I feel like my imagination isn't big enough to even begin to comprehend what life is like growing up in Somalia, Kenya, and Saudi Arabia - as a female Muslim with an absent father and an abusive mother. Even though Ayaan does a good job covering her youth and describing her life to those who have no frame of reference for that kind of life, it still is hard to imagine. It goes without saying that those of us born and raised in the United States have been so amply blessed; its almost beyond comprehension. So, the most interesting part of the book, in addition to getting an insider's view and perspective on Islam, is when Ayaan makes a run for it and becomes a refugee in Holland. This happens about two-thirds through the book, so by the time she makes her escape, I was almost numb to the brutality of her existenance as a female Muslim. Watching her discover democracy and a country where people don't routinly kill one another is most amazing. It gave me a fresh perspective on our way of life, and how great it truly is, despite its faults. Ayaan, after realizing that this non-Muslim country was a great place, even though her up-bringing told her that all non-Muslim places would be awful, she begins some serious soul-searching about her faith. Again, very interesting to watch her question and reason with her faith and the Western lifestyle. I won't give away the ending, but she concludes with a controversial thought: why is abuse and intolerance allowed to be masked in the name of religion?

If you don't know who Ayaan is, she made a short film with Theo Van Gough about the submission of women in Islam. Theo was shot and stabbed to death in broad daylight, in front of 50 witnesses. His throat was slit, and a letter was stabbed to his chest. The letter was addressed to Ayaan. The murderer was Muslim and says he killed Theo because he spoke out negatively about Islam.