Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad ― A Supermodel's Memoir of Survival and the Fight Against Female Genital Mutilation

NOTE: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS. Desert Flower is the inspiring life story of Waris Dirie's transformation from Somali desert nomad to international supermodel. The story begins with Waris' pastoralist childhood in the Somali desert, where she lives with her family. During this time, she is voluntarily circumcised, an event which greatly impacts the rest of her life. She eventually flees her desert life, when her father attempts to arrange an undesirable marriage. She lives with family in Mogadishu, before deciding to live with her uncle, an ambassador, in London. For the next four years, Waris lives as a maid in London, where she is spotted by a modeling scout. Unfortunately, she needs a passport and enters a sham marriage to acquire one. Her marriage becomes abusive, and she moves to New York to pursue her modeling career. She becomes the subject of a BBC documentary, allowing her to briefly re-unite with her mother. She meets her future husband and becomes a special ambassador for the UN, speaking out against female circumcision. Finally, she becomes pregnant, frees herself from the abusive marriage, and has her first child. Dirie's memoir is fast-paced and easy to read. It explores the vast cultural divide between a Western international supermodel and a Somali desert nomad, while remaining relatable and understandable to the average reader. It is an inspirational story, as Dirie goes against the odds and achieves the unexpected in life. One of the major themes of the memoir is violence against women. From early childhood, Dirie is the victim of rape and genital mutilation. She takes control of her life and flees the desert when her father tries to seal her fate in a hopeless marriage, but even outside of the desert, Dirie faces sexual assault and the ever-present burdens of being a Somali woman. Even when she reaches the Western world, she is still reliant on men in order to get her passport, forcing her to put up with theft and abuse. This theme of violence against women compliments another major theme, which is the individual working within detrimental political and economic structures. Whether she's working for below minimum wage at McDonalds or trying to get a passport to work internationally or not being able to return to Somalia due to warfare and political instability, Dirie must navigate these oppressive structures, and she always comes out on top. She does not allow the world to oppress her, continually seeking out better realities. Despite such violence in her life, Dirie does not remain a victim. She constantly pushes forward despite the unknown and achieves her goals in life. She has surgery to alleviate the complications of her circumcision, and works with the U.N. to speak out against the practice. She starts a family with a man that she loves and never forgets where she came from. Desert Flower is a must-read memoir for anyone hoping to better grasp the diversity and possibilities of life.

Her beauty and her stated sense of love for grace, peace, joy, and dignity seem to conflict with how she expresses herself. Boy, does she have a mouth on her and the way she expresses herself seems to belie a beguiling outward appearance!! I mean did she use the F and the S words so robustly in her native Somali language? One wonders! To be sure her telling of family life in Somalia, her flight to avoid an unwanted marriage, her trials and tribulations while trying to avoid death and destruction are poignant, admirable accounts that made one cringe learning of the intimate horrors of female genital mutilation. Her innocence, puzzlement, and eventual mingling into a fast-paced, high tech society had me laughing and cheering her brave attempts to acclimate to whatever good and bad things came her way. Her modeling career success is amazing, but, then she is a stunning looking woman. As an aside, I realized once I finished reading "Desert Flower" and seeing some of the photos of Waris that I may have used one of her modeling shots to create an oil painting I did many years ago. Until I read her book, I had never heard of her. Anyway, I was very taken with a woman in a photo I found in a magazine. I named the piece "Woman of Zanzibar" though there was no reference in the photo as to where the woman's photo was taken. I guess I wasn't too far off the beaten track as Zanzibar is just south of Somalia on the east coast of Africa. The title just seemed so right! I have to agree with other reviewers that approximately the last half of "Desert Flower" seems to be much less rich in narrative and becomes seemingly shallow and often hurtful to those around her with screaming tirades like "I'll kill you!", "I hate you" and other strident confrontations. I guess you could say she is just picking up on a "western" persona and has left behind a sense of serenity and calm she experienced growing up. But that in itself is a contradiction. She clearly negates her culture's embrace of female genital mutilation a practice she attributes to "the ego, selfishness, and aggression of men"! She scolds westerners for being artificial, lacking family values, rushing around trying to get more money and things, being obsessed with weight loss and perceives western society to be unappreciative of its many wonderful freedoms and wealth. I do think that is true of many Americans but I don't think is by any means the majority. She does say, however, "I am grateful that I've experienced both lives." I know she means well by the comparison of the two cultures she's been a part of, but some of her remarks do seem a little condescending. That is since we "westerners" haven't experienced the horrors and struggles she has endured, we are somewhat lacking an understanding of what is profoundly precious in life. But, bless her heart, anyway! I hope in her further writings she'll clean up her words and speak with more dignity and less raucous discourse.

What an amazing life she has led! She is beautiful and intelligent! An advocate against FGM through the UN! Well written biography!

A hard book to read for its length and traumatic experiences; it is worth it for the inspiration of this powerful force of a human, a woman.

