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I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

by Nujood Ali, Delphine Minoui, Linda Cloverdale (Translator)

3.7 of 5 stars 3.70 · rating details · 6,725 ratings · 1,427 reviews

“I’m a simple village girl who has always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no.”

Forced by her father to marry a man three times her age, young Nujood Ali was sent away from her parents and beloved sisters and made to live with her husband and his family in an isolated village in...more

Paperback, 1st Translation to English, originally published in 2009 in French, 188 pages

Published March 2nd 2010 by Crown Publishing Group / Three Rivers Press (first published January 1st 2009)

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Aug 26, 2012 Meaghan rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: memoirs, read-in-2010, around-the-world

The story should be compelling, but I found this memoir to be remarkably shallow. Nujood is barely literate and the memoir was actually written by the journalist Delphine Minoui. I'm not sure how much of the book is Minoui's and how much is Nujood's dictation, or if ANY of it was her dictation for that matter. Certainly the author is consciously trying to sound like a ten-year-old girl, which is a main part of the problem.

The details that could really enrich this story are lacking. Nujood goes t...more

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Aug 12, 2010 Truly rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apa yang kamu inginkan?” Tanya seorang hakim
”Saya ingin bercerai” Jawan Nujood dengan tegas

Shafa Arawinda, seorang gadis berusia 10 tahun. Duduk di kelas V SD. Selain sekolah dan les, ia menghabiskan waktunya bermain dengan teman-teman. Ia juga menggemari coklat. Hari-hari dihabiskan dengan kecerian dan kegembiraan khas anak-anak.

Nujood Ali lahir di Yaman tahun 1998. Ia bukan siapa-siapa, hanya seorang anak perempuan yang memiliki orang tua dan banyak saudara. Ia juga sering bermain dan menggema...more

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Apr 16, 2011 Rebecca rated it 2 of 5 stars

I purchased this book on a whim at the book store today. The title was compelling and I have a penchant for survival stories. With that, the content of Nujood's story is unquestionably salient. Her experience is one of courage and extraordinary spirit. For me, this is the strength of the book. It pains me to say that despite all that, I cannot in good conscience give the book a strong rating.

Nujood's voice was drowned out by "co-author's" Delphine Minoui. To the point where I did not see a shif...more I purchased this book on a whim at the book store today. The title was compelling and I have a penchant for survival stories. With that, the content of Nujood's story is unquestionably salient. Her experience is one of courage and extraordinary spirit. For me, this is the strength of the book. It pains me to say that despite all that, I cannot in good conscience give the book a strong rating.

Nujood's voice was drowned out by "co-author's" Delphine Minoui. To the point where I did not see a shift in authorial voice from the forward and epilogue written solely by Minoui, to the authorial voice of the actual story "told" by Nujood.

As I read her story, I couldn't help but think that it was being taken from her and shaped into something that would attract the attention of a western reader. Minoui does not trust the gravity of the story to let it tell itself. The colorful language, clearly imported by Minoui, ended up stealing from the authenticity of real events. It read more like a Good Housekeeping story, overwritten with an emphasis on word selection to inflate the dramatic.

The mere idea that girls (let alone women) suffer under this type of oppression is sufficient. This injustice does not need pulping to make it a better "story". I felt like the author did not trust me as a reader to make sense of Nujood's original words. I am dubious that Nujood, a 10 year old, pre-literate, highly impoverished girl told Minoui her story using language like, "notary, tribal protocol, and stifling astonishment."

A more journalistic approach would have served Minou's need to bring in her voice, her sensitivities to the events and her storytelling style. In her attempt to make the narrative more readable, the author inconsistently infuses her adult voice into the child's narrative. This only served to dilute the story and in turn take a little piece of reality from the reader. I don't think that this is the type of story that one should attempt to "make more readable". In the end, it is not the type of tale that should be picked up for entertainment on a cloudy Sunday afternoon.

Despite the need to bring attention to stories like Nujood's, I feel like we lose something as an audience when the story is taken from a victim/survivor and manipulated for public consumption. At the end of the hour, it almost feels like another level of exploitation.

I am left wondering why this young girl should have to pander her story of rape, violence and abuse to get money to attend school? It shames me to think this is the only way wealthy countries will step in and try to bring greater equity to the poor. Is our insatiable need to "get something for the dollar we hand over" pushing us to this extreme? SIGH. I can't help but think that by purchasing this girl's story I have added a whole new level of "commodification" to her life.

