Responding to "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced" Silicon Valley Moms Book Club Selection for June

One reason I love blogging for the Silicon Valley Moms is each month we get the opportunity to read books.  And, rather than offer our readers a traditional book review, we get the freedom to blog about how a particular book inspired us and/or how the book may relate to our own lives, past or present.  It kind of reminds me of an English course I once took in college where we spent the entire semester just chronicling our personal responses to works of literature.

But, I digress!  Our Book club selection for June: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced left me stumped.  How can I relate to the book, a memoir,  of a 10 year old Yemeni girl who is forced by her own father to marry a man 3 times her age?  It was a heart wrenching read.  I found myself reacting strongly while reading the book (which I easily finished in one day).  My own daughter is around the same age as Nujood when she married, and I found myself wondering how on earth can a parent, no matter how dire his circumstances, marry off his own child? 

I am in awe of this little girl who found the courage to stand up for herself and helped change the law in her own country (albeit, not sure if the law will be enforced) making it illegal to marry off a child less than 17 years of age.  A young girl who dreams of one day becoming a lawyer to help "defend other little girls" like herself.  At the end of the book there is a website listed where you can help young girls like Nujood:  http://www.yldf.org/ 

Disclaimer:  I received a complimentary copy of I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced for the Silicon Valley Moms Book Club selection for June.