Monday, June 28, 2010

Nonfiction Monday Review: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui

Found via: Amelia Bloomer Project nomination
Welcome back from the big weekend of ALA! I'm actually writing this post on Saturday night, since I'm not getting back to New York until late tomorrow - and I know there are plenty of librarians still in DC. Hopefully we'll still get a good Non-Fiction Monday turn out!

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and DivorcedIn 2008, Nujood Ali's story was all over the blogs. The 10 year old Yemeni girl had summoned the courage and strength to seek a divorce from her husband, who was 3 times her age. Here, with the help of a reporter, Nujood gives the first hand account of that experience, describing in child-like terms growing up in poverty, one child among many between her father's two brides. Despite the obvious difficulties, Nujood is generally a happy child.

And then the terrifying news comes - that she is to be married, to a man significantly older than she is. Nujood isn't entirely sure how old she is, but she knows she doesn't want to marry and leave her family. Her father has made her future husband promise not to "touch her" until she has reached puberty, but at 10 Nujood doesn't really even know what that means, let alone what sex is and what it means when her husband demands that she act like his wife.

It is on one of her brief trips to visit her family that Nujood plans her escape, taking a taxi to the court house and making history by announcing to a judge that she wants a divorce.

Nujood's story is absolutely heartbreaking. The trauma she experienced is unimaginable for us in the West, with firmly established age of consent laws and lack of arranged marriages. The child-like prose doubles the horror for an adult reader, for while Nujood's descriptions of her relationship with her husband are never described in graphic detail, it's painfully obvious that she is raped and abused by her new husband and his family.

As an adult reader, I often craved more details - many people in the courthouse tell Nujood that granting her divorce will be nearly impossible, thanks to centuries of tradition, and yet we never see any of that struggle. A couple of meetings with a lawyer, her husband and father are temporarily sent to jail, and then a hearing - suddenly Nujood is free! However, I think for young readers the descriptions and details will be more than enough.

Nonfiction Monday is a weekly event across the kidlitosphere, highlighting and celebrating nonfiction published for children and young adults. Started by Picture Book of the Day, I'm excited to be this week's host! Participants, please leave links to your reviews in the comments, and I'll add them to this post periodically throughout the day!






Nonfiction Monday
Other Nonfiction Monday posts:

What a day. Thanks to all of the Nonfiction Monday participants!

15 comments:

Unknown said...

This week at the Wild About Nature blog, we have a review of Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea by Steve Jenkins.

http://wildaboutnaturewriters.blogspot.com/2010/06/nonfiction-monday-down-down-down.html

Thanks for hosting this week!

Jennifer said...

Thanks for hosting! I've also got a Steve Jenkins Book - How to Clean a Hippopotamus http://jeanlittlelibrary.blogspot.com/2010/06/nonfiction-monday-how-to-clean.html

Robin Gaphni said...

Thanks for hosting. This week at The Book Nosher, I have a review about Bill Peet, An Autobiography: http://thebooknosher.blogspot.com/2010/06/bill-peet-autobiography.html

Anastasia Suen said...

Thanks for hosting! I'm in today with a fun book about ...Dinosaurs?! http://picturebookday.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/nonfiction-monday-dinosaurs/

Mary Ann Fraser said...

Thanks for hosting. This week on my blog I have a guest post by Vicki Leon on The Publishing Road Less Traveled. http://bit.ly/9ae9Tu

Fourth Musketeer said...

Hi, This is my first non-fiction Monday. I'm reviewing a brand-new picture book biography of famous baseball player Honus Wagner by Jane Yolen. Check it out!

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting. I have More Life Size Zoo at SimplyScience.
http://simplyscience.wordpress.com/2010/06/23/more-life-size-zoo/
Shirley

Maggy, Red Ted Art said...

Wow. Sounds like an amazing book, I think I will ordered it ASAP! Many thanks for the review.

And thank you for hosting!

My two are <3yrs, so here I have some books for little gardeners, though the 3rd may have appeal for older children or just adults who like a nicely designed book!!

http://redtedart.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/books-x3-the-garden-planting-a-rainbow-up-down-and-around-the-apple-the-butterfly/

Thank you for hosting!

Maggy

Anonymous said...

Hi. Thanks for hosting. I am reviewing the young readers edition of The Omnivore's Dilemma here: http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2010/06/28/non-fiction-monday-the-omnivores-dilemma-by-michael-pollan/

shelf-employed said...

Today at Shelf-employed, I've got a review of "Happy Birthday" The Story of the World's Most Popular Song. http://www.shelf-employed.blogspot.com
Cheers!

Roberta said...

Today I posted by review of Super Women Scientists at Growing With Science instead of Wrapped In Foil http://blog.growingwithscience.com/2010/06/super-women-in-science-book-review/

The book contains biographies of ten super women scientists.

Thanks for hosting.

-Roberta

Mary Ann Dames - Reading, Writing, and Recipes said...

Today I'm preparing for July 4 on my blog. "America : A Patriotic Primer" was written by the wife of Vice President Richard Cheney and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. The book uses the alphabet as a backbone to teach about American history and events.

Amanda said...

I completely forgot to leave my post this morning! Oh well...better late than never I suppose!

I have a review of two new "Scientists in the Field" books: Project Seahorse and Kakapo Rescue over at A Patchwork of Books. Thanks!

http://tinyurl.com/294ybb6

Abby said...

I know I'm getting this in late, but at Abby (the) Librarian, I have a review of Lincoln Tells a Joke

http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/06/lincoln-tells-joke.html

Thanks for hosting!

Unknown said...




خدمات النظافة بالدمام لابد ان تقدمها شركة لديها ثقة في اتمام خدمات النظافة المنزلية لان النظافة العاية لا تعطي النتيجة الفعالة التي تتم بواسطة شركة تنظيف بالدمام متخصصة لانها تهتم بكل شئ داخل المباني فلدينا شركة تنظيف فلل بالدمام تكون متخصصة في نظافة الفلل المفروشة والمستعملة واعطائها الرونق الجمالي الخاص بها لدينا شركة تنظيف شقق بالدمام متخصصة في اعمال نظافة الشقق المنزلية وشقق المكاتب والمعارض بواسطة الادوات والمواد اللازمة لعمل ذلك لدينا تخصصتنا في اعمالنا التي ترضي العميل وتخلصة من الحشرات الصغيرة التي تسبب ازعاج كبير للاسرة من خلال شركة مكافحة حشرات بالدمام التي لديها معدتها وموادها لعمل ذلك كما يوجد متخصص ايضا للقضاء علي الحشرات من خلال التواصل مع شركة رش مبيدات بالدمام التي تنتهيك من كل الحشرات المنزلية كما نعمل معا للواصل اليك كل الخدمات المنزلية من خلال خدمة الاثاث بواسطة افضل شركة نقل اثاث بالدمام والتعامل معها سوف يصل الي منزلك الجيد بدون اي تعب
كما يوجد خدمتنا الاخري التي يمكنك البحث عنها م والاستفادة منها
شركة تنظيف بالقطيف
شركة تنظيف بالجبيل
شركة تنظيف بالاحساء



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