I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced

For the SV Moms Book Club I read I Am Nujood, Age 10 And Divorced and maaaaannnnn. Rough read, but inspiring. I wasn't even sure how I would begin a post about it. For the book club we write a post inspired by the book, so I tried to figure out what it inspired in me. I'm still not sure.

But, I know this: I know women who feel that they are trapped in marriages. Women who feel that they were forced or pressured into a marriage by their family. Pride, respect, power, financial gain, security... These are all reasons Nujood was married off at the terribly young age of ten. And these are the same reasons young women here feel pushed into getting married as well. There may not be contracts or dowries, but guilt and fear can be as strong.

I've become accustomed to women who tend to use their situation as an excuse. I'm unhappy, so _____________ (you fill in the blank). In my experience it ends with that person lashing out at someone else, hoping to push off their unhappiness and insecurities off on another. Reading about a child who was able to take her forced marriage and daily sexual and physical abuse and turn it into a force of power and determination... Well, that's just something else.

I'm not judging women who get swallowed up by it, but I am judging those who channel it in mean spirited, hurtful ways toward other people. If Nujood can pull together the strength to reclaim her life and happiness, I hope one day they will as well. Too bad the people I'm thinking of in particular don't look at this blog.

This post was inspired by I am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced, which I received complimentary as a part of Chicago Moms Blog (Silicon Valley Moms Group) Book Club.