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Summary: An amazing, inspiring, touching yet horrifying journey...
Review: There are some books that are so wonderful, so intense, that I simply get lost in them for the few days it takes me to finish them, and once I'm done, I want to share it with the world. This is one of those books, a truly moving, inspiring, fascinating, terrifying, heart-breaking and rewarding tale. Fauziya Kassindja is a Muslim African woman raised by a father she adored who did not adhere to many of the more restrictive Islamic customs relating to women. Upon his death, however, Fauziya is faced with a forced marriage and forced female circumcision and flees first to Germany and then to the United States, where she is promptly locked away in prision, initially denied asylum and kept imprisoned for an unbelievable amount of time. The story itself is both fascinating and heart-breaking, but Fauziya tells it with such detail and brutal honesty that it becomes even more powerful. She creates a beautiful picture of her childhood in Africa and life with her beloved father and family, and she conveys clearly and easily her naivete about laws and customs as she went first to the strange land and then to the literal and figurative prison of America. Her ambivalence about America - as the land of hope and escape turned jail - is understandable and she describes why a return to the horrors that awaited her at home suddenly seemed better than remaining in the series of prisons to which she was assigned. What makes Fauziya such a compelling figure - a real heroine - is her honesty and her struggle to stand up for her beliefs. She personifies the adage that courage is being scared but 'doing it anyway.' I grew angrier and angrier at the way in which women are treated here and around the world, that forced mutilation is not 'political' nor grounds for asylum, that gender has such an impact on how people are treated. Her faith in her religion, her love of her family, her wish to give in despite the horror that would greet her return to Africa all made her such a human, touching figure. This is not a book to be missed - everyone should read it - but for those concerned about the treatment of women and female circumcision - and far too many women have to deal with the brutality of it - this book is absolutely essential. When I finished, I wanted to learn more about Fauziya and what happened to her. I certainly hope that she has found the happiness and peace that she so deserves.
Rating:
Summary: In the face of adversity.....
Review: The book held me captive, I couldn't put it down. I applaud Fauziya for her strength, loyalty and in keeping her faith. Not many would have survived the inhumane treatment she endurred in the prisons & the "system". I do wonder if anyone has since attempted to bring the jugde to justice as well as the guards that were so cruel.
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Summary: Unbelievable!
Review: This is the best book i have ever ever ever read. I couldn't stop reading it once I started. I couldn't help crying in certain parts. This book really moved me and will make a lasting impression on me. This is certainly a must read.
Rating:
Summary: wonderful
Review: The beautiful yet shocking true story of a young woman who ran from her home in Togo to escape genital mutilation. She came to the United States hoping to gain asylum but because she did not have the proper papers and because at the time FGM was not grounds for political asylum she spent over a year locked up with other people trying to enter the country without legal reason. This book will make you angry at the injustices people face in the United States when trying to escape persecution in their own countries, but will help restore your faith in humanity when you read about all the people who were willing to work so hard to get Fauziya Kassindja citizenship here so she wouldn't be returned to Togo to face being genitally mutilated.
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Summary: One of the best nonfiction works I've ever read.
Review: This book will stay with you for a very long time. It reads like a work of fiction, and at times when reading it, I was wishing it was. The inhumane treatment this women suffers at the hands of people in this country is unbelievable. Her journey from her country to the United States if very poignant. It also shed a little insight into what goes on in other countries. I will remember this story for a long time. I strongly recommend this to everyone.
Rating: 
Summary: Very approachable book for such a dire topic
Review: Fauziya Kassindja survived the horror to beat all horrors on United States soil, and I applaude her for telling her story, because, by doing so, she put the American government's brutal acts on display. I was inspired by her bravery and determination to honor her family and protect the wishes of her late father. The reason this book doesn't get the coveted 5 stars is because the exciting part--the part that kept my interest--didn't come until midway through the book, after she fled Togo. The first half was compelling, but a bit redundant.
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Summary: I never knew of the atrocities in Africa as well as the US
Review: I do not get the chance to read often, but once I received this book I picked it up and never put it down. What an inspirational story of courage and conviction. It is also an eyeopening account of how the great U.S. treats people in true need for asylum. I am an attorney in the criminal justice system and did not realize foreigners in need of aid were treated worse than criminals upon their arrival to the US. It was an all around great read.
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Summary: If you were to read one book in your life it should be this.
Review: What an extraordinary book this is. Extremely well-written, touching and full of hope even in the most hopeless situations. My biggest admiration to the author. Thank you for hanging in there.
Rating:
Summary: a must read
Review: Fauzy's tale of unjustice in her homeland to the unjustice she beared in our "free" country, is a book every women should read. Her story is an inspirational message to all women who have experienced hardship and it gives anyone who reads it hope. her story in Togo of hardships and lack of family support due to the culture, sends Fauzy to America where she expected to be greeted with warmth. Instead she spent her first two years in america's prisons. I appauld her for being able to ddeal with it and never give up hope. Read the book to understand what you feel after you read it and then you try to describe it, because it is undescribable.
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Summary: A definite must-read-girl-power story
Review: The reason why I picked out this book to read was because I was assigned to read a non-fiction story for History class. Although the book was thick and the letterings weren't exactly big, I would say that I've made one of the best choices in picking up that book. I will not tell you the story, but what I will tell you is that if you are a woman and you have believe that people should do what's right, I would definitely recomend this book. It is a story about a girl being forced into practising FGM, which I believe is wrong and that practices such as this should be condemed. The least you could do to support the idea of not practising FGM is by reading this book, because I know it is not much to ask and hat I'm sure you will enjoy it. It has been written very cleverly and though it does go through alot of facts at certain points, it had entertained me and made me cry at areas of the book. I am fifteen and if it was written in such a simple way where it had been easy for me to understand, I'm sure that it will move you too.
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