It's a complex world for women. I leave this book wondering about ways to use my own education and place of privilege to bring greater equity to all of us, world-wide. Until that happens, my heart goes out to my sister soldiers who are bearing the brunt of the suffering. (less)

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Feb 10, 2011 Petra X rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: popculture-anthropology, travel-adventure, philosophy-religion

This book was the story of Nujood, aged 10 and living in the Yemen, a Muslim country, who was brave enough to go to the courts in the capital and ask the judges to grant her a divorce. That is such an amazing feat, I am sure I can barely imagine the courage this girl had.

Nujood, who had just one year of schooling, lived in a very poor family that sometimes had to beg for food, and was sold for $750 to a man in his thirties who promised, so the father said, that he wouldn't touch her until she re...more This book was the story of Nujood, aged 10 and living in the Yemen, a Muslim country, who was brave enough to go to the courts in the capital and ask the judges to grant her a divorce. That is such an amazing feat, I am sure I can barely imagine the courage this girl had.

Nujood, who had just one year of schooling, lived in a very poor family that sometimes had to beg for food, and was sold for $750 to a man in his thirties who promised, so the father said, that he wouldn't touch her until she reached puberty. But he did, he raped and beat her repeatedly, and his own mother egged him on. In Islam, because Mohammed, aged 52, married a child of 9, this early marriage and sex is considered perfectly ok.

She found sympathetic judges and a wonderful, feminist lawyer and eventually, her father and husband in prison more so she could be safe than anything else, she got her divorce and world-wide attention. Since women are essentially possessions, a contract signed between the father and the husband transferring the 'property' wasn't so easy to break, but Nujood remained strong through the long legal arguments.

Along with Hillary Clinton, who called her 'the bravest woman I've ever met' and Nicole Kidman she was Glamor's 2008 Woman of the Year. She's 13 now, and going to school. She wears jeans and t-shirts and barettes in her hair, the black robes and niqab (veil) she found so stifling cast off.

Inspired by her several little girls, forcibly married at 9, have come forward to get divorces themselves. Its a beginning. And she has made a real difference: the age for marriage is now 17 in Yemen, one hopes it is enforced, but I don't have major faith in that. As long as women are possessions, the contract - the bill of sale - between father and husband will remain more important that the actual marriage where there is no real contract as the girl is neither old enough in law to give her consent, nor is even required to do so.

The book is a fast read, a story very simply told, its filled-in reportage, rather than an in-depth story, but that doesn't lessen the message or appeal of the book at all. It doesn't matter if you know the story, its still an unputdownable book - I read it without stopping until I finished it.

Recommended for the whole wide world to rejoice in her courage and to tell ourselves that we will probably never face anything so daunting in our lives, if she could face her fears and do it, so could we.

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Nov 17, 2012 Maha rated it 4 of 5 stars

تتحدث الروايه عن أشهر طفلة في العالم العربي، اليمنية نجود أحمد علي، التي حصلت على الطلاق من زوجها وعمرها 10 سنوات
فتاة اليمن السعيد ومثيلاتها كثيرات على امتداد أوطاننا السعيدة ـ مسروقة من على مقعد الدراسة، ومن كراسة الرسم ولعبة الغميضة، ومسلسلات توم وجيري، ومساقة إلى سرير الزوجية، لتطاردها كل مساء اغتصابات زوج ثلاثيني، وكوابيس ملونة بالدم النازف من عذرية الطفولة،
الطفله اللتي كان من المفترض أن تظل طفلة، لكنها بحكم الأهل والفقر باتت عروساً فامرأة، وبأمر المحكمة أصبحت مطلقة في قضية ملأت الدنيا وشغلت...more

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Aug 27, 2011 Loloah ALhozami rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

انتهيت لِلتو من رواية تِلك الأسطورة الحقيقية نجود بطلة الأزمنة المعاصرة، تلك الفتاة الصغيرة أثبتت أنهُ لا مُحال يَحول بين المرءِ وحقوقه فأرجو من الله العلي العظيم أن يُعين كُل نجود في هذا الكون لتستعيد حقوقها كما فعلت نجود ابنة العاشرة والمُطلقة..

