1semester2

I am currently reading I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui. The title is what really got me... probably goes without saying. For the last few years, I have been fairly interested in Middle Eastern culture, specifically where to draw the line between culture and Islam. Nujood is from Yemen, and the rules and traditions between Yemeni culture and Islamic culture are very intertwined. Throughout the book, some traditions are specified as to which aspect (Islam or culture) they originate from. But other small things are not.

The story switches between two time periods, but each are from the perspective of Nujood herself. First, she describes her journey alone to the courthouse where she declares her desire to get a divorce, and then in the next chapter she backtracks and tells her story from her birth in Khardji, Yemen. I am a fan of this strategy, it keeps things interesting, and it actually makes sense for an autobiography. Within the first sixty pages, Nujood went to the courthouse and told her story. The judge's colleague takes her in until they can figure out how to deal with her request for a divorce. And during her chapter of backtracking throughout her life, Nujood has already established the timeline up until her dad told her the news of her engagement. So I am curious as to why so much was divulged at the very beginning of the book, but I have nothing against it really. I suppose the rest of the book will describe her marriage specifically...

I can sort of tell that this book was written by a child. Nujood was married in 2008 which means that she is around fifteen right now... I can picture this little girl sitting down with an author just telling her what ton write, not that I know how this book was written for sure, but I could picture it.