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A review by readlovegrow
Do They Hear You When You Cry by Fauziya Kassindja
5.0
Kpalime, Togo -- Africa (1977- 1994)
American Prisons -- America (1994-1996)
"My friends, all the friends I made in prison, cried for joy for me the day I walked out into freedom. They asked only one thing. Only one thing. 'Don't forget us, Fauziya.' .... This isn't just my story. It's their story too. " (514)
I had only mild interest in starting this book - I've never been attracted to prison/courtroom novels - but I was hooked into this story. Only about one-fourth of the pages are dedicated to her life in Togo, but it covers the longest span of her life (and briefly, that of her parents), which I found very informative and fascinating. The rest of the novel takes place in America over a span of two years and was very compelling to read.
I loved the descriptions of her family and enjoyed her concise accounting of Togo tribal life and customs - including female circumcision and polygamy. I was also interested to learn that, for being such a small a country (I think she said it was comparative to the size of New Jersey), that the tribes had different religious affiliations. Her particular tribe was Muslim and it was illuminating to read about her love for the Qur'an and the rituals that surrounded her devotions. Most of what I hear about this religion and its practices is negative, so it was definitely a different POV.
I was cheered by her father's disapproval and dispensation of the tribal/religious "traditions" of female circumcision, polygamy, head scarves, and barring females from receiving an education. I was equally devastated by his death and the reverting of his family from independent people to possessions, now belonging his more traditional brother and sister. I was extremely frustrated by the following helplessness of all the women in her family to protect Fauziya and shocked by the forcefulness of other women to bully her (and presumably other young women) to conform to these practices. Horrible!
It was eye-opening to learn about how she and other young women are smuggled out of the country (this, in 1994!) and I kept worrying - even though I already knew what her story was about - that she was going to be trapped into sex trafficking. First by the man who got her on the plane, then by the woman she meets at the airport, then by the African man she meets on the bus. It was horribly suspenseful and my heart ached that she (and other women) would rather face this threat versus that happens to them at home.
Her time in America was pretty horrible in itself. The way she was immediately treated as a threat and harassed. I tried to keep in mind that there are criminals who attempt to sneak into the US and the authorities were just doing their jobs, but it was difficult to keep up this thought while reading the various treatments she went through. And I understand that the court and legal systems are backed up with asylum claims, but the way it dragged on and how many times she was transferred or forgotten or was just plain LOST was mind-boggling.
When she lost faith in America, it was so sad. When the people trying to help her told her this "wasn't" what America was really about, it also made me sad. The only time she actually believed them (and got any positive progress on her case) was when when they managed to get media attention and the sympathy of the American people. It's truly horrible that the system didn't care at all about these people unless their treatment of them started making them look bad to the public.
Although it all seems rather negative, this book held my attention and I didn't want to put it down. I know some people may not like this... but I often look at women fighting for women's rights here in America, talking about how oppressed they are, and then I think about these foreign women and what they have to endure.... I don't know. It just makes me wish that their was more we could do for these other women. We can't bring every girl to America, but also, I don't imagine the men in these other countries would want to change the status quo. I just can't believe how much suffering there is in the world and how positive Fauziya was at the end of her ordeal. It really gives you something to think about after you close the book - the story, her story, is in no way over.
American Prisons -- America (1994-1996)
"My friends, all the friends I made in prison, cried for joy for me the day I walked out into freedom. They asked only one thing. Only one thing. 'Don't forget us, Fauziya.' .... This isn't just my story. It's their story too. " (514)
I had only mild interest in starting this book - I've never been attracted to prison/courtroom novels - but I was hooked into this story. Only about one-fourth of the pages are dedicated to her life in Togo, but it covers the longest span of her life (and briefly, that of her parents), which I found very informative and fascinating. The rest of the novel takes place in America over a span of two years and was very compelling to read.
I loved the descriptions of her family and enjoyed her concise accounting of Togo tribal life and customs - including female circumcision and polygamy. I was also interested to learn that, for being such a small a country (I think she said it was comparative to the size of New Jersey), that the tribes had different religious affiliations. Her particular tribe was Muslim and it was illuminating to read about her love for the Qur'an and the rituals that surrounded her devotions. Most of what I hear about this religion and its practices is negative, so it was definitely a different POV.
I was cheered by her father's disapproval and dispensation of the tribal/religious "traditions" of female circumcision, polygamy, head scarves, and barring females from receiving an education. I was equally devastated by his death and the reverting of his family from independent people to possessions, now belonging his more traditional brother and sister. I was extremely frustrated by the following helplessness of all the women in her family to protect Fauziya and shocked by the forcefulness of other women to bully her (and presumably other young women) to conform to these practices. Horrible!
It was eye-opening to learn about how she and other young women are smuggled out of the country (this, in 1994!) and I kept worrying - even though I already knew what her story was about - that she was going to be trapped into sex trafficking. First by the man who got her on the plane, then by the woman she meets at the airport, then by the African man she meets on the bus. It was horribly suspenseful and my heart ached that she (and other women) would rather face this threat versus that happens to them at home.
Her time in America was pretty horrible in itself. The way she was immediately treated as a threat and harassed. I tried to keep in mind that there are criminals who attempt to sneak into the US and the authorities were just doing their jobs, but it was difficult to keep up this thought while reading the various treatments she went through. And I understand that the court and legal systems are backed up with asylum claims, but the way it dragged on and how many times she was transferred or forgotten or was just plain LOST was mind-boggling.
When she lost faith in America, it was so sad. When the people trying to help her told her this "wasn't" what America was really about, it also made me sad. The only time she actually believed them (and got any positive progress on her case) was when when they managed to get media attention and the sympathy of the American people. It's truly horrible that the system didn't care at all about these people unless their treatment of them started making them look bad to the public.
Although it all seems rather negative, this book held my attention and I didn't want to put it down. I know some people may not like this... but I often look at women fighting for women's rights here in America, talking about how oppressed they are, and then I think about these foreign women and what they have to endure.... I don't know. It just makes me wish that their was more we could do for these other women. We can't bring every girl to America, but also, I don't imagine the men in these other countries would want to change the status quo. I just can't believe how much suffering there is in the world and how positive Fauziya was at the end of her ordeal. It really gives you something to think about after you close the book - the story, her story, is in no way over.