How is a sense of dignity instilled throughout the book?

How is a sense of dignity instilled throughout the book?

The entire book oozes dignity, but I was particularly struck by the nomad women. They gave Salh the dignity and strength she needed for the rest of her life.

Dignity is the state of being worth honor or respect and I feel that the book supports this definition completely. The women in the book (except perhaps Saada, the sister in Canada) were portrayed as honorable. Most of the men in Salh's family were portrayed that way as well. Considering what the Somalis had been through, they seem to have acted in ways that spoke to their character. Salh's father was more complicated though as he acted in both traditional and nontraditional Somali ways.

Using the same definition of dignity as scgirl I think all nomads especially the women relied on dignity within their interactions between each other and for their lives in general. Even others who supported Salh in Canada except her sister showed her dignity which provided her with the support she4 needed ass she adjusted to a new life.

As a white woman born and raised in the United States, there was potential for negative reactions to some of Sahl's descriptions. For example, there was a craze a few years ago where people were posting pictures of baby goats in pajamas on-line. So cute, right? So my reaction to eating goat meat could have been one of horror. Similarly, I may have had the same reaction when Sahl described her beatings by various family members or her FGM procedure. Yet, everything that Sahl shared about her life was done so with such respect for Somalia and her culture, I found that my reactions were less reactive. They were more along the lines of "huh, that is interesting". She shared parts of her life that she knew many of us wouldn't understand in a way that it wasn't really possible for me to make judgments. She is proud of who she is, where she came from, and all of her life experiences. She seemed to understand that because of her tradition and culture, she was able to become the strong, successful, open person she is. She held her head high. She did not apologize for her way of life or make excuses for what happened to her in Somalia or its reliance on traditional teachings and systems. For all of these reasons, she let her readers know that she is a woman worthy of honor.

acstrine....well said!!!

Salh survived harrowing experiences from a young age, yet learned to respect the cultural traditions of a nation rich in patriarchal beliefs. She chose to learn from these experiences and not be defined exclusively by what happened to her, but instead by what she learned about herself and the ability to rise above the oppression of her gender. The book presents factual tales of upbringing that most American readers can hardly fathom. The author acknowledges that she has made a conscience decision to forgive the negative and only carry on with those abilities that serve her as a contemporary woman, mother, and a human-- such an honorable mantra to life!