"Desert Flower" by Waris Dirie. Virago Press, 1999

"Desert Flower", the English translation of the author's name, was a happy child in a Somali nomad family, surrounded by an splendid peaceful nature, camels and goats. Facing at the age of 12 her father's imposition to marry a 60-year-old man who she didn't know, she broke all the rules and ran away. Against all odd, Dessert Flower ended up in London. Her striking refined style and beauty lead her to a career in modelling and as an ardent campaigner against female genital mutilation. Dessert Flower is a Goodwill Embassador of the United Nations and campaigns tirelessly to educate on and oppose Female Genital Mutilation.