Nujood, who lives in Yemen, is married off with her father's permission and insistence, at the age of only 10. Her husband agrees to wait until she has reached puberty to consummate the marriage, but he's lying, and Nujood is suddenly in a situation where she is completely and utterly alone, with no one to defend her but herself.
The only thing I didn't care for is that the book switches settings and times, back and forth, regularly, denoted by the use of present and past tense. It appears this has been done to keep what some might believe is the most interesting part of the story going throughout the book. I personally wouldn't mind the entire book being in past tense and chronological, but this is merely personal preference.
The voice in the book is very authentic for a girl this age, despite her having a co-writer and translator. It's amazing that, being raised in a society where women have little say, as demonstrated especially in her sister's kidnapping and her father's second wife's living circumstances, Nujood would have the strength to fight back against the situation she is placed in. My heart goes out to her, and the many other girls who have the same fate, but aren't fortunate enough to find a way out of it.
There is no happily-ever-after ending here, but one can only hope there will be a sequel, years from now, that shows Nujood able to live out the dreams she so deserves to have come true. (Note: I received this book free from the publisher, but was not required to write a review.)Get more detail about I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced.
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