 04, 2011 Marjorie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Ok, no more pussy foot'in around about the conflict between tribal and urban, western, traditional. 'In the real world, equal respect for all cultures doesn't translate into a rich mosaic of colorful and proud peoples interacting peacefully while maintaining a delightful diversity of food and craftwork. It translates into closed pockets of oppression, ignorance, and abuse.'

Women, girls bare the weight of Islamic violence of male domination; physically, legally, psychologically. Female genital ci...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Tripleguess rated it 3 of 5 stars

I respect the author for the journey she has made. However, just from glancing through the book, I can see that I have huge ideological disagreements with her.

According to the book, the "good" Christians are those who don't take the Bible seriously but only regard it as a book of parables with some good ideas for being nice.

I would question whether such people are Christians at all. Jesus said "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) As C. S. Lewis said, either Je...more I respect the author for the journey she has made. However, just from glancing through the book, I can see that I have huge ideological disagreements with her.

According to the book, the "good" Christians are those who don't take the Bible seriously but only regard it as a book of parables with some good ideas for being nice.

I would question whether such people are Christians at all. Jesus said "Why do you call me, 'Lord, Lord' and do not do what I say?" (Luke 6:46) As C. S. Lewis said, either Jesus was right in everything he claimed (divinity and ultimate authority included) or he was a raving lunatic or a liar. "Nice guy with some interesting ideas" is not one of the options.

The "bad" Christians are those who believe and obey the Bible and do what it says -- terrible things like saving sex for marriage, being faithful to one's spouse, loving one's enemies, and doing good to all. (That would include me, an evangelical Christian.) This obedience is supposed to stunt the mind and body, resulting in blind obedience to spiritual leaders and sexual repression.

Where did this impression come from? My parents were both deeply Christian. While not well off, they gave me every opportunity available to the boys. If anything, they spoiled me and my sister, especially my Dad. I was never expected to marry against my will or to be blindly obedient. By example (kicked out of more than one authoritarian church), Mom and Dad taught us to question those who wanted to teach us and to weigh their motives carefully. Our faith we share with those who are interested. When people are not interested, we "shake off the dust" (Matthew 10:14) and leave them be.

This freedom came not from minimizing the Bible, but from studying and applying it daily. There is a reason its words are called "Words of Life."

Two of my literary heroes are C. S. Lewis and G. K. Chesterton. Neither of these good men were knuckledraggers. They believed fervently that God created the body, mind and soul and that all were to be used to the fullest extent possible. (Matthew 25:14-30, Parable of the Talents.)

My favorite female author is Jan Silvious, a Christian who has written extensively on the topics that women ought to respect themselves deeply, refuse all forms of abuse, and engage in genuine relationships rather than buy-and-sell "arrangements." Her work is firmly rooted in Scripture.

I have chosen to remain single for the time being. I have not found this oppressive but liberating. While some girls flounder from relationship to short-lived relationship, giving their body to this person and that person in hopes that "this time" they will find some who can meet their needs, I am free to let Jesus meet my needs and pursue my creative interests with a peaceful mind. If I never meet a man who changes my mind, then I look forward to the Resurrection in which no good thing will be withheld. (Psalm 34:10; Psalm 84:11)

To be fair, the author does not think well of other religions either (notably Islam). Her solution to the problems caused by religious fundamentalism is to force children to attend schools where they can be secularized, a solution reminiscent of the Hitler Youth.

I leave it to others to say how they feel about their beliefs being portrayed this way. I can tell you only how I feel. The Christians mentioned in this book are not me, so I have told you about me. Now you know.(less)

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Apr 12, 2011 Boo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Wow. Ali brings to light with a graceful writing style how radical Islam is being strengthened in America and Europe in the gathered pockets of Muslims now living in Western society. She addresses why Muslims, especially women, are not taking advantage of the freedoms offered in the countries in which they live and how political correctness is actually harming Muslim women and children and keeping them from education and freedom. This book was a real eye-opener even though I have studied the iss...more

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Apr 10, 2011 Maryan rated it 4 of 5 stars

It is a rare book which makes an impact on me these days, however Nomad has succeed in positing an intellectual but readable insight into the life of this extraordinary and brave woman.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali traces her beliefs from a Somali desert family to the universities and parliament of the Netherlands and her move to America, when the Dutch parliament threatened her citizenship and death threats from islamists.

Despite the zeal of her enlightenment she presents her argument on the "real threat to...more

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Dec 05, 2010 Meneesha Govender rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in Somalia into a strict Muslim family.

When her father sent her overseas to marry a man she did not know, Ali chose to ignore her family's wishes and carve out a new life for herself in the Netherlands.

After studying political science and getting a degree, she joined the Labour Party.

