Nujood AliReseñas

“C’era una volta una terra magica, dalle leggende incredibili quanto le sue case, che sembrano fatte di marzapane e sono ornate di piccole linee sottili simili a tracce di zucchero a velo. Una terra posta all’estremo sud della penisola arabica, lambita dal Mar Rosso e dall’Oceano Indiano. Una terra ricca di una storia millenaria, irta di torri di argilla appollaiate sulle creste di aspre montagne. Una terra in cui l’odore di incenso fluttua lieve agli angoli delle stradine lastricate di pietra.” (da “Io, Nojoud, dieci anni, divorziata”)

Il libro si apre con questa fiabesca visione dello Yemen e quasi ci illude di farci partire per un viaggio meraviglioso nell’Arabia Felix della regina di Saba, in quei paesaggi in cui io, circa trentacinque anni fa, quando ancora metà del paese si chiamava Repubblica Araba dello Yemen del Nord, riconobbi un medioevo incantato sospeso sopra le nubi. Ma è un’illusione che dura poco, anzi pochissimo. Perché questo “Io, Nojoud, dieci anni, divorziata” di Nojoud Ali (Piemme 2011, tradotto da Giovanni Zucca) è un racconto di cronaca vera. E’ la narrazione, nemmeno tanto romanzata, della storia di una bambina di circa 8 anni che il 2 aprile del 2008 si è presentata al tribunale di Sana’a, la capitale dello Yemen, per chiedere il divorzio dal marito a cui era stata sposata (ma sarebbe più giusto dire “ceduta” secondo un’usanza tribale molto diffusa nel paese) ad un uomo di trent’anni che l’ha picchiata e costretta ad avere rapporti sessuali, con il supporto delle stesse donne della sua famiglia.

Il coraggio della giovanissima e analfabeta Nojoud (per le donne la scuola è molto spesso poco più di un miraggio) si è mescolato alla fortuna di essere incappata in un procuratore yemenita progressista e in una avvocatessa (mi si perdoni la coniugazione al femminile ormai fuori moda, ma quì era fondamentale la sottolineatura di genere) della Corte suprema Shatha Muhammed Nasser, che ha assunto la difesa della bimba. All’uscita del tribunale Nojoud ha poi raccontato la sua storia al giornalista Hamed Thabet, 23 anni, dello Yemen Times e la notizia ha presto fatto il giro del mondo, ripresa da centinaia di giornali (anche italiani) e televisioni, scoperchiando, ancora una volta, il tema delle spose bambine, usanza purtroppo ancora diffusa in diversi Stati, sotto la lente molte agenzie ONU e di numerose organizzazioni umanitarie che operano nella regione attraverso programmi di sensibilizzazione e di intervento a favore delle giovani vittime che, come la protagonista di questo libro, trovano il coraggio e la forza di ribellarsi. L’ONU stima 70 mila vittime ogni anno a causa di lesioni o parto precoce dovuto a matrimoni combinati con bambine in nazioni come lo Yemen, ma anche Egitto, Iran, Mali, India. Secondo ActionAid i matrimoni precoci rappresentano un problema gravissimo che affonda le sue radici nella povertà e in antichi retaggi culturali ancora accettati, una tradizione che si tramanda da secoli e che, pur essendo illegale nella quasi totalità degli Stati, è ancora praticata abitualmente tanto che, nel mondo, ogni giorno 33 mila bambine sono costrette a contrarre matrimonio prima del tempo.

