Un'autobiografia della coraggiosissima modella somala che fece la pastorella per la sua famiglia, appartenente a una tribù nomade del deserto - tanto che Waris non sa neanche di preciso in che giorno è nata - fino a tredici anni e poi fuggì quando il padre decise di farla sposare con un uomo anziano in cambio di cinque cammelli. Pur essendo molto credente in Allah, Waris (il cui nome significa appunto Fiore del deserto, da cui il titolo del libro) lotta contro la mutilazione genitale femminile, che non è certo prescritta dal Corano (né dalla Bibbia), ma è una "legge" promossa e mantenuta dagli uomini – maschi egoisti e ignoranti – che vogliono assicurarsi la fedeltà sessuale delle loro donne e pretendono siano mutilate. Le madri accettano di sottoporre le figlie a questa pratica per paura che non trovino marito. Una donna non mutilata è considerata meritevole di disprezzo e quindi non riuscirebbe a sposarsi.
Le scene in cui si parla della mutilazione e dell'infibulazione sono terrificanti. Waris ha tantissimi problemi proprio a causa di un'infibulazione troppo "chiusa", che le dà problemi nella minzione e la fa soffrire atrocemente durante le mestruazioni.
La mutilazione genitale femminile è particolarmente diffusa in ventotto paesi africani. L’ONU ritiene che questa pratica abbia riguardato complessivamente 130 milioni di donne e ragazze. Più di due milioni sono le ragazze che ogni anno rischiano di esservi sottoposte: circa 6000 donne ogni giorno. Tale operazione viene solitamente eseguita in modo primitivo, da una levatrice o da un’altra donna del villaggio, senza anestetici. Le vittime vengono mutilate con utensili d’uso comune – quali lame di rasoio, coltelli, forbici – o, peggio, con schegge di vetro, pietre appuntite e persino a morsi. Questa pratica assume caratteri di maggiore o minore gravità secondo i luoghi, le tradizioni e le culture: il danno meno grave è rappresentato dall’asportazione della parte superiore del clitoride, che preclude alle donne la possibilità di godere delle gioie del sesso per tutta la vita; l’estremo opposto è invece l’infibulazione, che in Somalia viene praticata sull’ottanta per cento delle donne. Ed è proprio a questa che io sono stata sottoposta. Le conseguenze dell’infibulazione comprendono complicazioni immediate – trauma, infezioni, danni all’uretra e all’ano, difficoltà di cicatrizzazione, tetano, infezioni alla vescica, setticemia, HIV ed epatite B – e complicazioni a lungo termine – frequenti infezioni urinarie e pelviche che possono causare sterilità, cisti e ascessi attorno alla vulva, neuromi dolorosi, crescenti difficoltà a urinare, dismenorrea, ristagno del sangue mestruale a livello addominale, frigidità, depressione e morte.
Se penso che quest’anno due milioni di ragazze subiranno quello che ho subito io, mi sento male e mi rendo conto che quanto più questa tortura andrà avanti, tante più saranno le donne come me, furiose e ferite, che non potranno mai più riavere ciò che è stato loro tolto.

Ich kann mich noch daran erinnern, als meine Eltern vor Jahren den Film gesehen haben, als ich noch kleiner war, und ich nicht so wirklich verstanden habe um was es geht, als ich dann das Buch in der Bibliothek gesehen habe, dachte ich das es doch lesenswert wäre, also habe ich es ausgeliehen. Waris Dirie ist eine unheimliche starke Frau, mit diesem Buch einen wahnsinnigen Schritt in die richtige Richtung tut, sie erzählt hier nicht nur ihre Geschichte, die mich sehr berührt hat, sondern betreibt Aufklärung zu einem wahnsinnig wichtigen Thema, der Genitalverstümmelung und hilft so bestimmt sehr vielen Mädchen, denen das gleiche bevorsteht, wie sie durchmachen musste. Ich bewundere sie dafür, dass sie mit ihrer Geschichte an die Öffentlichkeit geht und sich so dafür einsetzt. Nebenbei erfährt man viel über ihr Leben als Model und wie sie in der, ich nenne es mal für sie neuen Welt, zurecht gekommen ist. Nach dem Lesen der Biographie kann ich nur sagen, dass ich unheimlichen Respekt vor dieser Frau habe, die so schnell erwachsen werden musste und soviel durchgemacht hat und einen solch starken Charakter hat. Zusätzlich erfährt man natürlich auch viel über ihre Heimat Afrika, was ebenfalls sehr interessant ist.