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Dec 05, 2012 Vivian Valvano rated it 2 of 5 stars

I am really sorry to have to give this only 2 stars. Nujood's story is heartbreaking, and her bravery is inspiring. I remember her case when it broke in the news. Married off by her father to a man 25 years older than she, this Yemeni child who is not even positive of her age was repeatedly abused, beated, and raped by this bastard (who had "promised" not to touch her until after puberty) and was brutally abused by his mother. She had the courage to find her way to a courthouse, find a judge tha...more I am really sorry to have to give this only 2 stars. Nujood's story is heartbreaking, and her bravery is inspiring. I remember her case when it broke in the news. Married off by her father to a man 25 years older than she, this Yemeni child who is not even positive of her age was repeatedly abused, beated, and raped by this bastard (who had "promised" not to touch her until after puberty) and was brutally abused by his mother. She had the courage to find her way to a courthouse, find a judge that would listen to her, tell her story, and ask for a divorce. Fortunately, there were caring judges who wanted to help, there was a courageous and excellent woman lawyer, and Nujood made history getting the divorce in 2008. Why 2 stars? The book is presented with Nujood Ali as author with Delphine Minoui. The text makes abundantly clear that at the time of the divorce, Nujood (not surprisingly) had so little education that she was literate enough to write nothing more than her first name. It also makes clear that her lawyer's well-intentioned placement of her in school after her plight made international news did not yield immediate success; the child could not immediately cope with a life of regular school hours. Again, this is not surprising at all. Much of the schooling entailed coloring and memorization of Muslim tenets. I don't believe there was much time for her to have developed intellectually (not to mention recover appreciably from her ordeals) by the time composition of the book had to have commenced. And yet, the book is published in 2010 with her as author? Certainly, it is very simply written, very simple to read, but there was no need to try to present it as her work with a bit of assistance from a second author. Why not let Delphine Minoui, or someone else with professional qualifications, write in authorial voice and tell Nujood's story with abundant interviewing, quoting, etc.? Surely that could have been done well and respectfully for Nujood. There was plenty of news coverage, there were plenty of interviews after her divorce. An excellent journalist with sterling reportial credentials AND an ethical compass (I can think of a few who would fill the bill) could have written a superb book with Nujood as the primary source. Perhaps the goal here was to present her case in simple enough form that young people could be exposed to the plight of young women/children in parts of the Middle East? I don't know. But I found this to be the wrong way to impart this information. Nujood's experience and her courage deserve a better book than this. Again, my criticism is not aimed toward topic/content - there is so much to discuss (and to be sickened by) here, including the extent of the repression of women in Nujood's society, the extent of patriarchy that allows for a man's multiple wives, numerous numbers of children (the number of pregnancies of Nujood's mother is astounding), complete control over women and children, and societal permission to hang about all day chewing khat and getting high (and explain his patriarchal decisions as abiding by his religion), the dire poverty that families like Nujood's live in, the lack of education for women (and not much more for poor men)... the list goes on.(less)

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Sep 22, 2010 Jeanette rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: middle-east, nonfiction, biography-memoir

Such a brave and resilient little girl! At the age of 10, Nujood was married off to a man of thirty. He promised her father that he wouldn't consummate the marriage until she'd reached puberty, but began daily raping her starting on the wedding night. He also beat her black and blue on a regular basis. While on a visit to the city to see her family, Nujood ran away and stumbled into the courthouse asking, "Where's the judge? I want a divorce!" She had no money, no education, and no idea what she...more

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May 15, 2012 Zografia added it

Shelves: reviewed

I can not rate this book or comment on it, since I think it's purpose is to raise awareness. It's not a book for fun or entertainment and I dont recommend it to you if that's what you seek. It's a book that made me feel so awful, and I can only imagine what Nyjood has been through. It is a real story, with facts, which actually makes it a lot more horrible.
I just looked at the cover and the pictures and thought that she looks so little and beautiful. What kind of monster could do this to her? Th...more

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Mar 27, 2013 Andy rated it 3 of 5 stars

Thanks to Marian for drawing my attention to this book, with a subject that, even in the 21st century, was still able to shock me. What is acceptable in a culture depends on the culture itself. I am shocked by this, but I am certain that people in Yemen or other middle Eastern countries would be shocked by me eating too much, throwing waste away, using too much water, or not being religious ..... I don't mean to be judgemental, but am talking about my reaction.

Nojoud (I read the book in French)...more

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Jul 21, 2012 Lisa Christen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

“I’m a simple village girl who has always obeyed the orders of my father and brothers. Since forever, I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no.”

