The Book Desert Flower by Waris Dirie is about her life. She growed up in a nomad family and was a hardworking girl. Waris lived in harmony with her family and nature until she was around five years old. When she went through the practice of female circumcision, it changed her life. It was very painful for her, but she wanted to do it because after the circumcision she become a women. At the age of twelve her father arranged a marriage to a sixty-year-old stranger. She didn't want to marry him but her father will get 5 camels and that's a lot for a little girl. She decided to run away, and so she had to cross the dessert, Waris wanted to come to Mogadischu because there life her relatives. ON her way she was nearly violated by a trucker, but she hit him and run away. When she arrived in the city she lived in the house of her sister and helped her with her kids, later she lived by her aunt because she had quarrel with her sister. After view years she managed to work as house help by relatives in London. A stranger asked her, if he's allowed to make photos of her, but she was afraid of him because she had bad memories with strangers. When that family returns to Somalia, Waris refused to leave, hiding her passport and ID. To support herself alone she begins to work at McDonalds while living in a youth hostel with her new girl friend who's also a from Africa. After some years she met the stranger who wants to make photos from her again an he gave her a visiting card with his telephone number. She told her friend about it and they decide to call him. At this time started her model carrier. The problem was that she overstayed her visa. The only way to get a valid visa was to marry an man from England. She did it and so she could stay in London and now she was also allowed to travel around the world and so she become one of the most famous models in the world. She also speak up about female circumcision.
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The review of this Book prepared by Matthias
Waris is one of twelve children born into a traditional family of tribal desert nomads in East Africa. Waris lived in harmony with family and nature until she was around five years old; when she went through the practice of female circumcision. This turned her life upside down causing changes in her behaviour, having seen her sister die from the same custom. At the age of twelve her father arranged her marriage to a sixty-year-old stranger. She was worth five camels... being unhappy at this decision she ran away. After only barely surviving the dangerous Somalia desert, she manages to get to London, where she works for one of her relatives for a couple of years. When that family returns to Somalia, Waris refused to leave, hiding her passport and ID. To support herself alone she begins to work at McDonalds while living in a youth hostel. Here she is spotted by a fashion photographer... this man transforms her into an world class international model and in doing this gave her the courage and the power she needed to speak up about female circumcision.
