Waris Dirie leads a double life -- by day, she is an international
supermodel and human rights ambassador for the United Nations; by
night, she dreams of the simplicity of life in her native Somalia
and the family she was forced to leave behind.
Desert
Flower, her intimate and inspiring memoir, is a must-read for
anyone who has ever wondered about the beauty of African life, the
chaotic existence of a supermodel, or the joys of new motherhood.
Waris was born into a traditional Somali family, desert nomads
who engaged in such ancient and antiquated customs as genital
mutilation and arranged marriage. At twelve, she fled an arranged
marriage to an old man and traveled alone across the dangerous
Somali desert to Mogadishu -- the first leg of an emotional journey
that would take her to London as a house servant, around the world
as a fashion model, and eventually to America, where she would find
peace in motherhood and humanitarian work for the U.N.
Today, as Special Ambassador for the U.N., she travels the world
speaking out against the barbaric practice of female genital
mutilation, promoting women's reproductive rights, and educating
people about the Africa she fled -- but still deeply loves.
Desert Flower will be published simultaneously in
eleven languages throughout the world and is currently being
produced as a feature film by Rocket Pictures UK.