Nomad

Speaking with candor and eloquence, Ali's memoir relates her experiences with Islam, the West, and overcoming violence. She covers her turbulent upbringing in a Somali clan; the war-torn landscape of Mogadishu, Somalia; and the feeling of being helpless as many women were sold into arranged marriages for profit or sent to fight in battles. She describes growing up with Muslim family members who were quickly radicalized after having traveled to Mecca and returning as zealots. Ali shares her move to Kenya, where she is treated by clerics as a free spirit who refuses to cover up completely. Similarly, she recounts being ostracized by Western feminists because she refused to accept the extremes they suggested she should take -- including cuts to her genitalia -- in order to make compromises with Western culture that would ultimately oppress her.