I Am Nujood - The Face of Yemeni Child Brides

It's been awhile since I have had a chance to read a book from front to back but it had been a nagging thought in my mind to get back into it.  So when I joined SV Moms and found out that they had a Monthly Book Club, I thought that committing to the monthly book club would kill two birds with one stone - I would add the blog post to the post goal I set for myself, and the activity would help me get back into reading, hopefully increasing the number of books once I find my groove again.

So I was excited to receive I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (you can read the synopsis here) and planned for pockets of time to dive into the book.  I mean, her gentle face on the cover, the striking title, and the engaging synopsis released by the Publisher, seemed to hint of the promise for a life-altering read.  But after just 3 bedtime readings, I finished the book and am sorry to say that I was really disappointed.  The story had such a strong premise but I was left thirsty for more context, for more background, and for a stronger journalistic perspective.  Nujood is listed as one of the authors as well as Delphine Minoui, a French reporter for Le Figaro.  So perhaps it is because the words had to come from Nujood and probably through a translator, that the book felt thin and lacked the insights of a knowledgeable player who can provide more details behind the autobiography.  I also found some commentaries online that suggested that this book was written for Young Adults or Teens audience so the language was deliberately simplistic but I could not substantiate this though it would make a lot of sense.

Still, to credit the book for being one of the first to address this topic from the first-person's perspective, it did motivate me to look up more into the practice of child brides in Yemen.  Although the book was written in 2008, US reports on the effects of the practice have continued even till April this year when CNN.com reported that a 12-year-old child bride died of internal bleeding following intercourse three days after she was married off to an older man.  However, the research also brought insight into how and why the Islamic marriage laws differ from Western laws and that really, the honorable intentions of the marriage and the terms behind them were all broken in the case of Nujood.  (She was not supposed to be raped, her marriage was to be consummated only when she was "mature", her marriage was supposed to have saved her from being raped by random strangers, and from hunger as her family was facing financial hardships.)  These real circumstances a Yemeni child faces - the poverty, the lack of education, the oppression, extends beyond the practice of child marriages, and the brokenness of their realities (not by Western standards but by the ability to have your basic needs met) contributes to these drastic measures taken by families of child brides day after day.  I am not condoning the practice but it begins to feel like the circumstances Nujood found herself in could have been the lesser of two evils. 

I was also surprised by how sympathetic I felt to Nujood's parents, I wonder if they even understand what all of the fuss is about.  After all, what they did have been the way of life for so long.  Or how strained things must be for Nujood's father and his extended family, and how much more difficult things are now that the family honor has been sullied.  And certainly, how scary it can be for them to fear an attack on a daily basis.

All in all, I would say that as a literary piece, it did not impress me.  But if its purpose was to bring awareness or tease the reader into exploring more into an issue that has long gone unaddressed through Nujood's triumph over one of the unspoken-but-still-prevalent oppressive systems against women of modern times, then it has obviously worked its charm on me.  But I'd love to see a follow-up book that provides a less one-sided perspective on the issue.

I also strongly suggestion that you read through some of the questions in the reader's guide on Random House's page for I Am Nujood.  I felt that it provided a much more open-minded line of questions for the reader to think about.

Note:  I was sent this book from the publisher for review purposes through the SV Moms Book Club.

Comments

[Zurien Onn (Nada)]

You may have been slightly disappointed, but this is a good review, Grace! And yeah, simplistic language is not an excuse for a book that's not well-written enough. "The Boy In The Striped Pajamas" was written for kids as well but it could bring an adult woman (moi!) to tears.

[Grace Hester]

Zurien, thanks for the kind words! I have read the synopsis for "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" many times but never read it. Maybe I need to start a "Books I'd Like to Read" list but I really do not need another list in my life. ;o)

Band of Brothers was on last night and coincidentally, the episode was the one where they stumbled onto a concentration camp where they kept the "Judens" - oh boy, I was kept riveted to the scene.

[kara-noel]

Wow! You really thought a lot about this book. Maybe it's because I thought of it as more of a narative... Nujood dictating the book to the writer... I wasn't so disappointed. Though another commenter had a great point about other children's books (I'm thinking Julie of the Wolves).
Glad we got to share our first SV Moms book club books :)

[c2cmom]

We shared the same experience with the book.(It makes much more sense as a book for young adults!) However, it brought to light a tragic practice that I otherwise would not have been aware of, and I appreciate it for expanding my mind.

Looking forward to reading more SVMoms book club posts from you! :-)

[Torie Black]

I love this review, you look beyond the obvious.