Aman

The Story of a Somali Girl

This is the extraordinary first-person account of a young woman's coming of age in Somalia and her struggles against the obligations and strictures of family and society.  By the time she is nine, Aman has undergone a ritual circumcision ceremony; at eleven, her innocent romance with a white boy leads to a murder; at thirteen she is given away in an arranged marriage to a stranger.  Aman eventually runs away to Mogadishu, where her beauty and rebellious spirit leads her to the decadent demimonde of white colonialists.  Hers is a world in which women are both chattel and freewheeling entrepreneurs, subject to the caprices of male relatives, yet keenly aware of the loopholes that lead to freedom.  Aman is an astonishing history, opening a window onto traditional Somali life and the universal quest for female self-awareness.  
"Beautifully eloquent...gripping and illuminating. It's an intimate, personal account...Even more compelling that the ups and downs of Aman's life is what she manages to unveil about her society, religion and culture."--Detroit Free Press

"Most impressive...A remarkable narrative, richly detailed. [Aman] tells her tale in a voice that belongs not to the present, but to her rebellious, resilient, courageous, ferociously determined self."--Washington Post Book World

"A rare feat: a glimpse of traditional and modern Africa from a female point of view."--Macleans

About

This is the extraordinary first-person account of a young woman's coming of age in Somalia and her struggles against the obligations and strictures of family and society.  By the time she is nine, Aman has undergone a ritual circumcision ceremony; at eleven, her innocent romance with a white boy leads to a murder; at thirteen she is given away in an arranged marriage to a stranger.  Aman eventually runs away to Mogadishu, where her beauty and rebellious spirit leads her to the decadent demimonde of white colonialists.  Hers is a world in which women are both chattel and freewheeling entrepreneurs, subject to the caprices of male relatives, yet keenly aware of the loopholes that lead to freedom.  Aman is an astonishing history, opening a window onto traditional Somali life and the universal quest for female self-awareness.  

Praise

"Beautifully eloquent...gripping and illuminating. It's an intimate, personal account...Even more compelling that the ups and downs of Aman's life is what she manages to unveil about her society, religion and culture."--Detroit Free Press

"Most impressive...A remarkable narrative, richly detailed. [Aman] tells her tale in a voice that belongs not to the present, but to her rebellious, resilient, courageous, ferociously determined self."--Washington Post Book World

"A rare feat: a glimpse of traditional and modern Africa from a female point of view."--Macleans

PRH Education High School Collections

All reading communities should contain protected time for the sake of reading. Independent reading practices emphasize the process of making meaning through reading, not an end product. The school culture (teachers, administration, etc.) should affirm this daily practice time as inherently important instructional time for all readers. (NCTE, 2019)   The Penguin Random House High

Read more

PRH Education Translanguaging Collections

Translanguaging is a communicative practice of bilinguals and multilinguals, that is, it is a practice whereby bilinguals and multilinguals use their entire linguistic repertoire to communicate and make meaning (García, 2009; García, Ibarra Johnson, & Seltzer, 2017)   It is through that lens that we have partnered with teacher educators and bilingual education experts, Drs.

Read more

PRH Education Classroom Libraries

“Books are a students’ passport to entering and actively participating in a global society with the empathy, compassion, and knowledge it takes to become the problem solvers the world needs.” –Laura Robb   Research shows that reading and literacy directly impacts students’ academic success and personal growth. To help promote the importance of daily independent

Read more