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ekjlowe's review
5.0
I read this book for an anthro class in college and I really enjoyed it and bought a second copy after losing it to my roommate. I think I need to reread it to remember why.
energyrae's review
4.0
I last read Aman at least 10 years ago and decided it was worth a revisit because I never reviewed it. It tells the story of a young and poor Somali girl who just wants to be able to live her life and take care of her family. These are her words, as written by the author. She tells of common practices in their area, such as divorce and female circumcision. Women often marry for money because they had little options as far as work.
I think a lot of reviewers judge Aman because of her choices, forgetting how young she was, that she was thrown into marriage before she had a chance to mature. Also, I feel some of these reviews come from a place of entitlement because it's easy to judge someone else's choices in the way they need to make money because they've always had it. There are many details in this book, from their way of life to the differences between men and women, to the building of their houses, and so much more. It's an educational read that is a blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
I think a lot of reviewers judge Aman because of her choices, forgetting how young she was, that she was thrown into marriage before she had a chance to mature. Also, I feel some of these reviews come from a place of entitlement because it's easy to judge someone else's choices in the way they need to make money because they've always had it. There are many details in this book, from their way of life to the differences between men and women, to the building of their houses, and so much more. It's an educational read that is a blend of heartwarming and heartbreaking.
juniperusxx's review against another edition
4.0
Mielenkiintoinen kurkistus somalialaiskulttuuriin nuoren tytön silmin nähtynä, hyvin aidon oloisesti kuvattua elämää, vaikka luku- ja kirjoitustaidottoman Amanin tarina onkin antropologien kirjalliseen muotoon saattama. Erityisesti tytön ympärileikkaukseen liittyvät yksityiskohdat ja tytön ajatukset siitä kuvautuivat paljon omakohtaisempina kuin yleensä kirjoissa. Miinusta kirjan paksuudesta, puolen välin jälkeen koin väsymystä lukiessani Amanin lukuisista miessuhteista, ja olisihan tässä ollut tiivistettävää muutenkin.
val_halla's review
4.0
The real-life heroine of this book is not perfect, and she admits her mistakes and comes across as more human because of this. Though she grew up in war-torn Somalia, the reader is not expected to pity her, but invited to understand her life. The tone is conversational, but the writing and editing superbly create a comprehensive storyline.
carriekellenberger's review
3.0
This was an incredibly eye-opening story about a young woman named Aman and her story about growing up in a small village in Somali in a traditional village.
This tale was different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed Aman's storytelling and thought that the way she told her story was very unique. She took us through childhood through becoming a woman. Each story that she adds shows vulnerability and honesty and a certain joy to some extent when talking about happier times in her life. Aman is a multi-faceted person who has been through a lot.
As a young girl, she lived a nomadic existence with her mother. Her father was never involved in her life, although she and her mother eventually move to his village, Mango Village, when she is young.
By the time she was 9, Aman had experienced being hospitalized and ostracized for having TB, she underwent FGM at age 11 and fell in love with a white boy at age 12. Her relationship with him results in his death.
At 13, she is married to a 55-year-old man who wants to cut her open and have his way with her, so she ran away and lived on the streets. From there, her daily life is one encounter after another with men who want something from her. She expresses some of the things that she wishes or hopes for, but time and time again, we read about people who are preying on her. They want something from her, and she soon realizes that she must capitalize on this in order to survive.
Her stories might seem cold and calculated at certain points in the book, but having undergone many traumatic events at such a young age, I have no idea if there is a better way to relay what happened to her.
What choice do girls have in places like Somali when they have nothing but their father's name? How do you provide for yourself or care for yourself or your loved ones when your sole reason for existing is to please others? It's a heart-breaking read. I feel nothing but empathy for her and a better understanding of what life is like for women in countries like Somali.
While it was hard to read her account of FGM and her defense of it, it's also easy to understand because, as she points out at the end of the book, her account is her own. Her religion is her own. Her belief is her own. She was never given the opportunity to experience anything different.
