Desert Flower: The Extraordinary Journey of a Desert Nomad by Waris Dirie w/ Cathleen Miller

Published in 1997, Desert Flower became an international bestseller. It is published in over 50 licensed editions and has sold over 12 million copies to date

Synopsis -

Waris Dirie ran away from her oppressive life in the African desert when she was barely in her teens, illiterate and impoverished, with nothing to her name but a tattered shawl. She traveled alone across the dangerous Somali desert to Mogadishu—the first leg of a remarkable journey that would take her to London, where she worked as a house servant; then to nearly every corner of the globe as an internationally renowned fashion model; and ultimately to New York City, where she became a human rights ambassador for the U.N. Desert Flower is her extraordinary story.

Review -

While Desert Flower was first published in 1999, it is sadly still very relevant in today's world. Dirie's journey to flee all alone at the age of 13 across the desert, hitching rides which was never safe for a young teen, with no idea where she was going, how she would eat, or where she would end up is remarkable. That she landed with relatives in Mogadishu unharmed a blessing. 

Her journey continued to be just that - both remarkable and blessed - and never easy. Each step along the way had her facing challenges that seemed formidable, road blocks that would have broken many, but she faced them down as best she could and kept moving forward. In the end she became not only a successful international fashion model, but an activist fight FGM, a UN ambassador, a wife, a mother and author.  

Desert Flower shows us the beauty of the nomadic culture which built her strength and independence, the darkness in how women are treated in that culture, the joy of her childhood where she ran freely and was strongly connected to nature, and the reasons she had to leave. Then it shines a light on the difficult path immigrants face - work, passports, visas, legal recognition, abuse by those trying to take advantage, along with other barriers and challenges. 

There were a one or two places a story shared wasn't quite fully told, so a leap to what happened next, but nothing crucial.  I learned a lot about a culture I knew little of, and was led to a deeper understanding of the ignorance and challenges that immigrants deal with. A great read. 

Buy the book: Amazon US ~ Amazon CA

Meet the Author -

Waris Dirie is an internationally renowned Somalian fashion model, author, and activist. She lives in New York with her son. The film rights to her story have been sold to Elton John's production company, Rocket Pictures.

Dirie was born Somalia to a nomadic tribe. At the age of five years, she suffered the inhumane procedure of female genital mutilation. At about age 13, she ran away from home to avoid an arranged marriage with a 60 year old man - embarking on a long and treacherous solo journey that took her through the desert to Mogadishu and, from there, eventually to London to serve as a maid in the home of an uncle who was beginning a term as an ambassador. When his tenure ended, Dirie decided to stay in London illegally.

From that moment her world began to change. She learned to read and write, worked at a McDonalds, then was drawn into the world of modelling. Her career exploded and she ended up travelling the world.  Dirie is author of several books, an activist fighting against female circumcision, the UN Special Ambassador for the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, and the founder of the Desert Flower Foundation which raises awareness about the dangers of Female Genital Mutilation.

Connect: Instagram~ Desert Flower Foundation ~ Facebook