by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

***** (5/5)

Autobiography / Non-Fiction

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Book Synopsis:

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is among today’s most controversial yet admired political figures. She made international headlines when her friend and colleague Theo Van Gogh was assassinated in the Netherlands for making the film Submission with Hirsi Ali. His Islamist murderer stabbed a note to his body threatening that Hirsi Ali would be next.

This celebrated writer of The Caged Virgin, and courageous champion of free speech has led an extraordinary life.

In her astonishing memoir, she tells of growing up in Somalia in a staunch Muslim household, to escaping an arranged marriage, to her intellectual re-birth in the Netherlands, to becoming a member of the Dutch parliament, and finally of her life under constant security protection because of her open critique of Islam.

Having made the immense and dangerous ideological shift from a devout Muslim to an outspoken atheist, Hirsi Ali now fights for the rights of Muslim women and the reformation of Islam.

My Book Review:

The journey that Ayaan Hirsi Ali has made up till now is nothing short of amazing.

To be honest, it’s been about a year since I read this book, but the power of the incredulous journey that Ayaan made from the traditional life with her family in Africa to escaping into the Western world without a penny or a friend, to being elected a member of the Dutch House of Representatives, has remained firmly in my psyche.

The most astonishing aspect of this autobiography is in observing Ayaan’s development and her changing, progressive way of thinking.

Ayaan is now an activist who made the open conversion from Islam to atheism. She is very critical of Islam, speaking out especially about the place of women in Islamic societies.

This is an important, current and true life story. Ayaan speaks up loudly for what she believes are grave injustices in this world and suffers the consequences – constant death threats and the threats carried out with the murder of her friend Theo van Gogh. But still she speaks out.

x Julie

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-Reading Like Rabbits-

by Anita Amirrezvani

****~ (4/5)

Fiction

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Book Synopsis:

In 17th Century Persia, a father dies suddenly, leaving a fourteen year old girl and her mother to fend for themselves. With no male protector and no dowry with which to marry, they have to make the long journey to Isfahan, to live with the girl’s uncle, a rug designer to the King.

The girls imagination and interest is aroused by the carpets and she hungrily learns the craft, becoming a talented rug maker. But as time goes by, her chances to marry diminish and she is given no choice but to marry a rich man in secret. Will she stay in this unhappy marriage, or does she have the strength and courage to weave a new life for herself?

Why I like this book:

I really enjoyed reading The Blood of Flowers, which brought me deep into 17th Century Persia, and into the difficult lives of two women struggling to make their way with no real male protector. Through the eyes and experience of the ambitious young female protagonist, we learn about the world of Persian carpet making, which involves great care, skill and practice from the design and knotting, right down to the choice of colours.

We learn much about the place of a woman in this society. I found the particular arrangement of her marriage shocking, but I have come to find out that in Islamic tradition, the kind of marriage you will read about in The Blood of Flowers is both accepted and lawful. (I have been purposefully vague in my description of the marriage, as I myself don’t appreciate knowing too much about a story before I actually get to read it)

The book, The Blood of Flowers, is a fascinating look into the life of a young Persian girl becoming a woman in an Islamic world in the 17th century.

x Julie

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- Reading Like Rabbits-