Daughter of Dust: Growing up an Outcast in the Desert of Sudan

by Wendy Wallace

A beautifully written memoir of growing up abandoned in the desert city of Khartoum.
Leila understands from early on that she is not part of normal Sudanese society. Her parents are unable to care for her, so she is banished to a strict orphanage, along with children born outside marriage. At school, Leila and her best friend Amal are called 'daughters of sin'. Her pretty sister, Zulima, is married off to a much older man, while the nannies say an abandoned girl is lucky to get an offer of marriage at all. At the age of ten, both Leila and Amal endure female circumcision. Suffering appalling prejudice, and thought to bring the 'evil eye', Leila remains outgoing and brave and manages to get an education. She goes on to marry, have four children, and divorce, yet even grown up she continues to know the stigma of being abandoned. Undaunted, Leila founds her own charity to help those shunned as outcasts and she continues to work tirelessly to dispel prejudice. This beautifully written, graceful memoir perfectly evokes the heat and colour of the North African desert and tells of the true friendships that are born out of adversity.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, Autobiography

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

I grew up in Kent, in England, and later graduated in Media Studies from what was then Central London Polytechnic. I worked first as a photographer, then for many years as a feature writer, before turning to fiction.

I’ve written for the Times, the Times Educational Supplement, the Guardian, the Telegraph and many other magazines and newspapers.

My journalism, on Sudan and later on schools, led to my two non-fiction books - Daughter of Dust (Simon & Schuster 2009) and Oranges and Lemons (Routledge 2005). In 2001, I was Education Journalist of the Year.

I have now turned to writing fiction, which had always been my dream. The Painted Bridge, the story of a woman tricked into a Victorian asylum in the year 1859, is my first novel. I’m working on a second, titled Magic for the Living.

I’ve been greatly helped and encouraged in my writing by my family, my agent and my writing friends. My two grown up sons are sources of inspiration.

I have lived all my adult life in London. As well as enjoying company and solitude, reading and writing, I am an enthusiastic and sometimes year-round swimmer in the women’s pond on Hampstead Heath.

To receive updates on The Painted Bridge, as well as news about the book I'm writing now, you can 'like' my Facebook author page.

http://www.facebook.com/wendywallacea...

Reviews

[Helena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story, decently written but it lacked the most important thing:emotions.

[Selma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lejla je od malih nogu svjesna da nije dio društva. Njena majka ne može da brine o njoj, i zato živi u sirotištu sa drugom djecom koja nisu rođena u braku.
Njena sestra, Zulima, udata je za čovjeka mnogo starijeg od sebe, i nametnuta joj je misao da jedna napuštena djevojčica treba da bude sretna što je uopšte dobila ponudu za brak.

Istinita priča o djevojčici Lejli koja odrasta u Sudanu, u zemlji u kojoj nema nikakva prava, ona je zajedno sa ostalom djecom u sirotištu prepuštena na milost i nemilost društva punog predrasuda. Zovu ih kćerkama grijeha.

"Sva ta djeca čeznu za očima koje ih vide, glasom koji ih miluje, rukama koje će učiniti i nešto više, a ne samo premjestiti ih sa jednog mjesta na drugo. Čeznu da vide, na tuđem licu, da postoje. Da su važna."

[Stéphane · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful book, written in a simple, short sentences style. Sad at times as you would expect from the story of an abandoned young girl growing up in Sudan, I found the story inspirational and full of hope.

[Smitha Vishwanath · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book.

'Daughter of Dust' by Wendy Wallace is a book I got from my book swap group (more about that in another post). I decided to give it a try to escape the other two I was already reading, and I simply couldn't put it down. It's a biography of Leila Aziz, a girl abandoned at the age of 15 months, raised in an orphanage, married at 22, a mother of four by 29, and who later divorces, setting up an institute for adults who find themselves abandoned by society.

Set in Sudan, from the sixties to the eighties, the book throws light on the culture, traditions, and beliefs of the people there, the position of women in society and the impact of the political changes in the country on the ordinary people, and what it means to be an outcast (daughter of sin) in the country. Heartbreaking, inspiring and a beautifully written, inspirational read. The author of the book, Wendy Wallace, an award-winning journalist turned author, narrates the story from the point of view of Leila (in the first person). The short, simple sentences, vivid descriptions take the reader to the barren lands of Sudan, where abandoned children are raised on the fringe of society as outcasts. As the narrator of the story is Leila (a child), it carries the innocence and wonder of the first time one sees or experiences things providing a fresh perspective. As an adult reading the book, the reader has a deeper understanding than the innocent protagonist.

Despite the fact that it represents the lower strata of society - a class of people deprived of ordinary comforts, 'Daughter of Dust' resonates as it centres around universal themes of family, belonging, community, growing up, marriage and motherhood.

This story is inspiring, heartwarming, heartbreaking, moving and funny at times as it's the world from a child's perspective. The book is devoid of emotions. And yet, the manner of writing allows you to experience Leila's life so closely that it moves you. I was transported to the dry lands of Sudan, the school in which Leila studied, to Jordan and to the lime tree in her garden after she married.

I enjoyed learning about the wedding customs in Sudan, the generosity with which people are hosted, even with minimal funds, the love and affection provided to the children by the Mothers at the Village and that similar villages exist in countries like Egypt and Jordan, which house children from other Villages during their time in the country.