Good story which takes place in Yemen and is the story of 10-year old Nujood Ali who was forced by her father to marry a man who was three times her age. She was made to go live with her husband and his family, was raped by her husband, and was emotionally and physically abused by his mother. Yemeni law allows girls of any...more

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May 05, 2011 Amy Sheridan rated it 4 of 5 stars

If this book doesn't make you stfu about your first world problems like getting the wrong latte at Starbucks or not being able to find the right color of sweater for your chihuahua, nothing will.

Seriously, at the age of 10, when many (American) girls are wearing booty shorts and trying to emulate Miley Curys, Nujood is sold by her family to a 30-year-old man as his wife. She comes from a world where this isn't entirely unusual. It also isn't unusual for men to have multiple wives, and for girls...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Mary rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography-biography

This is directed at a young reader, and is written in the first person. Somehow, the personality of a little girl seems stripped out, but the story is fascinating, nonetheless. Poverty dooms people in third world countries. Ancient customs are puzzling. Apparently a village dispute, or dislike of Nujood's father, set all these events in motion, but it was not only Nujood who suffered in this story. In the back details the reader can piece together a vendetta that started with the rape of Nujood'...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Julie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: reviewed, memoir-autobio-bio, nonfiction, young-adult

I am Nujood is the story of a 10 year-old girl from Yemen who is sold off as a child bride to a much elder man who physically and sexually assaults her. Taking the advice of her father's second wife, Nujood flees from her family home and appeals to the Court for a divorce. Nujood's story is certainly worth telling and the issues the book attempts to deal with - child marriage, child trafficking, etc. are of great importance. The main problem with this book is that it is far too simplistic for th...more

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Oct 15, 2012 Mona M. Kayed rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كتاب صادم بشكل مفجع .. نجود و غيرها من الحالات تعتبر إفرازاً طبيعياً للجهل المتفشي في المجتمعات العربية .. المشكلة لا تكمن في الجهل بحد ذاته ، و إنما في أولئك الذين يرتكبون حماقاتهم باسم الدين .. في هذا الكتاب مثلاً كانت حجة والد الطفلة بأن الرسول عليه السلام تزوج من السيدة عائشة و هي ابنة تسع سنين ، في حين أنه يتناسى مثلاً بأن الصحابي أسامة بن زيد قاد جيش المسلمين و هو لا يتجاوز الخمسة عشر عاماً .. المجتمع الآن لا يطالب الشباب بقيادة الجيوش في عمر المراهقة و لكنه ما زال يطالب الطفلات بالزواج...more

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Apr 11, 2013 Nicala rated it 3 of 5 stars

The book “I am Nujood, age 10 and Divorced” written by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui has made me aware of the plight and atrocities of life that girls and women in some other countries face. The story told by Nujood, is about a 10 year old Yemen girl who was forced to give up her childhood and marry a man three times her age.
Nujood was attending school and living a normal life when her father gave her away for marriage in exchange for money. Her life changed drastically as she moved away from...more

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Apr 07, 2013 Olivia Mcclure rated it 3 of 5 stars

“I am Nujood, 10 and Divorced”
By Nujood Ali
Review by Olivia McClure

I decided to pick this book up because of its intriguing title, obviously the concept of a child at the age of 10 being divorced, let alone married, in America is extremely foreign. This book is a memoir-typed non-fiction story about the childhood of Nujood Ali, raised in Yemen. Because of the Yemen culture, on-top of polygamy, men are the master of the house, and the wife and any other women in the family must do whatever they...more “I am Nujood, 10 and Divorced”
By Nujood Ali
Review by Olivia McClure

I decided to pick this book up because of its intriguing title, obviously the concept of a child at the age of 10 being divorced, let alone married, in America is extremely foreign. This book is a memoir-typed non-fiction story about the childhood of Nujood Ali, raised in Yemen. Because of the Yemen culture, on-top of polygamy, men are the master of the house, and the wife and any other women in the family must do whatever they say. Because of this, Nujood is forced by her father to be married to a man three times her age. After the exchange of a contract, a price, and a pity wedding, Nujood meets her husband, and is sent away from everyone she knows at 10 years old. Her husband and mother-in-law are extremely abuse to Nujood, and on a dark night she manages to sneak away from their gasp and in a day’s time finds a judge in the nearest village and demands a divorce, despite the humiliation and dishonor to her family’s reputation.
This book, overall was extremely interesting to me, I found it the story really passionate and not very difficult to get through. That being said, because of the writing and climax-lacking structure, it wasn’t hard to put it down. You can tell the co-writer of the story is trying to sound like Nujood, a little girl; the writing isn’t in complex sentences, and it’s very straight forward. It’s also very factual, over everything; the author lacks descriptions and in-depth details. I had a hard time visualizing her room in her husband’s house and the wedding scene because of the lack of details and dialogue.
This made her story difficult to connect with and relate to. However because of the plot and situation that Nujood is in, it was definitely an emotional read, and really eye-opening to the life’s being affected by forced marriage. Since Nujood has been featured with Condoleezza Rice and other activists, I really want to look up more about Nujood now, and I really, truly admire her courage and strength, for that reason I would recommend this book.
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Mar 30, 2013 Marlan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Very worthwhile read, and can be read in a few hours. I read it easily after work one day, and still had ample time for other things before bed.

