About this title: In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of "The Caged Virgin," Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia to her intellectual awakening in the Netherlands to her life under armed guard in the West.
Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Edition: Fifth Printing
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780743289689ISBN:0743289684
Description: Very Good in Good jacket. Biography. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. This is a very extraordinary study of Islamic refugees. One of today's most admired and controversial political figures, the author tells it like it is. This book is in very good condition. There is a name written at the top of the first page. The dust jacket is in good condition. It has wear and tear along the edges. The dust jacket is not price clipped and is in new clear protective covering. read more
Edition: Book Club Edition. Illustrated.
Binding: Trade paperback
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 2008
ISBN-13:9780743289696ISBN:0743289692
Description: New. No dust jacket as issued. Trade paperback (US). Glued binding. 361 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. Brand new. Never read. No CANADIAN buyers, please! read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press; Simon & Schuster, New York
Date Published: 2007
ISBN-13:9780743289689ISBN:0743289684
Description: Very Good in Fine jacket. 8vo-over 7¾"-9¾" tall. xii, 353 pp., [8] pp. of plates, illus.; 24 cm. Near fine. Tight, clean copy. Top edge tanned. Dust jacket protected in a mylar book cover. "In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of The Caged Virgin, Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life ... read more
Description: New in new dust jacket. Tight binding with clean text. New. Glued binding. Paper over boards. With dust jacket. 353 p. Contains: Illustrations. Audience: General/trade. read more
Edition: First Edition
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN-13:9780743289689ISBN:0743289684
Description: Good. The author wrote "to ______ Thank you for your support and encouragement, from Ayaan 2-12-07"Unfortunately the book has water get to it from the top so the pages are wavy-of course readable. And the inscription is very nice. read more
Description: Good. Book shows minor use. Cover and Binding have minimal wear and the pages have only minimal creases. A tradition of southern quality and service. All books guaranteed at the Atlanta Book Company. read more
Binding: Hardcover
Publisher: Free Press
Date Published: 2007-02-06
ISBN-13:9780743289689ISBN:0743289684
Description: Very Good. New York: Free Press, 2007. Sixth printing. Hardcover. 353 pp. Near fine, in near fine unclipped dust jacket. One page corner folded (straightened). Light shelf wear to jacket. read more
"I seldom give books a 5-star rating to books because I usually find them wanting in some respect or other. However, I found - to my amazement - that Ayaan Hirsi Ali's "Infidel" to be close enough to perfect. It's one of the few books that I could not put down and could relate to on many levels. The book is divided into 2 parts and 17 chapters that detail her somewhat difficult life in Somalia and Saudi Arabia to her emancipation in the West, particularly Holland. Having never been to Africa myself let alone stayed there, I learned a lot about Muslim life (there) and African customs.
Like most developing countries in the Muslim world, growing up there is usually an unfortunate mix of confusion and ignorance that stifles the mental development and inquisitive nature of children like Ayaan. I knew from the beginning that she was a thinker and would not take it lying down. The narrative is presented in great detail (it makes you wonder how she remembers so much because she never mentioned keeping a journal when she was young). This is especially true in the earlier chapters and it gets a little hard to keep up with all her relatives' names because they are so similar. You might lose track of who is who at times (except for the main characters in her life) but that's not what's important. Her experiences and lessons learned are what matter.
Toward the end of the book, events seem to happen more quickly and sometimes even years are skipped. I suppose those times might have been less eventful. I found her experiences with sex and education both in Africa and Holland to be the most interesting. It takes courage to write about things like that. Her innocence and honesty toward these subjects is refreshing. I didn't find the parts about her involvement in Dutch politics to be of much interest, though. This book also taught me a lot about independent women and how they think. It is an educational peek into such a woman's mind, especially for young (Muslim) men, I would say. Prior to reading this book, I never knew this woman had been through so much. I also never suspected how much her life was (and perhaps still is) threatened by Muslim extremists. The last chapter on Theo van Gogh's murder is very sobering.
Her message is clear. Islam is in need of reform. In its current form, it is detrimental to too many Muslims, especially in the developing world and the victims are mainly women, even though Ayaan is considerate enough to admit that men too, suffer. She is not trying to deconvent her readers into atheism (even though she herself is one) but is calling for us (Muslims in developing countries, especially) to apply our reason and intellect to the problems we face in the world. Not because she feels this is a characteristic of the Western world but because she strongly and objectively believes it to be a better way of living. I really enjoyed reading this outstanding and well-written biography of a young woman and believe a copy belongs in every library around the world."
"Last week, I heard a colleague ranting about Islam and women's rights. He was reading this book and espousing Hirsi Ali's views. The next day, I lent him my copy of the Quran so that he'd have some background on the basic text of the religion he was trashing. I tend to find that all of the major religious tomes are ridiculous, hopelessly outdated, and that it's not a flaw in religion but a fault of those interpreting fundamental texts in fundamentalist ways when religion becomes less a spiritual undertaking of peace and worthy living and more a set of doctrines used against those who disagree and/or were raised differently. For the record, I think religion is a load of garbage, but I recognize its many compelling characteristics, the difficulty of coolly analyzing the components of one's upbringing, and the charisma of leaders who believe strongly in something.
In any case, the day after my friend grumblingly accepted my Quran, saying he was just sick of the whole thing, he handed me this book. Anyone on this site can see that I have a lot to read, and my list is carefully weeded. Having already read _Desert Flower_ some years ago, I was actually slightly annoyed to be put in the position of either a) reading 350 pages, probably a rehash, that I didn't have time for or b) not reading it and therefore admitting, in essence, that I am one of those people who likes to tell others what to read but feels insulted by the impertinence of anyone who might suggest I look into something I've not already considered reading and determined unworthy of my precious (and currently very limited) reading time.
So the five stars I've given the book, along with the fact that I read it in less than 24 hours, probably obviates the need for me to continue with what I am saying, so I will stop here. I don't know that I agree with all of Hirsi Ali's actions or arguments. That's not the point, for me. I applaud her courage and her articulate, thoughtful, hard-headed nature."
"The effort to overcome values instilled in one's childhood by threats and intimidation is presented in this autobiographical piece by the author. The suffering she and others endured, by "the clan", who meant well, filled her with the desire to live changes and make life changes for others. Some of the story could have been edited, but otherwise it was absorbing and informative for the reader."
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