Customer Reviews

Born in the Big Rains: A Memoir of Somalia and Survival (Women Writing Africa)

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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 .

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!!!

Fadumo Korn was born into a nomadic Somali tribe in 1964, and her childhood was unusually free for a Somalian girl. Though her parents doted on her, they did not spare her the culturally prescribed ordeal of female circumcision when she was seven years old. The circumcision, otherwise known as female genital mutilation (FGM) changed everything about Fadumo's world: first the ordeal itself, performed by a native practitioner with unclean implements, and then the infection that took hold and gradually ruined her health.

Fadumo was sent to stay with wealthy and politically-connected relatives in Mogadishu for medical care. Eventually, in the midst of political upheaval in her country, she was sent to Europe and settled in Germany where she married and eventually found culturally sensitive medical care. After reconstructive surgery she was able to experience bodily functions without pain, and gave birth to a son. She now works with the Foundation for Women's Health, Research and Development (FORWARD), an international NGO committed to " eliminating gender-based violence against African girls and women, particularly female genital mutilation and child and forced marriage" (quote from FORWARD's website). These practices are the cultural norm in certain areas of Africa, Asia and the Middle East, and in some immigrant communities in Europe and North America. According to the World Health Organization, "An estimated 100 to 140 million girls and women worldwide are currently living with the consequences of FGM."

Born in the Big Rains: A Memoir of Somalia and Survival (Women Writing Africa) sets itself and the reader a challenging task. On one hand it inspires anger with a horrifying description of FGM and of the terrible after-effects. Yet on the other hand it asks the reader to explore and try to understand the cultural significance of the practice as a step on the road to its eradication. Ms. Korn achieves both goals very well with this memoir. I respect her openness in telling her intensely personal story; she wears her empowerment well and we can only wish the same for all African women who live under the threat of this painful practice.

Linda Bulger, 2010

The first portion of this book follows the young nomad Fadumo as she travels and wanders with her family in Somalia. The descriptive writing of Somalia and the scenes laid before the reader are simply breathtaking.
Then we follow the young girl as she undergoes FGM (female genital mutilation), becomes ill and travels to Germany for medical treatment. Eventually she marries and becomes a fighter against FGM.
A must-read for those wanting to see a woman's life in Africa and how FGM affects the young woman's life.
It is also an interesting read about the choices she takes in her life and the other women in her family who remain subservient and stuck.
Although how much of this is determined by her father who let her live with one uncle who was very giving and caring ---while her sister Khadija ended up with another uncle who was abusive and cruel.
In closing, this book is a quick read and you won't be disappointed.

Born in the big rains in a gripping and thought provoking memoir of a Somalian girls transformation with female genital cutting. Fadumo Korn underwent her circumcision at the age of 7 and became severely sick afterwards. Her tale moves us from Somalia to Mogadishu and to Germany, all for treatment and find her vibrant personality along the way. Fadumo's journey includes everything from an incoming civil war, a struggle for health and treatment, and activism against FGM. I was worried that the memoir would be lengthy and interjected with difficult concepts to understand, but enjoyable and easy to read, and he dialogue is enticing. She makes it easy to understand her emotions, thoughts, and her environment. It's a definite recommended read.

"Born in the Big Rains: A Memoir of Somalia and Survival" is written by Fadumo Korn and traces the author's life from her childhood as a nomad in Somalia to her current life and work in Germany. Fadumo Abdi Hersi Farah Husen was born in Somalia in 1964. Her family led a nomadic lifestyle as camel herders and from an early age she knew that "girls had to obey" (Korn 28). This lesson becomes painfully obvious when she undergoes gudniin, or infibulation, the most extreme form of female circumcision. The rest of the memoir details her journey to overcome the physical, emotional and psychological damages she suffered after the ritual. After she initially becomes ill, her father takes her to live with her wealthy aunt and uncle in the capital, Mogadishu. Here she lives a life that is in stark contrast to her life in the dry steppes as a nomad: she attends school, lives a life of relative luxury, and begins treatment for her severe rheumatism. In Mogadishu she also learns about her family's prominence in Somalia; her uncle was Siad Barre, the founder of the Socialist Republic of Somalia, and therefore "the government was the family" (Korn 72). When Fadumo is older, she immigrates to Germany in search of further medical treatment and begins the process of reversing her infibulation. She meets her husband Walter, and as Somalia falls apart in violent civil war, she becomes an advocate for other Somalian immigrants and a champion for the cause to end female genital mutilation.
Fadumo Korn separates her narrative into three sections, which refer to her major life changes: first nomadic life, then life in Mogadishu, and lastly, life in Germany. Each section has a slightly different mood and pace. The first years of her life read more like a novel, with idyllic descriptions of her life as a nomad. The subsequent sections have a much faster pace and reflect the more tragic narratives the author relates. Fadumo's personal memoir is interwoven with the history of Somalia and the events leading up to the civil war. This book is dense in that it covers a wide range of topics and almost four decades of history. Her poetic use of language is juxtaposed with the often violent and painful events of her life. Her vivid descriptions of specific events, such as her infibulation, make an indelible impression and intimately link the reader to the subject matter.
Struggle for survival is a constant theme throughout the memoir, not just of physical survival, but the fight for the preservation of families, cultural identity and self-worth. Amidst the devastation of her infibulation and Somalia's civil war, Fadumo demonstrates the strength and resilience of the African woman. Once she leaves Somalia, she struggles to keep her family intact and alive, to preserve her Somalian identity while creating a life in Germany, and coping with the physical and psychological effects of her infibulation. This book is an important contribution to the literature on female genital mutilation because it offers the culturally sensitive viewpoint of an African Muslim woman who has experienced the ritual firsthand.

This book was such a great read. A very powerful and moving account about a woman's experience with Female Genital Mutilation. Her focus is broader however, creating the experience for any reader as if they are actually with her in Somalia and other journeys. A very easy read, this memoir is both uplifting and insightful. It captivates the essence of life as a nomad and transcends into political and cultural arenas that serve to enlighten the reader. This is definitely a must buy.

The horrors of female circumcision - something long since banned in the Western world, it is still practiced in many African Countries. "Born in the Big Rains: A Memoir of Somalia and Survival" is author and feminist Fadumo Korn's story of nearly dying to the barbaric practice and her rise to becoming a spokesman against the practice. A harsh and much needed criticism against the atrocity of female genital mutilation, "Born in the Big Rains: A Memoir of Somalia and Survival" has the highest recommendation to community library women's studies collections as a bastion against this cruelty that far too many young girls in the world have been exposed to.

Excellent - very enlightening to a women's crisis and so well written.

Can you imagine being born into a Somalian nomad family, and then, because of illness and the luck
of the tribe, being transported first, to a life of relative luxury, in the capitol city and ultimately to
Germany? The transition from one distinct culture to another in Europe reminds all of us of the need
to respect those aspects of traditions which bind people together and try to alter, as humanely as possible,
those traditional practices that do injury, particularly to women. This is a wonderful, courageous story.