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  <title><![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]></description>
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        <name><![CDATA[Waris Dirie]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
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    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
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  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jan 14 17:09:07 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jan 14 17:15:37 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Waris Dirie is a former supermodel (famous in the 1980's and 1990's) who grew up as a nomad in Somalia.  Around age 12 or 13, she ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage to a much older man, and she eventually made her way to London, where she was &quot;discovered&quot; after several years....<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43065497">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Deb]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
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    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[anyone concerned about human rights.]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[a social worker from Mogadisho,Somalia]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Jan 03 15:23:32 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Jan 03 15:29:58 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is an unbelievable story of a young Somalian woman who escapes a forced marriage to an older man, costing her father several camels in bride price.  She tells her own story of how she survived to become a model and eventually a U. N. advocate against the customs of female mutilation to guarante...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/11570878">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>17922471</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Heather]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
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    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
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  <read_at>Sat Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 17 05:18:53 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 17 05:22:45 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Certainly worth the read.  It is a short, easy, and intersting autobiography.  I really enjoyed the first 150 ish pages and, despite the human rights issues at the end, I was less impressed with the conclusion.  Still, quite good with an important message.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17922471]]></url>
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad]]>
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    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Fri Nov 14 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 16 02:33:03 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Nov 14 13:36:32 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Interesting, but <a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/317870.Born_in_the_Big_Rains_A_Memoir_of_Somalia_and_Survival"><em>Born in the Big Rains</em></a> by Fadumo Korn -- also a survivor of FGM -- was a much better book.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35444314]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/35444314]]></link>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Lauren]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Rockville, MD]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
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  <date_added>Mon Jun 09 19:25:51 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 09 19:31:11 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the autobiography of Waris Dirie, an international supermodel.  Waris grew up as part of a nomadic tribe in Somalia that still practices female circumcision, sleeps outdoors, subsists on camels milk, and marries off young girls at 12 or 13 to much older men.  It was very interesting to read ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24111721">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24111721]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/24111721]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[tatiana]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

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  <date_added>Sun Mar 09 17:05:45 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Mar 25 19:42:58 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I forgave the simplistic, often juvenile writing style of this book (which, not surprisingly, was co-written) because the memoirs of this remarkable woman are so uplifting and inspiring that it hardly matters. Waris Dirie recalls her nomadic childhood in the Somali desert, where her brutal circumcis...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17399858">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17399858]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/17399858]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>81549834</id>
    <user>
    <id>2969105</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Libby]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Melbourne, VIC, Australia]]></location>
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  <id type="integer">8745</id>
  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Dec 20 04:53:22 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Dec 20 04:56:14 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[It is hard to believe the strengh of this woman!! It is an amazing story and problem after problem Waris keeps getting back up and fighting! I feel it should have a five star review but there was just something i couldn't put my finger on that was missing for me in this book but i ABSOLUTELY reccome...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81549834">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81549834]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/81549834]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>25357893</id>
    <user>
    <id>1257</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Lisa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Clinton, CT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1257-lisa]]></link>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Jan 24 00:00:00 -0800 2007</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 24 17:58:31 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 24 18:07:36 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Another depressing book.  This one is about FGM.  Waris Dirie broke out of Africa to become a model, but she's a victim, like so many women, of FGM, performed on her at five years old. Her sister died from the same procedure, which is common there, because the procedure is performed with a rusty bla...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25357893">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25357893]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/25357893]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>76113718</id>
    <user>
    <id>2875803</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Manoja]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Colombo, 36, Sri Lanka]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2875803-manoja]]></link>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Oct 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Oct 29 09:13:16 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Oct 31 23:08:56 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Great novel! and Great personality! i think this is a novel that everyone should read! shocking to know what's happening to women in a world where human rights and women rights are upheld with so much of pride!!! can these men be so low, so brutal to make women cut (with no anesthesia!) her genitals...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76113718">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76113718]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76113718]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>50939743</id>
    <user>
    <id>1883506</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Heather]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Salt Lake City, UT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1883506-heather]]></link>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Mar 30 12:29:20 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Mar 30 12:44:22 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Fascinating to see how resilient the human soul can be.  This women experienced the extremes of our world.  From desert nomad to fleeing on foot not knowing where she was going and ending up in the world of super model.  A bit of strong language and graphic as to women circumcision.  I like books th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50939743">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50939743]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/50939743]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>42659291</id>
    <user>
    <id>1801710</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Qudwatun]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Malaysia]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1801710-qudwatun-hassanah]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-U-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
  <spoiler_flag>false</spoiler_flag>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Jan 11 04:47:42 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Jan 11 05:02:41 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is also in my syllabus. It tells about circumcision and the detail is... Euuu!!! So eerie I have to skip that part. Muslims who read this book may criticize it; not because the writer is against circumcision but because of the writer's lifestyle which really not allowed in Islam. But this book ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42659291">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42659291]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/42659291]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>43001381</id>
    <user>
    <id>1908928</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Suzanne]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Boston, MA]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/1908928-suzanne]]></link>
