One on-line review shares this:
Somali-born Ayaan Hirsi Ali — recounts her terrorized childhood in Africa and, much later, her embattled political career in Holland in her book Infidel.
Summary: Brilliant, brave, inspiring. Read this book.
In a review this brief, I can't possibly do justice to the breadth of Hirsi Ali's journey or the dangers she's faced down. She's literally retraced the history of human progress in the span of a single lifetime, traveling from a nomadic Stone Age existence to an elected leadership position in a modern, industrialized democracy. Along the way, she's overcome obstacles most of us can scarcely conceive, and shown more courage than I hope any of us will ever be called upon to display.
We who are born in the First World, who are taught ideas of individual liberty and human rights from childhood, can take these concepts for granted, but Ayaan Hirsi Ali was born in a world where they are nonexistent. To escape the suffocating bonds of repression, she had to face down family, clan, culture, religion - the entire universe of her society aligned against her, all teaching in unison that a woman's role in life is to be a pious, unprotesting slave, to be handed off like property from father to husband, and to be silent and submissive in the face of abuse and degradation.
She did not live through the Enlightenment, when the landscape of ideas changed around her. Rather, she had to reinvent and rediscover them all for herself, forging a new identity from scratch, and then finding the courage to act on those newfound ideals to flee her home for a society she had never known. That she not only did so, but excelled and thrived there, is a testament to her courage and her passion for justice and equality.
Hirsi Ali speaks with eloquence and passion, not just with her words but with her life, when it comes to the dangers of excessive tolerance.
5 comments:
Wow, beautiful blog, Debbie! Thanks! This will be so great for our club. No more guessing on the next book! And I like the idea of being able to make additional comments on a book we've discussed when I think of something I WISH I had said! Thanks to everyone for a very fun evening!
You did a fabulous job on the blog. It looks wonderful. Now we will all be informed about what books we are reading and where the discussions will be. I love our book club and all of our wonderful discussions.
Okay I just finished this. This book is written in 2 parts. The first part took me 2 weeks, the second took me 2 days.
So if you are just starting - the first part is slow, tedious and painful but..... NECESSARY to make you feel the amazement at the second part.
I'm glad to live in America, I'll never complain about my husband again and I'm glad to have had a book to make me feel this way. Thanks Margaret! :)
This book leaves me wondering how I feel about Muslims in general. Do I take this one woman's experience and use it as ruler for a people/religion? It is definitely a thinker. Sad.
Thanks again for the blog Debbie. It is great for me to see a list of books that you guys read previous to my joining. I have a lot to catch up on. I know you already did that on paper, but I'm sure that I have lost it by now. You're great! Bethany
Wow, I'm amazed by this blog! Thank you very much.
Your analysis of the book was brilliant as well. Like you, I found the first half of the book difficult but fascinating. I've learned so much about the Muslim culture. I'm anxious to discuss it on Wednesday.
Now that I know about this blog, I'll check it frequently. What a wonderful tool.
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