Pensando ad un’autrice così giovane, anche se “piccola” è forse l’aggettivo che meglio caratterizza Nojoud bambina, non sfugge che il libro è dato in stampa nel 2009, a solo un anno dagli eventi raccontati, e che dunque la stesura letteraria va accreditata ad una collaborazione che ha di fatto un nome e un cognome: Delphine Minoui, una giornalista franco-iraniana cui la protagonista ha raccontato la sua storia perché fosse messa nero su bianco. La scrittura è fluida, più che semplificata dallo sforzo di Minou di alleggerirla dal taglio giornalistico della cronaca e farne una riduzione diaristica capace di proiettare lo stato d’animo, il punto di vista, le sensazioni di una bambina con meno di dieci anni. E’ come leggere sentendosi piccoli, guardando gli adulti dal basso, ma con una straordinaria efficacia, tanto che ho letto le 162 pagine in una sola serata. C’è tutta Nojoud nel libro, anche se a tratti si sente la presenza della mano e dello stile giornalistico, nei richiami lessicali arabo yemeniti (l’arabo non è uno solo); nei corsivi dell’islam coranico; nel guidare chi legge attraverso la storia dello Yemen sino ai giorni nostri, tornata di drammatica attualità grazie alle milizie Houthi che attaccano il traffico navale nel Mar Rosso; nelle note a margine che richiamano l’attenzione del lettore sulle statistiche drammatiche delle spose bambine e della situazione della donna in un islam radicale e cristallizzato in un medioevo culturale. Tutti elementi che caratterizzano e danno solidità ad un libro di denuncia.

Proseguendo nella lettura, a tratti, si ha l’impressione che gli eventi, così come narrati, siano stati lievemente smussati, scongiurando angoli acuti troppo taglienti, evitando la crudezza estrema, che forse poco si addice all’anima fanciullesca, pur brutalizzata, di Nojoud. La lama non affonda in profondità come in “Bruciata viva” di Suad (di cui ho già scritto), non devasta come nel racconto di “Vendute. L’odissea di due sorelle” di Zana Muhsen, analoga storia di sposalizi combinati nello Yemen tribale. Il motivo di tutto ciò è forse duplice. Il primo consta nella difficoltà per un adulto di tornare ad interpretare attraverso la scrittura pensieri e stati d’animo di un’infanzia tanto lontana per chi scrive, quanto saccheggiata dagli adulti per chi racconta con gli occhi e la sensibilità di bambina. Il secondo è certamente l’arco temporale in cui si svolgono gli eventi, due settimane tra la denuncia e la concessione del divorzio, sentenza accelerata dal coraggio di Nojoud e da un’opinione pubblica internazionale che ha assurto al ruolo di parte civile nel processo. Una quindicina di giorni in cui il mondo di una giovane eroina si capovolge e con lei quello di altre spose bambine che trovano il coraggio, nel suo gesto di disperata ribellione, di chiedere a loro volta il divorzio per liberarsi dal giogo di un’usanza intollerabile. Un breve momento in cui anche le associazioni per la difesa delle donne nello Yemen riprendono voce e chiedono di fare aumentare il limite legale di età per contrarre il matrimonio.

Nel 2008 Nojoud ha ricevuto a New York il premio “Donna dell’anno” dalla rivista “Glamour”, già assegnato anche a Hillary Clinton e Condoleezza Rice. Il libro che solleva il velo nero che oscura i sogni delle spose bambine yemenite è stato tradotto in numerose lingue e, nel 2016, è diventato un film (“La sposa bambina”) diretto da Khadija Al-Salami, la prima donna dello Yemen ad esser diventata regista e produttrice cinematografica. Entrambe provengono dallo Yemen ed hanno un vissuto comune nella tragicità che le accompagna: anche Khadija Al-Salami fu data in sposa a 11 anni e costretta a subire gli stupri del marito, come ha scritto nella sua biografia “Pleure, Ô Reine de Saba ! Histoires de survie et d'intrigues au Yémen”.

“Io, Nojoud, dieci anni, divorziata” non è certamente un libro da annoverare tra quelli di alto peso specifico letterario, ma in quanto opera di denuncia svolge il suo compito con grande diligenza. Ma al suo interno c’è anche un racconto familiare con il suo lessico di regole analfabete tramandato dalla notte dei tempi, ritratto di una, tante, centomila famiglie, come quella di Nojoud, in cui ella tornerà dopo il divorzio. Famiglie stritolate dalla povertà e avvolte nel buio dell'ignoranza alimentata dall’oscurantismo religioso. Un binomio letale, capace di partorire regole sociali inossidabili al tempo che marchiano in modo indelebile i più deboli, le donne in primis, attraverso la più profonda diseguaglianza, instillando quel sentimento talmente in profondità nell’animo femminile, da far divenire naturale il perpetuarsi di tale oppressione di madre in figlia. Una figlia, Nojoud, il cui nome significa “nascosta”, che però questa volta si ribella e ritrova il diritto alla sua piena esistenza con il nome che la sorella avrebbe tanto desiderato per lei: “Nojoum”, che significa “stelle”.