Who is the book for? Anybody who loves learning about other cultures, enjoys reading biographies and likes a good, heartwarming story well-told. If you like books written by Khaled Hosseini, Marjan Kamali, and Anita Desai, then this book is for you.

Although I had read the book, I bought it. That should say enough about the book.

[Lisa Trup · Rating 4 out of 5]

A traumatic story following the journey of an abandoned child and her sister in Sudan. An amazing story of survival and pragmatism.

[Maguie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s an astonishing story about survival and hope
It moves you
I recommend it to others to read it

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fairly interesting story, quite simply written as a chronological account of Leila’s life. Not a lot of feeling to build an attachment to the individuals in the story though.

[Lee Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has lane unread for many years . What an inspirational story. Easy to read .

[Olivera Takač · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected a love story, or at least something along the line of romanticism. What I got was a majestic, heartbreaking slap on the cheek by this amazing novel.

[Asha Greye · Rating 5 out of 5]

In 1960s and 1970s Sudan, to have no father to protect you was a fate worse than death and you are forever marked. Fatherless Leila was hidden away behind the gates and walls of institutions from her earliest years, sheltered from the outside world with its' unforgiving harshness yet always aware often painfully that she was all but outright cursed and would never be afforded the same things as everyone else. Blood bonds mean nothing as she learns upon encountering in the 2nd institution, the older half-sister she did not remember, who wanted nothing to do with her. Far from alone, Leila found solice in the fellow outcasted children and underpaid but generally decent carers charged with her proper Muslim upbringing, encouraged to embrace them as her family. Her "brothers" ran out of their group dwelling to welcome her back "home" when she returns to the children's village late one evening. Her "sister" Amal was never far from her side. Her many "nannies" and "mamas" cooked her favorite meals, taught her useful life skills, and most importantly took care of her. Unfortunately traditional Muslim society continued to dictate many aspects of her life though, such as her carers arranging for her "purification",stifling her naturally tomboyish demeanor by forcing her to stop wearing shorts while she is still only a child(what kind of sick pervert is staring at the legs of a 9 year old child that she should be completely covered up?!?), and admonishing her when she sang. Despite the efforts to make her a not only good but exemplary Muslim girl, Leila continues to live in fear and shame after she leaves the orphanage for an ultimately doomed marriage, that she will never be accepted or redeemed, but after many years later that is precisely what happens in a most unexpected way to bring her life fullcircle. This is truly an amazing book.

[Enya · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is astonishingly powerful in its simplicity and was really thought-provoking in terms of what one considers a 'normal' way of living. There were so many aspects to Sudanese life and culture that I'd never heard of or fundamentally disagreed with yet, from the point of view of an inside perspective, were understandable given the context.

This book is very hard-hitting and not something to be read lightly despite it's simple language. Leila's confusion about the bigger picture surrounding the events going on around her when she is a child adds to the story all the more as we begin to understand her world alongside her.

The only criticism I'd really have with this book is how the timing is spread out, there seemed to be huge jumps in time that weren't made clear or there would be a section focused on a seemingly unimportant anecdote that just didn't seem to mesh right with the overall book.

What would also improve it would be some information on the Sunrise charity and suggestions for further reading about the Sunrise's work, the situation of orphans in Sudan currently, information about the life and rights of women in Sudan since these were very prominent issues in the text.

I'd definitely read this again and recommend it to others as an inspiring story about survival, hardship and hope.



Also, if anyone has more information or can provide me with the right place to look for it, I'd like to know more about the marriage customs mentioned in the book as well as the 'female circumcision' and the cultural reasons behind it. For instance, it was mentioned that the women were 'stitched up' after birth - is this as literal as it suggests? Are they cut open every time they have sex? I'll have to search for more literature on this!

[Kate Mayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Leila, the courageous and spirited survivor of the most devastating prejudice, is very moving and powerful. The amazing detail that the author conjures in the telling is remarkable. I was so engrossed while reading that I suddenly realized, quite unexpectedly, that the book is a page tuner.

The cultural aspects of "Daughter of Dust" are informative and beautifully woven into the main narrative. The harrowing details are not at all gratuitous, and they so easily could be. The reader is sure to relate to the universal themes of belonging, home, unbelievable hardship, and family, even while marvelling at the stark differences in the Sudanese culture. Through Wendy Wallace's brilliant prose I gleaned a greater understanding of a woman, a culture, and a country. What a rich a book this is.

[Kathy Chung · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a bit dry in the beginning where there is a lot of thinbgs that Leila didn't know . Reminds me of myself when I was less than10 yrs old. Guess their side of the world practice the same thing children are to be look after instead of listening to.

I think it would have been a great help if her sister could have fill in the blanks on the part of their life when they were younger.

The flow of the memoir gets better when Leila reach maturity. Things were described more vividly.

I hope after writing of this book, things would go more smoothly for Leila

[Theut · Rating 2 out of 5]

Non mi ha emozionato come pensavo. Ho "rivisto" con piacere alcuni posti che ho visitato ma la storia (seppur con dei distinguo) non mi ha coinvolto.

[Katy · Rating 2 out of 5]

An amazing spirited woman... who overcame a very sad and embattled childhood.

[Esra_ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspiring. Touching. Deep.