Infidel

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

This is a heart wrenching autobiography of growing up Muslim. The author has not only a fascinating story, but she is also a moving writer who captures her story with powerful, vivid imagery.

Reading her description of growing up In Somalia and Kenya, we experience the culture of Islamic tribalism through the eyes of the author. The importance of clans, the Islamic faith and and how deep family ties played such a great factor in one’s life is told with page turning intensity. From enduring female circumcision to escaping Somalia during its civil war, the experiences related in this autobiography hold your attention throughout.

In one nail-biting chapter, the author actually braves going back to war-torn Somalia to help her family escape from a refuge camp. Bribing officials and enduring lice, scorpions and snakes, she is able to escape for a second time.

One of the more fascinating characters in the book, besides the author, is her father. He is a revolutionary fighting the government of Somalia and is jailed for many years. Finally, he is able to escape through the efforts of a sympathetic guard. He is married to a number of women and has children spread out through Kenya and Somalia. This aspect of the culture is accepted by all, and the various wives learn to endure and be civil to each other.

Ayaan’s father’s progressive decision for her to learn English at an early age, as opposed to her mother’s more repressive views, is one of the factors that allowed her to escape a life that was stifling her selfhood. Her rejections of her past and her outspoken political views have resulted in death threats. The author now requires permanent bodyguards.

This is a brave, brave book—a 5 star memoir.

Review by Tony Kainauskas