46.
Title: [I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced]
Author: Delphine Minoui
Genre: Memoir
Medium: Paperback
Acquisition: Library Book
Date Completed: June 10, 2014
Rating:

As the title so clearly states, I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced tells the story of a young girl from Yemen who, on her own, seeks help from the legal system to free her from the early and abusive marriage arranged by her father.  Her actions inspire other young girls to seek the same help, and has helped the women's rights movement take a step forward in recognizing the dangers and damage of this "custom."

To review the book itself is difficult.  Admittedly illiterate, other than a few characters in Arabic and the ability to write her own name, Nujood's voice is not the voice of this memoir.  The story itself is practiced, and organized in a literary tradition that I highly doubt Nujood would recognize, and the narration is that of a literate adult (who, for example, pokes fun at the way Nujood says "bizza" instead of "pizza").  However, naming her as the author of her own story allows her further autonomy, and apparently the royalties have allowed Nujood and one sister to attend school.  And ultimately, the book is just that - an extended news expose that allows for royalties.  Provided that Nujood really is the one who benefits, I applaud the decision, and also the careful way the book serves to introduce the unfamiliar to a serious human rights concern.