Synopses & Reviews
Fashion model, UN ambassador, and courageous spirit, Waris Dirie was born into a family of tribal desert nomads in Somalia. She told her storyenduring female circumcision at five years old; running away through the desert; being discovered by Terence Donovan and becoming a top fashion modelin her book, the worldwide bestseller, Desert Flower. In Desert Dawn she wrote about becoming a UN Special Ambassador against FGM (female genital mutilation) and returning to her family in Somalia. Desert Children reveals how she and the journalist Corinna Milborn have investigated the practice of FGM in Europethey estimate that up to 500,000 women and girls have undergone or are at risk of FGM. At the moment, France is the only European country in which offenders are convicted and no European country officially recognizes the threat of genital mutilation as a reason for asylum. Here are the voices of women who have felt encouraged and emboldened by Waris Dirie's courage. They speak out for the first time, hoping to move readers to action. At the end of the book is a comprehensive appendix listing organizations which can help.
Review
“A hard-hitting message about a brutal practice.” —Kirkus Reviews
Review
"Succeeds not just as a polemic against [female genital mutilation] and its attendant horrors, but as a classic chronicle of immigrant hardship and triumph." —Village Voice on Desert Flower
Review
"A striking account of a personal odyssey." —Publishers Weekly on Desert Flower
Review
"Provides a fascinating glimpse of her separate lives—camel herder, supermodel, human rights activist—and manages to weave threads of drama, humor, and courage into each." —Library Journal on Desert Flower
Synopsis
U.N. Special Ambassador and courageous spirit, Waris Dirie was born to a family of tribal nomads in Somalia. She told her story--"enduring female circumcision, fleeing through the desert, and, improbably, becoming a top model--"in her first book,
Synopsis
U.N. Special Ambassador Waris Dirie was born to a family of tribal nomads in Somalia. She told her story—enduring female circumcision, fleeing through the desert, and, improbably, becoming a top model—in her first book, Desert Flower. In Desert Dawn, she wrote about her return to Somalia and her work as a U.N. Special Ambassador against FGM (female genital mutilation). Her latest book recounts her investigations into the practice of FGM in Europe—it is estimated that as many as 500,000 women and girls have undergone FGM or are at risk. Here are the voices of women who have felt emboldened by Waris Dirie’s courage.
About the Author
Waris Dirie is an internationally renowned model and was the face of Revlon skin-care products. In 1997 she was appointed by the UN as special ambassador against FGM. She is the author of Desert Dawn and Desert Flower.