The topic (underage, consummated marriages in Islamic countries, specificially Yemen) is a human rights topic that most everyone should be aware of. The book is written by a French journalist and Nujood Ali, from the perspective of Nujood. She is a preteen girl whose father arranged her marriage to a 30-year-old because finances were tight. She was then...more

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Mar 14, 2013 Emily Danielson added it

I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali is the story of a young girl who was sold into marrying an older man. This man was 3 times the age of her. The reason she was sold into this marriage was because her father was poor and desperate for money. Yemen is the poorest country in the Middle East, and most people are poor. Child marriage is very common in Yemen. That is where Nujood lived. Once she was sold into the marriage, she was abused physically and emotionally by her mother and law an...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

How could you not want to pick up a book with this title? This is the compelling, disturbing, and hopeful story of a young Yemeni girl born to poverty. In her village, people don't even file birth records, so her age is just a guess. Women and children essentially don't matter, they are property of the man, who might hold multiple households despite being unable to care for them all. It is common practice for wives and children to beg on the street for bread or a little money. But this is not th...more

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Mar 03, 2013 Tiffany Heater rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is the story of a 10 year old girl from Yemen whose marriage to a man three times her age is arranged by her father without her consent. While the man promises not to consumate their marriage until she hits puberty, he breaks this promise and abuses her both physically and mentally. When Nujood can take it no longer she travels on her own via public transportation to the courthouse and asks to speak to a judge, demanding a divorce. Nujood quickly becomes an international hero, being the fir...more

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Dec 07, 2012 Tom rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, non-fiction

There is even a tribal proverb that says, “To guarantee a happy marriage, marry a nine-year-old girl.”
(Ali, Nujood; Minoui, Delphine (2010-02-23). I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (p. 74). Random House, Inc.. Kindle Edition)

At nine years old, Nujood Ali was married to a man four times her age. This was not illegal in Yemen. Indeed, Nujood's father arranged the marriage. The details were ironed out by various men in the two families, and Nujood's fiancee agreed not to have sex with Nujood until...more

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Sep 29, 2012 Brent rated it 3 of 5 stars

How do you review a book like this? It is tempting in reviewing Nujood's story to rant and rage against Islam. But this is a book review, not a screed about Islam.

So let us say that as a book, the story itself is more important than how well it is told. For that alone it earns an extra star, because as a book it is not well written. Who knows if Nujood herself dictated the book to the co-author, or whether it was merely written as if a 10 year old was telling it. But by telling the story in suc...more

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Aug 25, 2012 Jennie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Although this book is fundamentally flawed in one key aspect, it does contain a message that's important for all of us to read. This book tells the story of Nujood Ali, a Yemeni girl who was married at the age of 10 to a man nearly three times her age. ALthough her husband promised her father he wouldn't touch her until she reached puberty, he raped her on their wedding night and continued to do so throughout their marriage. She was physically and emotionally abused by her in-laws and her parent...more

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Jul 22, 2012 Maha Balouch rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: autobiography

This is such a moving story. A Yemeni girl named Nujood Ali was married to a man three times her age, with a promise that he wouldn't consummate the marriage until she turned twenty. The man violates Nujood at her current age. Fed up with her in-laws and her pedophile husband, she goes to court to get justice. She's assisted by a lawyer and there begins a fight to free herself.
She's a brave girl, doing what she did. She was brave enough to leave her home and tell her story.
However, I do believ...more

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May 30, 2012 Frances Johnson rated it 4 of 5 stars

This is the remarkable story of a young girl forced to marry a much older man who abuses her and how she demands a divorce in a country not known for allowing women to have rights and make decisions. What Nujood did was both courageous and set an example for other children married off at a young age. Importantly, the book also looks at the culture of a society that allows this to happen. While Nujood's father is certainly not a particularly caring person, he too is a product of this culture and...more