5 stars not for the literary value of the book but for the incredible story of Waris Dirie and for her continuous fight against FGM.. One of the very few books I was able to read in less than two days!

This is an autobiography of a very resilient and head-strong Somali woman who up and left her desert nomadic clan. She was to be betrothed, as a young teenage girl (birth dates were not recorded in her tribe), to a much older man. She was having none of that!

She trekked solo to Mogadishu – and from there managed through relatives, to get a posting as a maid at the Somalia London embassy. Eventually she entered the world of high fashion modeling.

Her Somalia narrative was intensely interesting, but her adaptation to the West I found less so – namely her climb in the fashion industry and her “marriage” to attain citizenship. I found this book in “full flight”; the author is on the move constantly, making the book suffer from a lack of contemplation.

Let it also be said, for those critical of her lifestyle, that if she would not have departed Somalia, she would have been tending goats, been burdened with several children, likely would have been illiterate, and dominated by a much older man.

The author does bring up a very significant subject – at the age of five or six – she suffered the abomination of female genital mutilation (FGM). She continues to suffer from this. Apparently FGM is Africa wide. Waris Dirie has made it her life cause to prevent and educate women not to undergo this procedure. She has participated as an ambassador to the U.N. to stop this practise. It is indeed commendable for her to publicize and become a spokeperson against this.

Vērtējot šo grāmatu, ir jāizvēlas, kas ir svarīgāk - literārā vērtība/valoda vai pats stāsts/vēstījums.

Jāatzīst, ka pēc lieliskajām atsauksmēm es biju gaidījusi drusku dziļāku stāstu un bagātīgāku valodu..
BET - to noteikti atsver absolūti fanatastiskais dzīvesstāsts.
Varisa ir dzimusi Somālijā nomadu ģimenē, kur klīst pa tuksnešiem, ganot lopus. Absolūta nabadzība, analfabētisms un tumsonība..
Kad tēvs viņu pusaugu vecumā grib izprecināt vecam vecim, Varisa bēg. Cauri tuksnesim līdz Mogadīšai un tālāk dzīve viņu aizved uz Londonu, Parīzi, Ņujorku un lielo modeļu biznesu ar Naomi Kempbelu u.c. zvaigznēm.
Papildu pievienotā vērtība - sieviešu apgraizīšanas izgaismošana, pret ko Varisa aktīvi iestājas. Drausmīgi, ka vēl mūsdienās kaut kas tāds notiek...

Mīlu izcilas biogrāfijas.

Ha sido una de mis mejores lecturas del año. Me ha encantado Waris ya que es la historia de una heroína, una mujer poderosa. Alguien que se aventura desde su tierra, Somalia, hasta Londres, sin saber nada sobre el mundo occidental, para huir de algo preconcebido desde niña y que intuye que no está bien. Debo decir que me moló tanto su niñez nómada como sus siguientes años londinenses.
Además se lee en un suspiro. Parece mentira que con el episodio tan duro que ha pasado esta chica, aún te encuentres con alguien gracioso que te va contando su vida de forma ligera y hasta con humor en muchas ocasiones.
Por último, expresar mi más profunda aversión a la ablación femenina. Algo que, al contrario de como se alega, no está ni si quiera sustentado por ninguna religión, sino que es un acto de posesión masculina sobre la esposa. Creo que aún hoy, muchos años después de este libro, se sigue practicando. Una monstruosidad demencial que, a mi parecer, debería estar penada con prisión y hacerles a los responsables eso mismo.
A parte del inevitable drama, he disfrutado mucho con este cuento de superación, valor y propósitos de libertad.

I don't often read non-fiction and I usually avoid memoirs and biographies as there are few people that I'm intrigued enough about to make reading about their whole lives worthwhile. However, as this book was suggested to me as one of my 30 before 30 options, I decided to pick it up anyway. Powerful. compelling and filled with astute observation, outrage and gratitude, Desert Flower has changed my mind about memoirs, especially as Waris has lead such a rich and exciting life.

I think what struck me most about this book is how much it taught me about Somalian culture and the lifestyle they lead - I was completely ignorant of how people lived in the country before reading this, and Waris instantly painted the picture of her culture and childhood in such a fascinating and beautiful way. Yes life is hard, there are droughts, there is death and suffering, but there is also so much beauty - nature is a key part of life for these people, rain is a blessing, even rice is something to be savoured. It's a beautiful balance and something that Westerners can never truly understand, and that Waris successfully gives us a glimpse of as something sacred and wonderful.