This memoir begins with the childhood of Waris Dire. She is from a nomadic Somali family. At a young age she endures female genital mutilation. She is tied down to be cut and lives through horrific pain. She knows this is terribly wrong. She is left under a tree for shelter for a few days to heal. Her young life in the desert continues with her siblings and parents, and taking care of the animals. In her early teens, her father arranges for her to marry an older man. Waris is very unhappy about this situation. With her mother's help, one morning she escapes alone. She walks through the desert. At some point, she awakes to find a lion staring at her. She is frightened but continues on to Mogadishu, where she will live with relatives. In the city she asks questions of people to find her way, she is so young and men out there harass her and give her a hard time. She lives with relatives for awhile and then leaves with relatives to go to London. Once there, she works as a housemaid and in McDonalds. She is soon discovered by a fashion photographer who takes an interest in her. She is a young, tall, slender, beautiful Somali woman, and she is invited to model. She becomes successful at this career and turns into a supermodel. She moves to New York City. She walks the runway in the top fashion shows in big cities around the world. She marries and has a son. Waris Dire is a Human Rights Activist. She is a spokesperson for the UN against FGM. She is the Chief Executive of Desert Flower Foundation, an organization which provides education to protect girls against female genital mutilation.

This was an enjoyable read that I would recommend. It exposes practices that are not generally known. Additionally, it is a fascinating memoir.

Waris Dirie tells us the extraordinary story of her life, beginning as a nomad in Africa, her escape on foot thru the desert from the prospect of an arranged marriage, going first to the city where her sister lived, then to England, where she knew not a word of the language, and finally to America. She became an internationally famous model, learned to speak English, got married, divorced, and remarried, and finally became a spokeswoman for the United Nations against female genital mutilation. The story of her life is fascinating, but the genital mutilation she and her sisters suffered is disgusting. Dirie relates that no man of her native culture would want to marry a woman who had not been mutilated in such a way as to make it impossible for her to feel the intense pleasure of sexual intercourse. Thus mutilated, she supposedly cannot be tempted by other men. Many young girls die from infections contracted from unsanitary instruments used in this barbarous procedure. Both men and women there are really missing out on the joy they could have, were men to give women the respect they deserve. Such a man may experience orgasm, but he can never experience the far greater joy of knowing that he has given the greatest and most intense pleasure to someone he deeply loves and respects. If I were married to a woman so mutilated, I would feel sorely cheated because I could never give her the pleasure I would want her to have. Like the Texas oilman who married a much younger wife and was warned that she would soon take on other lovers, I would rather own five percent of a gusher than lock, stock, and barrel of a dry hole. I hope Dirie's husband will always be loving, thoughtful, and kind to her, because after the hell she has been thru, she deserves all the happiness he can give her, and then some. Her story is an inspiration, but at the same time it is a challenge to the rest of us to do what we can to end the horrible practise of female genital mutilation. [email protected]

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 about her experiences as a child because her upbringing was the same as the upbringing of children 1000 years ago in Somalia. Waris' description of her circumcision and the problems she experienced afterward were poignant and terrifying. Waris clearly has a good sense of humor. It is interesting to read her perspectives first of Mogadishu and then of London. It is fascinating to hear about how she became a model. Unfortunately, the book degenerated in the second half. Waris becomes conceited and less likeable. She also seems a bit selfish in her behaviors towards her friends. This book was a good read because of the first half but the last hundred pages was a big disappointment.

アフリカ・ソマリアの遊牧民だった１0代の少女は ラクダ５頭と引き換えに、60代の男性と結婚させられそうになります。 それをきっかけに、身一つで家出をします。 死を覚悟したライオンとの遭遇、不法就労、偽装結婚など 様々な困難に遭いながらも、野性的な本能でそれらを乗り越え スーパーモデルまでに登り詰めた女性・Waris Dirie。 その著者が、勇気を持って訴えている“女子割礼廃止”の声の裏には、 自らの経験を通して得た学びと、 その先で芽生えた祖国愛や人類愛があると強く感じました。 異国の価値観や思想、習慣、風習などは、 その地に入って見聞を広げなければ 理解出来ない事が多々あります。 著者は、自国(開発途上)を出て他国(先進)で生活する事で その声を上げています。 古くから伝わる風習をいたずらに批判を強めるのではなく、 ただ考える事が出来る立場にいる私達に、事実をありのままに伝え そこに割礼による痛みや苦しみ、それによって死んで行く女性達を 一人でも多く救いたいという思いがあります。 英語を勉強する為に手にした本ですが、読み進めるうちに様々な問題が頭に過り それらは、誰かを責めれば解決するのか?と考えさせられました。

Recommended by a friend as her favourite book. This made me gasp and hurt with wide awakening eyes and a mind blowing, It made me worry as a mother for a child, this made me think about her culture and other cultures, this gave me all the feels.

Sehr mitreißendes und emotionales Erlebnis, das dieses Buch einem liefert. Man muss es gelesen haben, sonst verpasst man was. Vor allem, da alles auf der Realität beruht, obwohl manches so unglaublich erscheint!

It is an interesting book , really easy to read. I loved the story and how you see everything from the view of Waris. I would recommend it.

Yaşananlara tanıklık eden güzel bir kitap. Hala benzer şeylerin yaşanıyor olması üzücü. Farkındalık yaratmak, benzer şeyleri yaşamış kadınların sesi olmak anlamında kıymetli.