Daughter of Dust: Growing Up an Outcast in the Desert of Sudan - Brossura

Wallace, Wendy

Brossura

ISBN 10: 1847375308 ISBN 13: 9781847375308

Casa editrice: Simon & Schuster Ltd, 2009

Riassunto

Leila understands from early on that she is not part of normal Sudanese society. Her parents are unable to care for her, so she is banished to a strict orphanage, along with children born outside marriage. At school, Leila and her best friend Amal are called 'daughters of sin'. Her pretty sister, Zulima, is married off to a much older man, while the nannies say an abandoned girl is lucky to get an offer of marriage at all. At the age of ten, both Leila and Amal endure female circumcision. Suffering appalling prejudice, and thought to bring the 'evil eye', Leila remains outgoing and brave and manages to get an education. She goes on to marry, have four children, and divorce, yet even grown up she continues to know the stigma of being abandoned. Undaunted, Leila founds her own charity to help those shunned as outcasts and she continues to work tirelessly to dispel prejudice. This beautifully written, graceful memoir perfectly evokes the heat and colour of the North African desert and tells of the true friendships that are born out of adversity.

Su questo libro

L'autore

Wendy Wallace is an award-winning freelance journalist and writer based in London, whose articles have appeared in the Telegraph, the Guardian and the Scotsman. This is her first novel.

Dalla quarta di copertina

The girls at school are different from us. They have shiny skin and plump arms and smell of Lux soap. I live at the Institute for the Protected. We wake to a bell, scramble to get our share of food. This is my life, given to me by God's will. I won't let it go.
Born in the desert city of Khartoum, Leila understands from early on that she is not part of normal Sudanese society. At school, she and best friend Amal are called 'daughters of sin'. But growing up under the strict discipline of nannies, Leila has no answer to the question 'Who am I?' Her pretty sister Zulima is married off to a much older man while, at the age of ten, Leila and Amal undergo female circumcision.
Leila goes on to marry, have four children, and divorce - and even grown up she continues to know the stigma of being abandoned. Yet her spirit remains strong, and despite her struggle she speaks of the beauty and joy of life, and of her love for her children and friends.
This beautifully written, graceful memoir brings to life the colour and sensuality of the North African desert and tells of the true friendship born out of adversity.
[biogs if room]
Leila Aziz was born in Sudan in 1969, where she still lives, working with her charity that campaigns to dispel prejudice against those considered outcasts.
Wendy Wallace is an award-wining journalist and writer. She has visited Sudan over many years writing for the United Nations and others and lives in London.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Simon & Schuster Ltd
• Data di pubblicazione: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1847375308
• ISBN 13: 9781847375308
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 368