Ashley wrote a review on it and she definitely hit it on the head!
But for my rating, I would give it a B+, because I found it to be both interesting and also educational. Ashley read it in two days. Yes, the main character annoyed me - she definitely seemed unappreciative. But then again, she survived encounters with lions, men, a woman that mutilated her genitals (without pain killers) and the crazy world of modeling...for that BRAVO. Although she is a harsher critic than I (ratings wise), to be honest, Ashley's review is amazing and why fix what's not broken:
Click here for her full article.
Recommended by: Shelby, but she was slightly
apprehensive when handing it over. “Let me know what you think about
this one. It’s…interesting.”Genre: Non-fiction
Synopsis: Waris Dirie, a Somalian supermodel, shares her personal journey from being a nomad in the Sahara desert to finding superstardom.
My Recommendation: C. I greatly appreciated the rags-to-riches story she presented, but was greatly disappointed in her lack of humility and sense of entitlement that she expressed throughout. She was brutally honest about everything from her torturous personal account of her own female genital mutilation rite of passage to her flight from an arranged marriage with a 60+-year-old man, to her time spent playing maid/housekeeper in London for Somalia’s ambassador to her time struggling to obtain a legal passport that enabled her to become an international supermodel. On the other hand, she seemed quite unappreciative of all the liberties she enjoyed as a result of others bending over backwards for her…she describes how harshly she spoke/treated to others around her and lacked a certain level of humility that I would expect people, of all cultures to have when interacting with others.
Final Thoughts: I still can’t get over how Dirie confronted Iman about why Iman didn’t use Dirie, a fellow Somalian, to model for Iman’s cosmetic line. Dirie did it with such a level of aggression, hostility and entitlement that it turned me ALL the way off. For a second I contemplated not finishing the book. I was so over her and her diva tactics. If you can see past that, I guess it was a good read. Ultimately, it left a sour taste in my mouth.
Click here for Ashley's list...
Here is the movie trailer for the movie, Desert Flower, just in case you are more of a film person
P.S. Did you guys notice my FAVORITE model in the world, Liya Kebede, plays the lead. I definitely want to see this film!!!
