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Title details for Desert Flower by Waris Dirie - Available

Desert Flower

by Waris Dirie
Cathleen Miller
ebook
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An "outstandingly dramatic and moving" memoir of fleeing a brutal girlhood in Somalia—and becoming a supermodel and UN special ambassador (Kirkus Reviews).
To escape an arranged marriage to a sixty-year-old man, 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. Poignant and powerfully told, Desert Flower is Waris's extraordinary story.
"Affecting and at times very entertaining . . . it is Dirie's remarkable lack of narcissism or entitlement that makes her so captivating a raconteur." —Publishers Weekly
"Written with innocence and warmth, this book shows how one woman's tragedy can help others." —The New York Times Book Review
"Waris's story is one of remarkable courage. From the deserts of Somalia to the world of high fashion, she battles against oppression and emerges a real champion. She is the most beautiful inspiration to anyone." —Elton John
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Publisher: HarperCollins

Kindle Book

  • Release date: November 21, 2023

OverDrive Read

  • ISBN: 9780061952272
  • Release date: November 21, 2023

EPUB ebook

  • ISBN: 9780061952272
  • File size: 551 KB
  • Release date: November 21, 2023
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Formats

Kindle Book
OverDrive Read
EPUB ebook

subjects

Biography & Autobiography African American Nonfiction Nonfiction

Languages

English

An "outstandingly dramatic and moving" memoir of fleeing a brutal girlhood in Somalia—and becoming a supermodel and UN special ambassador (Kirkus Reviews).
To escape an arranged marriage to a sixty-year-old man, 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. Poignant and powerfully told, Desert Flower is Waris's extraordinary story.
"Affecting and at times very entertaining . . . it is Dirie's remarkable lack of narcissism or entitlement that makes her so captivating a raconteur." —Publishers Weekly
"Written with innocence and warmth, this book shows how one woman's tragedy can help others." —The New York Times Book Review
"Waris's story is one of remarkable courage. From the deserts of Somalia to the world of high fashion, she battles against oppression and emerges a real champion. She is the most beautiful inspiration to anyone." —Elton John
Expand title description text
Biography & Autobiography African American Nonfiction Nonfiction
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