I Am Nujood

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

by Nujood Ali with Delphine Minoui

Where do I even begin? This was a book I couldn't put down. It was a difficult read, however, but knowing that Nujood managed to come through things ok makes it easier to read.

I don't want to give away any plot details because I WANT YOU TO READ THIS BOOK. You can already guess a lot just from the title. That "divorced" part is key. It's amazing to me that she had the guts and the fortitude to get the help she needed, against all odds, at such a young age. I look at my students who are her age and I cringe thinking of them in her shoes, yet I wonder if they'd be able to do what she did. It's a scenario I pray never plays out.

That's the mind-boggling part, though. She was 10. I know 10-year-olds. That anyone ever should have to suffer what Nujood did is beyond awful, but that one so young did is sickening. She wasn't the only one--in reading about what happens to Nujood, you read about what happens to countless women all over the world.

This is a fantastic read. I would love to use this in a classroom someday. I want more and more people to read Nujood's story, to marvel at her strength, and hopefully make the world a safer place for young girls.
--Mikie

I wanted to hug my girls while reading this book. I wanted to gather up all my students and hold them close and let them know just how special they are, and how lucky that they live in a country where this will never happen to them. 

This book was so eye-opening. It's one thing to know that this happens objectively, and another thing altogether to read a first hand account. Nujood is the author of this book. These are her words, her experiences, and that makes it harder to take. She is a beautifully positive young girl, who doesn't dwell on the horrible dark past that she lived through, but instead uses it to empower herself, and to motivate herself. I

Mikie and I read this book in about a day and a half (on working days, nonetheless). It's the kind of book you can't put down - you have to know what happens next. And it's not just Nujood. The rest of her family has different (and also awful) troubles that they are living through, and there's constantly something to push you onwards. 

Like Mikie, this is a book I think everyone should read (we're saying that a lot...but really. READ THIS ONE.) If you only ever pick up one book off our list, let this be the one.
-Cat