I do not agree with FGM, but I do agree with a woman being able to talk about her experience and state her beliefs, as long as it does not harm others. (If she had a daughter and she had subjected her daughter to this, perhaps my review would be different, but there is no such thing in this book.)
Her views on this are important because it's clear that sex was traumatic for her and it was also used as a financial transaction. She sees FGM as necessary because of her religion. I disagree, but I also respect her for talking about her views and telling her story in this way.
The things that Aman had to go through to get where she is today are shocking and shameful.
No child should have to go through the things that Aman went through. No woman should have to go through the things that Aman went through. She was treated more like a possession or an animal than as a human being. She did the best she could to take care of herself. That's what a survivor does.
It made me sad to read some of the reviews that judged her. After all, the point of anthropological studies is to study patterns of behavior as well as cultural meaning, including the norms and values of each society. This is a story about an imperfect person who lays her whole life bare for us to learn from.
This tale was different to what I was expecting. I enjoyed Aman's storytelling and thought that the way she told her story was very unique. She took us through childhood through becoming a woman. Each story that she adds shows vulnerability and honesty and a certain joy to some extent when talking about happier times in her life. Aman is a multi-faceted person who has been through a lot.
As a young girl, she lived a nomadic existence with her mother. Her father was never involved in her life, although she and her mother eventually move to his village, Mango Village, when she is young.
By the time she was 9, Aman had experienced being hospitalized and ostracized for having TB, she underwent FGM at age 11 and fell in love with a white boy at age 12. Her relationship with him results in his death.
At 13, she is married to a 55-year-old man who wants to cut her open and have his way with her, so she ran away and lived on the streets. From there, her daily life is one encounter after another with men who want something from her. She expresses some of the things that she wishes or hopes for, but time and time again, we read about people who are preying on her. They want something from her, and she soon realizes that she must capitalize on this in order to survive.
Her stories might seem cold and calculated at certain points in the book, but having undergone many traumatic events at such a young age, I have no idea if there is a better way to relay what happened to her.
What choice do girls have in places like Somali when they have nothing but their father's name? How do you provide for yourself or care for yourself or your loved ones when your sole reason for existing is to please others? It's a heart-breaking read. I feel nothing but empathy for her and a better understanding of what life is like for women in countries like Somali.
While it was hard to read her account of FGM and her defense of it, it's also easy to understand because, as she points out at the end of the book, her account is her own. Her religion is her own. Her belief is her own. She was never given the opportunity to experience anything different.
I do not agree with FGM, but I do agree with a woman being able to talk about her experience and state her beliefs, as long as it does not harm others. (If she had a daughter and she had subjected her daughter to this, perhaps my review would be different, but there is no such thing in this book.)
Her views on this are important because it's clear that sex was traumatic for her and it was also used as a financial transaction. She sees FGM as necessary because of her religion. I disagree, but I also respect her for talking about her views and telling her story in this way.
The things that Aman had to go through to get where she is today are shocking and shameful.
No child should have to go through the things that Aman went through. No woman should have to go through the things that Aman went through. She was treated more like a possession or an animal than as a human being. She did the best she could to take care of herself. That's what a survivor does.
It made me sad to read some of the reviews that judged her. After all, the point of anthropological studies is to study patterns of behavior as well as cultural meaning, including the norms and values of each society. This is a story about an imperfect person who lays her whole life bare for us to learn from.
dianagabriella's review
3.0
The book is generally good, it gives the reader good and valuable information about the way of living in Somalia and it is very interesting. I would probably recomend it. The vocabulary is very simple, I am guessing it has to do with Aman's dominion of English but I would have liked for the author to include more footnotes to enrich the experience. The book can be kind of frustrating due to the decisions that Aman takes but it is important to remember that this is a 13 year old girl and even at its oldest, a 17 year old girl. I am glad that I came across this book, I learned a lot from it.
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