After 9/11, Ali denounced Islam and this paved the way for her to become a member of the Dutch Parliament.

She captured the world's attention with her first book Infidel - a coming-of-age me...more

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Nov 21, 2010 Beth rated it 3 of 5 stars

Amazing woman with much inner strength tells of being born Muslim, enduring much moving to different countries as a child, and now needing to beware of death threats. Her primary theme is status for women in Muslim family life. The book begins with her trying to get an education, but finds her family and culture expects all Muslim women to be subservient to men. The last straw for her is when her father sends her off to an arranged marriage and she escapes to Holland. There she learns about "wes...more

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Sep 02, 2010 Michelle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, memoir

This is a powerful book--in many ways I liked it even better than Infidel--I especially appreciated seeing how Hirsi Ali's life in America has been going, and how she has continued to grow. I can't say that I agree with everything the author said--at times I wondered if she would think I was a member of the "wrong" kind of Christianity as a Latter-Day Saint, since she seems only really to approve of liberal Methodists-and-ilk. But the basic message of this book is strong and, I think, desperatel...more This is a powerful book--in many ways I liked it even better than Infidel--I especially appreciated seeing how Hirsi Ali's life in America has been going, and how she has continued to grow. I can't say that I agree with everything the author said--at times I wondered if she would think I was a member of the "wrong" kind of Christianity as a Latter-Day Saint, since she seems only really to approve of liberal Methodists-and-ilk. But the basic message of this book is strong and, I think, desperately needed. It was painful to read of the author's attempts to reconnect with the family she left behind, and their attempts to bring her back into the Islamic fold, but it was profoundly moving--one can just feel the spiritual growth that the author has achieved through this painful process. Two chapters, one a letter to her deceased grandmother, and one to her unborn child, brought me to tears. Her desperate plea to us to educate our immigrants--and others in the Muslim world--in reason, in management of money, in normal sexuality--is powerfully persuasive. I personally cringed a bit--she thinks Muslims in the U.S. should be forbidden to homeschool, and should all receive very liberal sex education--I fail to see how this can be done in an environment of liberty, and certainly cannot see that we can limit this sort of thing to only Muslim families. However, Hirsi Ali has caught us out--it is painfully true that we are not dealing well with the challenge of the Muslim immigrants among us, and ultimately, it may endanger us some, but it costs the immigrants themselves even more. Her clarion call to American feminists to stop obsessing so much about how awful men are and to step up and condemn the brutal treatment of women right under our noses is something I think is long, long past due. Where ARE the feminists???? I applaud the author's call to all of us to ENGAGE with the Muslims around us--stand up for the women, reach out to teach responsibility, evangelize into our way of life and so give them a chance--a choice, where they have none because we are currently so afraid to offend. The author swims against the tide of relativity we live in today by bluntly stating that just because all people are equal, that does not mean all ways of life are--and she rightly points us to examine the worldviews around us and make honest assessments. I do feel concerned about her advocating that churches aggressively evangelize Muslims into Christianity, however, knowing that in many places of the world, that is as good as a prison sentence or death warrant, to both the evangelist AND the converts from Islam.
Extremely valuable book from one of the most courageous women of our time. (less)

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Feb 09, 2011 Verna Seal rated it 5 of 5 stars

One of the most amazing books I've ever read. And I quote: "Free speech is the bedrock of liberty and a free society. And yes, it includes the right to blaspheme and to offend.

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Oct 01, 2010 Dhara Mehta rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Nomad, Ayaan Hirsi Ali narrates her journey from an ultra-conservative Muslim family to a scholar at the prestigious American Enterprise Institute. One is astounded by the brutality of her upbringing yet she came out of it. Hers is history of a true survivor. Ali expresses her deep appreciation of Western civilization. She proclaims the foundations of Western civilization are the following: the ability to question authority, seek knowledge, belief in individual freedom, violence as a state mo...more

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Sep 29, 2010 Jay rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: my-lesbianism-let-me-show-you-it, incest-is-best, non-fiction, philosophy-and-religion, tab-a-in-slot-b, biography-somali, australian-setting-and-characters

What a fascinating and insightful read. I haven't read Infidel yet, and I have a feeling I'd enjoy that more, but I still learnt a lot in this book. I liked the way Hirsi Ali spoke about her mother, brother, grandmother and the like in separate chapters. I like how she made reference to her cousins, those that made it (in some fashion) in Western society, and those that utterly failed to.

