Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Absorbing November 24, 2008
I bought this book as an extra when buying something else. I planned to read it on holiday, but it arrived three days before I left and I made the mistake of dipping into it beforehand. It was a mistake because my total absorbtion in this autobiography left me with no more than a few pages to read on my trip. It is a long time since I learned so much from a book. Ayaan writes simply, and without rancour about a life that appears beyond belief to a western male. It is a wonderful, literary achievement that deserves our attention.
Inspirational October 17, 2008
I could not put this book down. In my entire life and professional career, and in dealing with refugees from the countries where she grew up, I have never seen such evidence of courage, fortitude and perseverance as this young lady has demonstrated in the face of unspeakable atrocities. She is an example to us all. When all around her were prepared blindly to accept religious dogma, as it was taught to us, she used her intellect and remained true to that intellect. To my mind, she is probably the most remarkable woman ever. She appears kind and caring of all of her fellow humans. Although not on the cover of this book, there are photos of her on the web which show that she has a very beautiful smile to complement her intellect. In my opinion this book should be compulsory reading for all teenagers before they leave school. Very well done Ayaan.
Riveting autobiography & illuminating history June 20, 2008
5 out of 7 found this review helpful
It's rare to find autobiography as absorbing as this. Not only because of the author's unusual path from the desert of Somalia to the USA via the Netherlands, but also on account of the absorbing writing style. Clear and descriptive, the narrative of her eventful life had a profound impact on this reader. Born and raised in Somalia, Ayaan spent part of her youth in neighboring countries like Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia and Kenya, recounting what it was like to live there through the eyes of a child.
She gives a lively account of the history of Somalia under the dictatorship of Siad Barre, explaining the clan system and comparing the relaxed Muslim practice in that country with the rigidy of Saudi Arabia and the hypocrisy and racism that go along with it. The short experience of Ethiopia and later the long stay in Kenya, both predominantly Christian countries, were different again and she really captivates with her descriptions of places and people. One of her most salient memories is the obsessive Antisemitism in Saudi Arabia. Where her family lived in the city of Riyadh, Jews were blamed for everything.
A sub-theme of the book is the increased radicalization of Muslims, partly because of the failures and the suffering brought about by Barre and the chaos of the civil war that unseated him. She noted this radicalization taking place amongst Somalis and others in Kenya where she spent most of her adolescence. This radical strain was brought to Africa by Arabs and Iranians, both Sunni and Shia, also reflecting the failure of secular ideologies and bad government in the dictatorships of the Muslim world.
There are sympathetic but honest portrayals of her family and friends: her mother who showed healthy signs of independence early in life but eventually lost hope and became embittered, her loving and tolerant but mostly absent father, her brother who stayed in Kenya and her sister who, when she couldn't cope in Holland, died tragically after returning to Kenya.
Far from stirring up feelings against Islam, this book makes one contemplate with empathy the location of each individual's birth, how little free choice there really is in a closed society, the powerful hold of your community's history and culture, the difficulty of resisting brainwashing and how grateful people in free societies ought to be for the blessings that a lot of us take for granted.
Infidel is also about a second journey: A journey of the mind from the strictures of stifling, oppressive faith to the liberation of enlightenment and the embrace of Western values like individual freedom, freedom of speech and the rule of law. The fact that the individual mattered and had a right to life, to choice and freedom, was a joyful discovery.
This theme interweaves with the history she so deftly chronicles: the collapse of Somalia, the slow decline in Kenya, Dutch politics in the face of dysfunctional multiculturalism that however well intended, harms individuals in the immigrant communities and society as a whole. More information of these developments in The Netherlands and Europe as a whole is available in While Europe Slept by Bruce Bawer and Menace in Europe by Claire Berlinski.
It is humbling to read of the author's wonderment and appreciation when she discovered Dutch society where even the police were friendly and helpful and where everything worked. Ayaan clearly loves The Netherlands; her words radiate with gratitude and appreciation of the culture and society. I especially enjoyed the account of her studies at the University of Leiden where she studied the great Western philosophers.
Sometimes harrowing, the story of Infidel includes innocent childhood memories, mutilation, war, deprivation, tragedy, adventure, drastic adaptation and inspiring achievements. It is clear that Ayaan Hirsi Ali is an unusually courageous, empathic and resourceful individual. There are 11 black & white plates of family and other people who played a part in her life. As far as the religious aspect is concerned, I recommend the following informative books by two equally courageous women: Because They Hate by Brigitte Gabriel and Now They Call Me Infidel by Nonie Darwish.
Infidel June 7, 2008
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
This is a vivid, highly readable and fascinating memoir. It is a true page turner that jumps straight into the narrative and leads you along at pace, unlike any autobiography I have read in years. Her story and her intellectual transformation are an important perspective in our highly charged religious climate. This a fabulous piece of writing. Read this book.
 She admited to be a liar! April 30, 2008
3 out of 29 found this review helpful
This book has very little truth in it and her claims of being oppressed in her homeland was proven to be a fabrication she made up to immigrate to the Netherlands where she later was thrown out of! Now she's trying to make some money by publishing the same lie again! I mean seriously, how gullible do you have to be to fall into the exact same nonsense twice?
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