Infidel

The first half of this book details the coming of age of the author. The second half covers the issues of her public political life. The story is told in a sensitive and candid way, at turns both antagonistic and tender.

The underlying premise is that Islam, when practiced in a way consistent with its writings and history, is essentially about power and control rather than about peaceful pursuit of God.

But more importantly, it is a call to attention that to place high value on others' cultures without a critical evaluation of them is dangerous. Tolerance doesn't always optimize primary values in either the foreign or host culture.

The value of this book is broader than just its evaluation of Islam. Its highest value is in its call to think and speak clearly regardless of the political winds that blow.

I remember reading a quotation recently (but cannot remember the source) that "if 50,000 people say a foolish thing, it is still a foolish thing." That is certainly part of the message of this book.

I finished this book about a week ago and am well into another book, however I find my thoughts reverting back to Infidel. I cannot get over how this brave young woman was able to trust herself so completely to know that everything she ever grew up with and was taught was fundamentally flawed. This is a must listen. It is haunting, inspiring and scary. We could all learn a lot from Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The most important lesson is to trust yourself and your feelings. Then have the courage to stand up to, and against all who try to tell you that you are wrong.
This book will teach you, inspire you, empower you to have faith in yourself and take steps to no only help yourself, but help others who are experiencing the same injustice in the name or religion, government policies, or sexual discrimination. Please don't pass this one up.

I really enjoyed listening to this book. It helped that author was the narrator. Her journey is absolutely amazing.

Very moving, as well as informative. good listen for anyone who is interested about Islam and religion oppression. To hear it from the voice of the author makes the experience more fun. being from Ethiopia myself, it feels like i was hearing the story of my Muslim neighbors and friends. Ayaan personality and life experience is well presented in this book.

This is a very inspiring story. The details are what made it so interesting to me. I wish she would have had a professional reader instead of reading it herself. It took me several hours before I could understand most of what she was saying. I almost gave up after the first hour or so but there was enough there to maintain my interest. Once I became acclimated to her voice and enunciation I realized this was an incredible story. It was worth the effort to persevere and understand her. You will learn a lot about the Moslem faith, not the sugar-coated public relations version of it being a religion of peace but how it actually impacts people's lives, especially women, in a negative way.

This book moved me so much! Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a woman to be admired and listened to. A must read!

After getting through the accent, I was awakened to a naked truth that this woman is telling us. It is our responsibility as free women and people to look into matters of abuse, torture, and slavery that comes with following a religion that does not allow thinking and questioning. All religions are based on words that are written by men, and used to keep people in check. I am amazed in the transformation and the courage this took to brake away from the teachings of her clan and her culture. I wish I could do something to help these women from this culture, sometimes the unknown is more scary than living with such restraints of culture.

I recommend this book for a glimpse into a world that most Western Countries have no clue to.

Infidel is a great book by a heroine. Ayaan Hirsi Ali is very intelligent and wise. Her life story is a warning to the free world. The fact that she reads her book makes it even better. Once you get pass the early years, the story moves fast and keeps interest.

This is one of those life-changing books, one that I listened to years ago, but still think of quite often. In this memoir, Ayaan tells her story of leaving Islam, her journey from Africa and Saudi Arabia where she was a devout Muslim, to the Netherlands where she escaped a pre-arranged marriage and became a vocal activist of women’s rights. She lived in hiding for many years due to threats made on her life for participating in Theo van Gogh’s short film criticizing the treatment of women in Islamic society – the same film that he was murdered for making.

Ayaan’s heroic strength and courage are evident in her soft-spoken yet resolute narration of Infidel, and this heart-wrenching story is made all the more poignant by the telling in her own voice. I am so grateful for brave writers like Ayaan, she literally lends a voice to the many incapable of being heard themselves.

This is a heart wrenching story of the author's life made all the more poignant by her own voice. It's a must-read for anyone interested in how women's rights are negatively affected by Islamic culture.