I also found this interesting as I once taught several Islamic Somali and Kenyan girls. One followed Islam f...more

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Jun 17, 2010 Chris rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminist, npr-pbs-and-bbc, letters-diaries-memoirs

Blast you Marty Moss-Coane! I was going to buy this book when it came out in paperback, mostly because I enjoyed Infidel. Then who does Marty Moss-Coane have on Radio Times? Yes, Ayaan Hirsi Ali. As usual for Moss-Coane, it was an excellent interview and made it impossible for me to wait for the book to come out in paperback. (As an aside, Radio Times is one of the reasons why NPR should be supported. Excellent, unbiased interviews. Hurtful to your wallet though).

This book is not a sequel or fol...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Chris Aylott rated it 1 of 5 stars

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an excellent writer. The events she has seen with her own eyes are gripping and worth serious consideration. However, I'm also convinced she's a paranoid wingnut who throws out a bunch of wild assertions instead of facts.

She is convincing when she describes the abuse she and the women she knows have suffered in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and other lovely hotspots in Africa and the Middle East. "I saw this and that happen" is great evidence. However, there is no evidence that sugge...more

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Jul 29, 2010 Lorri Coburn is currently reading it

Ali was raised Muslim in Africa and escaped from an arranged marriage through receiving asylum in the Netherlands, while she was on-route to meet her potential husband. She later became a member of the Dutch Parliament, but had to leave the Netherlands when she received a death threat by Islamist extremists. She had co-produced a film on Islam's repressive treatment of women, and her colleague, a descendent of Van Gogh, was murdered. A knife stuck in his chest had a note on it stating that Ali w...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Liesel rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, i-learned

I read Ayaan Hirsi Ali's first book,"Infidel", her coming-of-age memoir. This book picks up with her coming to America to build a new life farther away from the Islamic extremists death threats, although she still is required to have security. It is more a very personal biography on her emotional journey to freedom of her philosophies on Islam.

Through stories of the challenges she and others have faced, she shows the difficulty of reconciling the contradictions of Islam with Western values. It...more

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Jun 10, 2011 Kate Lawrence rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: social-issues, memoir

Having read Hirsi Ali's "prequel" Infidel, I wanted to find out what has happened to her since that book came out. She tells us more about her upbringing and individual family members, and her current position with a Washington, D.C. think tank. She then devotes the rest of the book to an explanation of how Muslim immigrants tend to function in the Western world, and why and how we need to involve them in Western culture, help them to adopt what she calls "Enlightenment values" and not allow the...more

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Aug 28, 2010 Trish rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: africa, mideast, nonfiction, biography

Undoubtedly an exceptional mind here. There is no suprise that she has attacted so much attention. One only wishes that her personal life could have been richly rewarding, but then, one can't have everything. Perhaps if she had a family that loved her, we would not be the recipients of her mental largesse. A couple of things stand out: 1) this is yet another woman from an background of Islam telling us it is an irreparable and damaged religion focused on doing harm to women and non-Muslims and w...more

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May 29, 2010 Kevin rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was a real eye opener for me. As a left wing liberal I was totally opposed to Bush's invasion of Iraq. And I'm still opposed to the reason U.S. troops were sent in. Lets face it the U.S. didn't invade Iraq to spread democracy, we went in for the oil.
But what I learned from reading Nomad is that perhaps offensive actions against Islam do need to be taken. Liberals believe in acceptance of foreign cultures. That it's wrong to force our beliefs and ideas on cultures universally. But what...more

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About Ayaan Hirsi Ali

"Ayaan Hirsi Ali; Somali: Ayaan Xirsi Cali; born Ayaan Hirsi Magan 13 November 1969 in Mogadishu, Somalia) is a Dutch feminist, writer, and politician. She is the estranged daughter of the Somali scholar, politician, and revolutionary opposition leader Hirsi Magan Isse. She is a prominent critic of Islam, and her screenplay for Theo Van Gogh's movie Submission led to death threats. Since van Gogh'...more

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Books by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

The Caged Virgin: An Emancipation Proclamation for Women and Islam

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Quotes from Nomad: From Islam to A...

“It is easy to be disgruntled if you are denied rights and freedoms to which you feel entitled. But if you are not coherent, if you cannot put into words what it is that displeases you and why it is unfair and should change, then you are dismissed as an unreasonable whiner. You may be lectured about perseverance and patience, life as a test, the need to accept the higher wisdom of others.” — 19 people liked it

“In the real world, equal respect for all cultures doesn't translate into a rich mosaic of colorful and proud peoples interacting peacefully while maintaining a delightful diversity of food and craftwork. It translates into closed pockets of oppression, ignorance, and abuse.” — 6 people liked it

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title link	preview: Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations
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BBCode	[url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6663818-nomad?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book][img]http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1348665865l/6663818.jpg[/img][/url] [url=http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6663818-nomad?utm_medium=api&utm_source=blog_book]Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations by Ayaan Hirsi Ali[/url]

Nomad: From Islam to America: A Personal Journey Through the Clash of Civilizations

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