Product Description

"A moving, unsentimental, and informative account of the painful personal experience that inspired, and continues to fuel, [Fadumo Korn's] work."-Francine Prose, People magazine, starred critic's choice

"This impassioned, beautifully written memoir is a testament to the possibility of wedding literary prose to sophisticated political arguments. . . . A brutally honest, politically sensitive, and bold addition to literature on global women's health."-Publishers Weekly, starred review

"A courageous . . . indispensable testament."-Elfriede Jelinek, 2004 Nobel Laureate in Literature

Selected as a Kirkus Reviews top pick for book clubs, Fadumo Korn's story describes her brutal circumcision at age seven and her agonizing path to physical and psychological recovery.

Born a nomad, freely roaming the Somalian steppes, Korn nearly dies from the effects of female genital mutilation (FGM). As her health deteriorates, Korn is sent to Mogadishu for treatment and, despite the looming civil war, finds herself living amid luxury in the household of her uncle, a relative of the Somali president. Escaping the political upheaval, she travels to Europe for advanced medical care and eventually becomes an anti-FGM activist.

Fadumo Korn is the vice president of FORWARD-Germany, an organization dedicated to promoting action to stop FGM. She lives with her husband and son in Munich.

Writer and radio journalist Sabine Eichhorst is the author of Courage to Defend Yourself: Strategies against Sexual Violence and A Long Way Home: A Prisoner of Uzbekistan.

Dr. Tobe Levin is collegiate professor at the University of Maryland in Europe and co-founder of FORWARD-Germany.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #765289 in Books
• Published on: 2008-04-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 196 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Beginning with its evocative opening sentence—"In the distance, a lion roared, deep and long, dismissing the night"—this impassioned, beautifully written memoir is a testament to the possibility of wedding literary prose to sophisticated political arguments. Korn grew up as a spirited girl in an Islamic Somalian nomadic tribe in the late 1960s. At seven she was forced to undergo female circumcision, in which her clitoris and labia minora were removed with crude utensils and her vagina sewn up. After chronic pain, illness and rheumatism set in, Korn went to live with her rich uncle, a government official in Mogadishu, until her circumcision-related ailments became debilitating; she was taken to Germany for medical treatment, and years later her circumcision was undone. Married to a German, Korn became involved in the European campaign against female genital mutilation (FGM). While the bulk of the book is a devastating and swiftly moving account of Korn's tragedy-filled life, it also persuasively argues that health workers must understand the power of traditional customs even as they work to end FGM. Written with German writer Eichhorst, this is a brutally honest, politically sensitive and bold addition to literature on global women's health. (Nov.)
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From Booklist
Korn's remarkable memoir traces her steps from her childhood as part of a nomadic tribe in Somalia, where she was born in 1964, to her position as a spokesperson against FGM--female genital mutilation. She herself was circumcised, and sewn back up, or infibulated, at age seven. Touted as an "ancient tradition," the brutal procedure can lead to infection, chronic ailments, and loss of fertility. In Korn's case, the resulting infection led to severe joint disintegration. Her parents sent her to relatives in Mogadishu while she received treatment; from there she went to a hospital in Rome, then a clinic in Germany, where she endured operations to straighten her fingers and toes. Only after her marriage, and corrective surgery to be "opened," did she experience urination or her periods without pain. Now a German citizen, Korn helps to reeducate young African women about their societal status without this horrific procedure. Deborah Donovan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author
Born in 1964, Fadumo Korn is the vice president of FORWARD-Germany, an organization dedicated to improving the health and well-being of African women and girls, and to promoting action to stop harmful tradition practices such as female genital mutilation (FGM). She lives with her husband and son in Munich.

Sabine Eichhorst is the author of Courage to Defend Yourself: Strategies against Sexual Violence and A Long Way Home: Prisoner of Uzbekistan.

Tobe Levin is professor of English and Women's Studies at the University of Maryland in Europe and adjunct at the University of Frankfurt. She is the editor of Feminist Europa, and the chair of FORWARD Germany against FGM (female genital mutilation). She was elected secretary of the European Network against Harmful Traditional Practices, especially FGM (Brussels).

Customer Reviews

Informative
An informative book that paints a moving picture of what life was like in Somalia and what it was like to grow up within a culture that accepts female genital mutilation as ritual. From her story, you are able to come away understanding the love she has for her life, family, and culture. Yet, Mrs. Fadumo Korn appeals to society to be culturally sensitive to an ancient practice, that can lead to future health problems and potential death, which she is actively trying to dissuade .

Compelling, Frightning, and heartbreaking
This book was difficult for me to read because of the subject. I was not prepared for the female mutilation chapter. I kept reading because I wanted Mrs. Korn to overcome her obsticales both physical and emotional. It was hard to beleive that there are places in the world that actually allow such a practice. It certainly makes it clear that men in Somalia are the ruling force and women are mere vessels for having children and being slaves to their husbands. There was a point where I even got tears in my eyes this story touched me so much. I must say towards the end I did get a bored with all the politics and preaching. I know these things are important and more people need to be aware of it but I was more interested in Mrs. Korn's personal journey. This is a must read especially for women.

amazing
This book was quick and easy read but still captivating and intriguing. I found this very interesting to read after Infidel - written also by a Somali woman. The two books both speak strongly about FGM yet this book was very little about Islam. I think this book is imperative to read in conjunction with Infidel to equal the negatives and positives discussed about Islam. Another amazing book on this same topic is called Do they hear you when you cry? By Fauziya Kassindja - it truly amazing!!!