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May 29, 2012 Camellia rated it 3 of 5 stars

The story is an eye-opener to cultural practices and the hardships they bring but it clearly was not entirely written by a 10 year-old. Which I'm seeing affects the reviews and sympathies in an interesting way that her story bought and sold to appeal to the masses gives way, of course, for unmerited reviews from people who have an unfortunate dislike for such when a story is intended for outreach, especially when money is involved, and especially when the audience in which this read was intended...more

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May 15, 2012 Mary Ann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: children-s-materials

Nujood is a real ten-year old girl who lives in Yemen. Her life was hard to begin with: her parents had very little money and her family lived in a dirty, run-down apartment building in the city. But Nujood’s life would get much, much harder: her father promised her in marriage to a thirty-year old man. I Am Nujood: Age 10 and Divorced is the first-person story of a young girl who had the strength to rise above nearly impossible circumstances, demanding a divorce from a brutal man she did not co...more

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Apr 27, 2012 Michelle rated it 3 of 5 stars

This is an important book. It's just not especially well-written. Normally, with this weighty a topic I'd be more forgiving but I found the writing was annoying enough to really affect my ability to concentrate on what most mattered...that it is a horrific practice which allows for prepubescent little girls to be married off to men 3 or more times their age. Obviously, an illiterate 10 year old girl is going to need the assistance of a co-author. And I applaud Ms. Minoui for taking this on. Firs...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction-women

This is the story, told in her own words (through a translator, of course), of a Yemeni girl who was forced into marriage at age 10 by her father, in exchange for about 750 dollars. She was not the first child married off to an adult man and a stranger; this is a tradition that has been going on for - probably - centuries. But she was the first girl to run away from her family and husband (risking her life) and go to a courthouse and demand a divorce. This is the story of how this terrible thing...more This is the story, told in her own words (through a translator, of course), of a Yemeni girl who was forced into marriage at age 10 by her father, in exchange for about 750 dollars. She was not the first child married off to an adult man and a stranger; this is a tradition that has been going on for - probably - centuries. But she was the first girl to run away from her family and husband (risking her life) and go to a courthouse and demand a divorce. This is the story of how this terrible thing happened to her, and what happened to her, and her family, and some other girls in the same situation, when she broke the taboo against girls speaking up and standing up for themselves.

I almost didn't buy this book. I know what often happens to young girls in Middle Eastern countries (not that bad things don't happen to young girls in other countries), and I was afraid that the story would make me cry and leave me miserable. It was her photo on the cover, her intelligent, brave, confident face, that made me go on and buy it. I'm glad I did. Her story moved me to tears, not only for what happened to her, but how she reacted to it. Simply to survive such a situation is great bravery. She went beyond courage to do the unthinkable, to defy her father, her family, her husband, and her culture, to say no to a terrible wrong when her whole world told her she must say yes. Nujood changed the world.

I don't have this book anymore. I bought it in the airport and finished it on the plane - it's a quick read if you're a quick reader - and when the woman sitting next to me expressed interest in it, I gave it to her. She said she would take it to her book club. I'm glad. Everyone should read it, not only because the story is worth knowing, but for the insights it gives into the lives and culture and minds of people who suffer these wrongs and the people who inflict them. It's easy to say Nujood's father was a bad man, but through her eyes we see his story too. I ended up feeling about him much the way Nujood did - angry, but understanding.

I hope that we hear more about Nujood in the future. I want to know what becomes of her, whether she fulfills her dreams, how her life turns out. I hope she gets the education she wants, and keeps her confidence, her courage, and her compassion. She is an extraordinary person.

I don't think this review counts as a spoiler. The fact that Nujood was able to write the book at all tells you that she survived and was all right. The story isn't in the fact that she survived, but in how she did it. (less)

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About Nujood Ali

Nujood Ali, born in 1998, is a figure of Yemen's fight against forced marriage. At the age of ten, she obtained a divorce, breaking with the tribal tradition. In November 2008, U.S. women's magazine Glamour designated Nujood Ali and her lawyer Shada Nasser as Women of the Year. Nasser, born in 1964, is herself a feminist and specialist in human rights, whose involvement in Nujood's case received m...more

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“Nujood's rebellion, honorable in our eyes, is moreover considered by conservatives as an outrageous affront, punishable, according to extremist, by a murderous "honor crime.".” — 5 people liked it

“A divorce party--that's really better than a wedding party!” — 1 person liked it

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I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

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