Recensione pubblicata su: https://www.territoridicarta.com/blog/la-sposa-bambina-yemenita-si-racconta-in-i...
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Biography

I get in the mood to get out of my paranormal kick and try something that is deep and heartfelt. I loved this. I had been searching for more books about oppressed women.

The story was very elementary and I'm sure skipped a lot of the brutality, which is good if this was for a younger audience; but nowhere is this indicated. I'm sure this was a horror for Nujood as it still is for many young women around the world. This was a success story as one lone attorney spoke to her on the street. Most young women don't have this opportunity. I would prefer a book with more meat, but not sad that I read it. 194 pages

I really wanted to like this book but I felt that it needed so much more. I mean, it was her story but it was so short and such light reading. I finished the book in 2 hours. There could have been so much more background into the culture of a society that married their girls off at age 9. There was so much co-author influence in the book that I had a hard time believing in some of the statements made by Nujood. Is that really the way a 9 year old thinks?

I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, by Nujood Ali and Delphine Minoui (pp 188). This is the story of a nine year old Yemeni girl, Nujood, who was married off to a man thrice her age. Despite promising her father to not begin marital relations with his daughter until at least a year after her first period, that delay did not occur. Instead, she had sex on the night of her wedding, was routinely physically abused by her husband, and mistreated by her in-laws. Amazingly, she ran away to a court and obtained assistance in getting a divorce at age 10. Unfortunately, this story is mostly written from a first person perspective, which given her age and illiteracy does not, to me, come across as her voice. However, Nujood’s story is important and is more important than how it was conveyed. It also lacks sufficient background about Yemeni practices, laws, and society, and there is no real explanation why or how her cause was taken up by the lawyers and judges who supported her. She, apparently, became an international figure in the 1980s, something I somehow missed. Overall, despite its shortcomings, the books is well worth reading, which can easily be done in a day.

One of my favorite authors read this book, and rated it highly, so, I figured I'd give it a try. It had been too long since I'd read a non-fiction book anyway.

Nujood's story touched me. A young girl who should be playing, and thinking up fanciful stories, Nujood was forced to grow up well before her time. The story of Nujood is one of sorrow, pain, hope, and triumph. In successfully getting a divorce, Nujood won a small victory for Yemeni women, but it's not yet enough.

The story of Nujood Ali is indisputably important and one that needs to be told. However, after reading this book, I feel that her story could have been told in a different, more effective way. This book is written in the style of a memoir, from Nujood's perspective, even though it was clearly ghostwritten. While I recognize the benefits of telling a story from the ten-year-old heroine's point of view, this story could definitely have been explored more. I crave an in-depth analysis of Yemen's culture and society. Nujood Ali definitely deserves respect and admiration but her story also deserves to be told in a better way. This book was almost shallow and leaves an inquisitive reader longing for more.

Nujood was a simple village girl, enjoying playing with friends and going to school. Her life as she knew it came to an end in 2008 when her father agreed to a marriage proposal from a man three times Nujood’s age.
She tells her story in first person; beginning in the middle of the tale, the chapters alternate between the beginning of the end and her past. The reader is given a picture of her life in Yemen, living in the country in prosperity with her mother, father, and fifteen siblings. Life changes; she describes a life of poverty in the capital city. Her family undergoes several upheavals, which at her young age she does not understand. And then comes her marriage. This young girl, a ten year old child, receives no support through her ordeal from her family or her in-laws. Finally she acts on her own, seeking a divorce.
I found the book spellbinding. I did not want to put it down. The story flows back and forth in a very comfortable way. Her courage was amazing. I highly recommend this book from the 2012 list under Nurturing for the Community. Lisa Shipley

Really good book. Nujood, a young Muslim girl living in Yemen was married as a 10-year-old to a man much older than she. Nujood describes her abusive marriage and the steps she took to seek a divorce. She was the first girl granted a divorce. I really like learning about other cultures and it is humbling to read about the struggles other people face.