In many ways Waris is incredibly lucky - she's a fighter, a brave soul who takes no crap and a feminist icon, but she has a good heart and understands the need for compassion and kindness alongside the need to stick up for herself and her own values. It was amazing to read about all of the plight she had been through and how she took all of these risks and exciting leaps of faith to become one of the most regarded models of her time. There was a lot of luck involved too - imagine being scouted from the streets these days? But I think her life is one of those rare occasions where the stars align for good reason.

The most moving parts of this book are undoubtedly about FGM. I knew about the practice, but I had no clue that it was still as widespread as millions of unfortunate women undergoing this treatment even today. Waris helped bring such awareness to this issue, and her views of male oppression and the dangers of culture and ingrained acts such as this and what it means for the status and health of women is something that everyone should educate themselves about.

If I did have to find any problems with this book i would say that after Waris gets deeply entrenched into the fashion industry I did lose a bit of interest. I think I'm not invested enough in the fashion industry, but it was nice to get a snapshot of what life behind the scenes for a top model constituted back in the day.

Overall, it's a stunning book and a tale of bravery that is really very unique. I highly recommend it.

4.5 stars

Για το Readathon-2017: 26/26
Στην κατηγορία "Μια βιογραφία ή απομνημονεύματα"
Γυναίκα συγγραφέας 23/14

I have no words.

Odmah, da ne bi bilo zabune.. Žena je mrak! Svaka čast na svemu postignutom u životu! Trebao bi biti više takvih na svijetu.. Svima bi nam bilo ljepše..
I hvala joj što me podsjetila gdje živim! Ponekad neke stvari stvarno shvaćamo zdravo za gotovo.

A knjiga.. Hm.. Sada ima 13 godina, pa onda ima 5, pa ima oko 9, pa ima tri, pa ima 11 i onda je manekenka, pa nakon toga ima 9 godina i onda 13.. :P Na momente mi je išla na živce i nikako mi nije bila simpatična. Eto.. :-/

There is a lot to admire about Waris Dirie and her story. Raised in a nomadic Somali family, apparently raped at age four and then mutilated in a female circumcision ritual at age five, Dirie bravely ran away from home at thirteen to avoid being married off to an old man. Dirie endured a great many trials and tribulations -- finding her way to Mogadishu and to her long-lost relatives, a string of unsuccessful living arrangements, working as a maid in London and then as kitchen help in McDonalds with minimal English language or literacy. Eventually, in an amazing rags-to-riches trajectory, Dirie embarks on a successful modeling career and then uses her success to speak out against female genital mutilation (FGM).

It's a shocking story and it reads quickly despite the mediocre writing which detracted some. Unfortunately I just couldn't warm up to Dirie as a narrator. Some goodreaders perceived her as disingenuous, which is something that occurred to me as well although that may just be general memoir skepticism (thank you James Frey for stealing my innocence). I think the real problem was that I just didn't like Dirie. She's not someone I would ever want to meet or hang out with, although I do respect what she's been through and genuinely admire her triumph over adversity and her activism. Maybe it's cultural, or part of growing up in a tough world and having tough experiences, but Dirie seemed superficial, self-involved, and Machiavellian to me, using people when it suited her and discarding them when it didn't, falling out with family members without taking much responsibility for her own behavior, failing to respect people's wishes at times, etc. Plus I felt that some of her musings sadly lived up to negative stereotypes of models and modeling as superficial and vain. Dirie redeemed herself somewhat in my eyes with her commitment to activism, but I still felt I couldn't really connect with her.

I thought Infidel, a memoir which covered similar ground, was a far superior book with a much more relatable and admirable narrator.

Potresna prica djevojke koja je prosla put od somalske nomatkinje i pastirice do supermodela i ambasadorice UN-a. Knjiga nakon koje sam zahvalna sto sam rodjena tu gdje jesam iako divim se na hrabrosti i ustrajnosti Waris, iako citsjuci knjigu dozivjela sam neku vrstu kulturoloskog šoka jer su mi nepojmljive odredjene prakse i nacin zivota u Somaliji i da se to dogadja u 20. i 21. stoljecu i nije fikcija nego stvarnost. Sto se samog stila pisanja tice imam dojam da je imala veliku pomoc nekog urednika ili sicno, ali to ne umanjuje velicinu i stvarnost ove knjige.Divim se Waris zbog hrabrosti, iskrenosti i zstrajnosti. Na kraju preporucujem istoimeni film prema knjizi.