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Infidel
by Ayaan Hirsi Ali

6.4 based on 16 reviews read critic reviews how did we calculate this? based on 45 votes read user comments rate this book

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The author of "The Caged Virgin," Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West.

Free Press, 368 pages
02/06/2007
$26.00

ISBN: 0743289684

Nonfiction
Biographies & Memoirs

All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...

Kirkus Reviews

Crammed with harrowing details, Hirsi Ali's account is a significant contribution to our times. [1 Dec 2006, p.1206]

Publishers Weekly

She delivers a powerful feminist critique of Islam informed by a genuine understanding of the religion. [18 Dec 2006]

The New York Times William Grimes

A brave, inspiring and beautifully written memoir. Narrated in clear, vigorous prose.

Daily Telegraph Michael Burleigh

If there is one book that really addresses the existential issues of our civilisation, then Ali's autobiography is it. That it is brilliantly and soberly written is a bonus.

The Guardian Natasha Walter

For pure energy and readability, Ali's autobiography is the winner. She proves herself here a true writer, able to sum up a scene that may be completely foreign to the reader in a way that makes it a living, breathing experience, unforgettably raw and immediate.

Village Voice Joel Whitney

Hirsi Ali is a startling figure, blunt and brave, and her riveting memoir deserves a wide readership. Liberal readers may learn from her that the threat of Islamic terrorism is every bit as grave and real as the most vocal have claimed; conservatives may learn how not to make it worse. Everyone else gets a thrilling story.

The Globe And Mail [Toronto] Theodore Dalrymple

This is one of the most crucial documents of our time, and is absorbing and pleasurable to read.

Boston Globe Eric Weinberger

It is hard sometimes to know why Hirsi Ali engenders such abuse. Of course, attacking Islam and the prophet Mohammed does not help; but her pronouncements are delivered only in the spirit of purest reason.

Daily Telegraph Mary Wakefield

It's been a week since I finished Ayaan Hirsi Ali's remarkable autobiography, and I haven't stopped thinking about it or talking about it for long. I'd recommend her story to anyone: man, woman, Muslim, Christian, Jew - because it drags some hideous truths out from the shadows, and because it shows that even the most hopeless life can be transformed by the right mix of chance and choice.

Wall Street Journal Luuk van Middelaar

A lucid and captivating autobiography...Anecdotal and somewhat self-conscious, the book reads like a Bildungsroman, a coming-of-age novel -- except that a Muslim girl from Mogadishu was never supposed to develop a sense of "self" in the first place. Infidel is less about fulfilling a destiny than about finding an identity.

Washington Post Anne Applebaum

Hirsi Ali displays what surely must be her greatest gift: the talent for recalling, describing and honestly analyzing the precise state of her feelings at each stage of that journey.

San Francisco Chronicle Sandip Roy

Infidel is not just a bitter manifesto against genital mutilation and holy terror. With her terrific ear for dialogue and her fine eye for detail, it's at times more like "Little Women" under the shade of the talal tree.

The New York Times Book Review Ian Buruma

This uplifting story of liberation is entirely plausible, but it gives Hirsi Ali’s descriptions of life in the West an idealized, almost comic-book quality that sounds as naïve as those romantic novels she consumed as a young girl. Whereas the picture of Hirsi Ali’s childhood is full of nuance and variation, the images of the Netherlands could have been lifted from some patriotic Dutch children's book.

Entertainment Weekly Hannah Tucker

Hirsi Ali sacrifices stylish prose in her scathing critique of Islam.

The Independent Yasmin Alibhai-Brown

The world she knows does not include any enlightened Muslims. Islam puts all women into a cage, she claims. Not her own mother and grandmother though, obviously. Gross claims are brandished but not evidenced.

The Economist

Read as a modern coming-of-age story set in Africa, the book has a certain charm. Read as a key to the thinking of a woman who aspires to be the Muslim Voltaire, it is more problematic. The facts as Ms Hirsi Ali tells them here do not fit well either with some of the stories she has told in the past or with her tendency in her political writing to ascribe most of the troubles of the Muslim world to Islam.

The average user rating for this book is 6.4 (out of 10) based on 45 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Natha S gave it a0:
This book is full of misconceptions and lies. The author does NOT understand Islam as some claim, she is ignorant of the faith and bases her beliefs on the ignorant folks she knew. It is like a Christian criticizing her religion after seeing the actions of Hitler. She needs to use better sources.

sHELLY r gave it a10:
I have not been able to stop thinking about this book. What a brave young woman. Her understanding of the Islamic Religion from a true insider is so insightful. I hope she continue to encourage others to seek the truth. Wonderfully honestly written you feel like you are on the ride with her. Loved this book.

Kris S gave it a10:
Infidel, by Ayaan Ali is a great book. The parallels between USA and Holland are insightful. Her life story and her insights are very revealing. Her story can be a light to any one. She is active in creating a good life for herself. She refuses to be a victim and blame others. What a great role model she is for everyone.

Russ gave it a10:
Best book I've read in a long time! Her journey from backwardness to enlightenment is a wonderful tale. I'm sure those who rate this book low are muslim apologists or extremist multiculturists. On a higher level, this can be read as an indictment of all religious extremism, so i'm a little perplexed at the Christians who only see the evils in Islam here.

[Anonymous] gave it a9:
A powerful book that exposes appalling truths about Islam, especially in regards to the barbaric treatment of women practiced by its faithful. Anyone who reads this book can no longer honestly claim that Islam is a peaceful, nonviolent religion.

Samira A gave it a0:
She is an angry and dysfuntional, opportunistic arrivist: it is the time or never to stab muslims at the back and this is her business. She needs to heal before writing...btw why write on Muslims and Islam when she calls herself an atheist?

amber d gave it a9:
I was entralled and moved by the story telling. But most surpising was the reflection on religion. I am inspired to reflect the parallels between Muslim and Christian extremism is the face of extreme poverty and violence. Although there were portions of her memiors that reflected her naivite, probably due to her youth, she gives an honest portrayal of her life and the events and emotions that shaped it. This is a book that should be widely read and discussed by politicians, theologians and those looking to deepen their understanding of the relationship between conflict and religion.

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