Very sad story, the lives of women and children in so many places on earth aren't worth a plug nickle. They are invisible, disposible and have no say in anything in their lives. Time magazine voted Afghanistan the worst place on earth to be a woman, there are other places that rival it.

RGG: Important approachable story. It is difficult to convey the horror of this sexually abusive practice without writing incredibilly difficult passages--while not entirely explicit this is a story for older readers. Reading Interest: 14-YA.

RGG: Important approachable story. It is difficult to convey the horror of this sexually abusive practice without writing incredibily difficult passages--while not entirely explicit this is a story for older readers. Reading Interest: 14-YA.

This story was seriously heart-breaking. It shows what can happen in a community or people group that doesn't have the light of God in any capacity. People behave like animals and treat each other as such. The only true hope for the girl in this story and others in this community is found in Jesus.

The author was born into a poor Muslim family in Yemen. They struggled for their daily food. One of her older siblings ran away to Saudi Arabia. Another married a man whilst still in her teens. This man then had an affair with the author's older sister resulting in the sister and the man being thrown into jail and potentially facing the death penalty for adultery.

The family then in crisis financially, the father decides to marry off the author who is aged just 10 years old to a man three times her age. She accompanies this man to his community which is cut off from any outside contact making it impossible for her to run away. He had promised her family not to engage in sexual relations prior to a certain age but immediately breaks his promise and forces himself on her. She finally convinces him to allow her to visit her family and whilst there runs away and does something that has never been done before--she goes directly to a Judge and requests a divorce!

Reading this tragic story made me so grateful that I wasn't born into that situation or that community. I was reminded that it is only by the grace of God that it was not me dealing with this. The desperation of the parents when they fell on hard times comes through and the children carried a lot of the burden. The cultural traditions and norms that we consider abhorrent were practiced widely. It was normal for a child of that age to be married although legally not permitted until the age of 15 (now 17 partly due to this case.) The girls had no choice and were made completely powerless and helpless because their families went along with it. In this case they had even arranged it for money. The people that as children we rely on to protect us were the ones placing this child into the path of danger. How terrible when there is no one to turn to and no one you can trust.

There is no bad language in this book. There is obviously sexual violence which wasn't as graphic as I had feared it might be. This is only suitable for adult readers. This is definitely eye opening.

Nujood's story, simply and devastatingly told, reveals a tragedy that is all too common in countries like Yemen (and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, India, etc.) where women and girls are treated more as property than as human beings. Fortunately Nujood's story is more positive; she was able to get a divorce from the older man she was forced to marry. She is by no means out of the woods though, and I hope, as she dreams to do, she eventually finishes school and becomes a lawyer. What a brave girl.

"Since forever I have learned to say yes to everything. Today I have decided to say no"
By sally tarbox on 15 February 2017
Format: Kindle Edition
An interesting account of an ordinary ten-year old Yemeni girl whose father marries her off to a repulsive sounding thirty-year old - "I recognized him right away from that overpowering odour of cigarettes and khat".
Sent miles away to live with his family in a remote village, Nujood endures a couple of months of rapes and beatings before fleeing to the court, when on a visit to the capital, and seeking a divorce. Taken up by a lawyer and human rights groups, the end is a hopeful one, as Nujood is back with her family, attending school and able to help financially through royalties.

Sadly recent information shows that Nujood's father has used the money for his own ends and has married off her littlle sister, so glad I only bought a used copy!

I am Nugood, Age 10 and Divorced is the true story of Nujood Ali (as told to Delphine Minoui).

By the age of 10, this young girl from Yemen had been given in marriage by her own father to a man three times her age. He promised not to be with her sexually until after one year after she started her period, but he did not keep this promise. When Nujood tried to resist him, he began beating her.

After a few months, the only refuge she found was on the rare opportunity that her husband let her visit home. It was on one of these visits that she decided to try to get a divorce.

This book offers a peek into Yemen and a surprising look at practices that you may not know still occur today. The story was not told to criticize the culture, but to shine the light on one girl’s sad story. This is something that none of us can image happening to our own daughters. It wasn’t told in a sensationalist way. Most importantly, it is an inspiring look at the courage of a young girl to fight against that which she knew was wrong.

Her story has attracted worldwide attention and has been translated into 16 languages. She was named to be a Woman of the Year in 2008 by Glamour magazine, alongside others such as Hillary Clinton.

