Customer Reviews

Dying for My Daughter

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This small book delivers a tremendous message about a topic which is new to most Americans but is widely practiced in many countries - especially in Africa. Even though it is called fiction, it is a story which unfolds time and again in parts of the world. That topic is female circumcision; also known as female gential mutilation (FGM). The latter is a more accurate description of the practice which is based on tradition and ignores the damage
done to young girls who suffer through the procedure. The suffering does not end with the "the healing period in the bush" but endures as long as she lives.

Even though Africans are taught from an early age to obey and revere their elders, Umar, who married an uncircumcised woman, challenges his father, the village elders, and tradition by refusing to allow his daughter, Ramatouile, to undergo the traditional "going to the bush" and being cruelly mutilated with an unsterilized instrument and risking her life and exposing her a lifetime of physical and mental suffering.

Umar dealy loved and respected his father and faced separation from family and tribe if he refused the father's request to send the daughter "to the bush". However, he put his love for his daughter above centuries of tradition and even told his father he would kill himself if the father forced the daughter to be circumcised.

This is a moving novel which tells the story of a father's conflicting love for his daughter and his disagreement with his beloved father. It is a powerful statement against the practice which cannot be justified on any grounds other that tradition.

This story will shock many who are not familiar with FGM. Readers who want to know more about this cruel practice should read WARRIOR MARKS BY Alice walker and DESERT FLOWER by Waris Dirie.