    <image_url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/images/nophoto-F-111x148.jpg]]></image_url>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Wed Jan 14 06:44:43 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Jan 14 06:57:27 -0800 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book is interesting in the sense that learning about life in Somalia is interesting - learning about a different person's life is interesting in general. Her writing style, however, can be bland. Also, sometimes the woman seems a little narcisistic and obnoxious, and you're not even sure if eve...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43001381">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43001381]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43001381]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>59507889</id>
    <user>
    <id>1370634</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Melissa]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Golden, CO]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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        <shelf name="read" />
          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jun 13 08:21:48 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jun 13 08:24:30 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This biography tells Waris's story growing up as a nomad in Somalia, and how she ran away at age thirteen when her father arranged for her to marry a sixty year old man.  Waris tells the struggles she endured to finally become a model.  She now travels the world to advocate for human rights.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59507889]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59507889]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>67615162</id>
    <user>
    <id>201931</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Maryam]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[357320, Iran, Islamic Republic of]]></location>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Aug 04 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Aug 16 10:48:42 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Aug 20 13:26:56 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[کتاب خوبی بود با نثری روان و جذاب که خوندنش می ازرید. برای من یک سری حقایقی از زندگی دختران بادیه نشین افریقا روشن کرد که تا به حال ازش بی خبر بودم.فکر نکنم کسی از خوندن...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67615162">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67615162]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/67615162]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>64961585</id>
    <user>
    <id>2560851</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Knitchic54]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sydney, 02, Australia]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/2560851-knitchic54-hartrick]]></link>
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  <isbn>0688172377</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sat Jun 29 00:00:00 -0700 2002</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Jul 25 20:26:40 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Jul 25 20:28:47 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[PMQ library<br/><br/>I read this book after reading Desert Dawn, Waris Dirie's later book.<br/>This was Dirie's story as a young girl in Somalia. I don't think I would be bothered to read this book as it was more of the same Desert Dawn, but ended up finishing it.<br/><br/>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64961585]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64961585]]></link>
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      <review>
  <id>61670894</id>
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    <id>2208935</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Diana]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Sintra, 14, Portugal]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Fri Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 1999</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jun 30 14:54:33 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Jun 30 14:56:05 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I noticed a piece of this book when I was reading through Reader's Digest magazine and after finishing it, I immediately wanted to buy this book. It's raw, sensitive, violent and a story of survival and strength. Absolutely recommended.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61670894]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/61670894]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>49224667</id>
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    <id>74688</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Maya]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[France]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/74688-maya]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Sun Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Mar 14 02:04:02 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sat Mar 14 02:08:19 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[a quick and interesting read about this supermodel's fascinating life. too bad the 3rd book in the series came before her brief kidnapping in austria a coupe of years ago. i would have liked to hear her story about that!]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49224667]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49224667]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>30878045</id>
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    <id>922416</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Nicole]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <isbn13>9780688172374</isbn13>
  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
  <link>http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8745.Desert_Flower_The_Extraordinary_Journey_Of_A_Desert_Nomad</link>
  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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          </shelves>
  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[Levinia ]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Wed Aug 27 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Aug 22 02:48:12 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Wed Aug 27 09:54:46 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Is the story of a Somalia girl, Waris Dirie, herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas, wild dogs and strangers as the family wondered through Africa in their daily search for water as normads. By age 5 was she mutilated and her genitalia where cut and the opening almost closed, in a ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30878045">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30878045]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/30878045]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>31774715</id>
    <user>
    <id>987596</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Natalie]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Riverton, UT]]></location>
    <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/987596-natalie]]></link>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
  <small_image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573s/8745.jpg</small_image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at></read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Sep 01 19:15:53 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 15 21:53:21 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This book was very difficult to read and very hard to rate.  The message is clear...Female circumcision or female genital mutilation is a worldwide problem plaguing millions of women in all countries.  It destroys women’s health, kills million and creates a lifetime of pain and suffering.  Waris i...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31774715">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31774715]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/31774715]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
  <id>60651669</id>
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    <id>2446512</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Chris]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[The United States]]></location>
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  <text_reviews_count type="integer">90</text_reviews_count>
  <title>
    <![CDATA[Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey Of A Desert Nomad]]>
  </title>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1165763573m/8745.jpg</image_url>
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  <average_rating>3.88</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>723</ratings_count>
  <description>
    <![CDATA[By age 6, Waris Dirie was herding her family's sheep and goats, fending off hyenas and wild dogs as the family carved a path through Africa. She was just twice that age when she ran off into the vast furnace of the Somali desert to escape an arranged marriage to a much older man. Traveling for days without food and water, she made her way to Mogadishu and later to London as a servant to her uncle, the Somalian ambassador. There she wrestled with culture shock and got her first taste of the modeling life that eventually brought her into the public eye. Dirie is resilient, having survived drought, hunger, and the ritual female genital mutilation that marks a step toward womanhood among some traditional Moslems but, argue critics, steals or ruins many girls' lives. &quot;As we traveled throughout Somalia,&quot; says Dirie, &quot;we met families and I played with their daughters.  When we visited them again, the girls were missing. No one spoke the truth about their absence or even spoke of them at all.&quot; As a special ambassador to the United Nations, Dirie has spoken out loudly on this subject and championed environmental causes, too. How much of her sometimes breathless story is gospel truth and how much embellished is hard to say. Like Dirie herself, though, the combination is intriguing, powerful, and unique. <em>--Francesca Coltrera</em>]]>
  </description>
  <published>1998</published>
</book>

    <rating>4</rating>
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  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jun 06 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jun 22 11:12:00 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Jun 22 11:13:47 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Possibly one of the most moving books I have ever read.  There is no wonder in my mind as to why Elton John has bought the rights to make a movie of Waris's drastic, tragic, absolutely astonishing story.]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/60651669]]></url>
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