Because of her courageous act, other young girls are speaking out, and countries are even making laws to protect girls who should never be forced to marry.

In spite of a few difficult passages, this is an inspiring and eye-opening story told in Nujood’s own words. It’s a short easy read that would interest women and teens as well.

Nujood’s proceeds for the book are financing her and her sister’s education, and will hopefully help Nujood achieve her dream of becoming a lawyer so that she can help other girls.

Picked this up while browsing at Borders the other day. Haven't finished it as I'm waiting for it from the library now. The title caught my eye right away : I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.. This type of thing goes on a lot in Yemen, Ethiopia, etc.. It is so sad to see these little girls being forced to marry at age 9 and 10.

Nujood Ali, at the age of 8, was forced by her father to marry a man many times her age. She endured the physical, sexual and emotional abuse when she was 10 years old. Her bravery pushed her to run away to the capital of the country of yemen in search of a court to be freed from her abusive husband. Finding a lawyer, Nujood was finally freed from her marriage and was allowed to be a child again. Nujood’s story was a story heard around the world to bring attention to early childhood marriage. Her story of bravery and courage will not only affect all those who read it but will help them become aware of the life many girls have to live in these poor villages. This memoir is an unbelievable story of a young girl who pushes past the sadness and pain and finds the courage to fight for her future.

This book provides an insight into the way of life of another culture that most do not know much about. The story belongs to that of a 10 year old girl from Yemen who was forced into marriage and had her virginity stolen by a man three times her age. She faced abuse from not only her husband but her mother in law and soon decided she must escape. Courageously running away from home, she approached a lawyer at a courthouse in the capital requesting a divorce. This unheard of request caught the attention of many across the world and had Nujood named Glamour Magazine's Women of the Year. This story touched me personally after realizing how lucky I am to lead the life I do with the freedom provided to me by my country. This biography sheds a light on the cruelty of the patriarchal society in Yemen and pleads for a change.

A 10 year old Yemeni girl tells of her life before and after her marriage to a man three times her age. She finds the courage to ask the court for a divorce, giving hope and courage to many other girls suffering the same plight.

Memoir of a Yemani girl who is sold in marriage at age 8. She takes it upon herself to find a courthouse and ask to see a judge to ask for a divorce. A very brave young woman to do something like this. I read most of this in one sitting. A simple read. I think teen girls interested in world affairs and womens rights would find this very interesting.

Amazing story of a young girl's bravery in taking a stand against the abusive lifestyle of her people.

Nojoud viene dallo Yemen. Ha solo dieci anni, non è che una bambina. Una bambina divorziata. Perché anche se ha un lieto fine, questa non è una favola. È la storia di una battaglia, invece. La storia di una bambina che, in un paese in cui le donne sono spesso schiave inermi, ha saputo combattere con il cuore e il coraggio di una leonessa. Costretta a sposare un uomo che non aveva mai visto, un uomo di trent’anni, quando lei non ne aveva che otto, ha dovuto dimenticare i giochi, la scuola, i sogni. Ha conosciuto ciò che un’infanzia non dovrebbe mai conoscere: la paura e la vergogna. Imprigionata tra quattro mura, picchiata, violata, Nojoud ha pianto fino a non avere più lacrime. Ma nessuno la ascoltava. Ha supplicato suo padre, sua madre, sua zia. “Non possiamo fare niente. Se vuoi, vai in tribunale da sola” le hanno risposto. Così, una mattina, Nojoud è scappata dalla sua casa-prigione. Si è incamminata da sola verso il tribunale di Sana’a. Si è ribellata alla legge degli uomini. Ha chiesto il divorzio. In un paese in cui oltre la metà delle spose sono bambine tra gli otto e i dieci anni, Nojoud ha trovato il coraggio di dire no.

Although the book is about a child, its content and themes will move teen readers (adults as well, although the voice is more youthful; Delphine Minoui co-wrote but it's Nujood's voice). Child and sexual abuse, children's rights, women's rights...there is much to outrage and inspire. GIven the entrenched tribal and cultural values, Nujood's determination to escape went beyond mere rebellion. I can see this as a lively book group discussion for youth.