I recently read this paperback book that I picked up from my library's "Best Bets" shelf. I think I expected that it might be a hard book to read but I found it very uplifting due to Nujood's spirit and determination.
I suspect a group of people or book club members could debate the morality of what may be typical in Yemen where Nujood lives but I try to remind (and caution) myself that cultures are different and I try to suspend judgement (not always an easy thing to do).
In Nujood's world it is not unusual for girls to be married at the age of 9. What is unusual is for a girl of that age to decide she will no longer put up with the abuse she is suffering at the hands of her husband and his family and she begins to reach out to find ways to get out of the situation. It is due to her determination and the assistance of an able female attorney and some sympathetic male judges that she became the first child bride in Yemen to win a divorce. She comes from a very poor family and education is suspended early in most families -- particularly for females -- but she is receiving assistance to continue her education and wants to become an attorney. Despite the anger of her father and brothers at the "shame" she has brought to her family, she continues to live at home.
There is a Reading Group Guide in the paperback version I read as well as some information on donating to help fund education for girls likes Najood.
On November 10, 2008, Nujood (at age 10 the youngest divorcee in the world) was named a Woman of the Year by Glamour magazine - a well-deserved honor she shares with Nicole Kidman, Condoleeza Rice, Hillary Clinton as well as others.
pazt
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Although true, it is almost unimaginable that a child could be married and divorced at age 10. This book must be a heartbreaking as well as a fascinating book.
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