Cut by Hibo Wardere

Author : Hibo Wardere
Title : Cut: One Woman's Fight Against FGM in Britain Today
Published : 07/04/2016
Pages : 272
Format : Paperback
Publisher : Simon & Schuster






     Imagine for a moment that you are 6-years-old and you are woken in the early hours, bathed and then dressed in rags before being led down to an ominous looking tent at the end of your garden. And there, you are subjected to the cruellest cut, ordered by your own mother. Forced down on a bed, her legs held apart, Hibo Wardere was made to undergo female genital cutting, a process so brutal, she nearly died. As a teenager she moved to London in the shadow of the Somalian Civil War where she quickly learnt the procedure she had undergone in her home country was not 'normal' in the west.

      It's not often I pick up non fiction books. The topic of FGM came up in a book I read a little while ago. Snow Angels by James Thompson. And as I was scanning the shelves of my local book shop I came across this. As I read the back I became more apparent it was something I need to educate my self about. The author relates to us the pain and suffering she went through when this happened to her at a young age. And the continued part it played throughout her life up until this point. She is shows the massive amount of bravery it took to start speaking out about this practice. And I was left both  Impressed and with great admiration for her. Her ability to speak at the local school she worked at and then to the people in the U.K and then the wider world beyond.

     I found it deeply disturbing that not only was this a practice that was still carried out but one that was happening in my very own country. Why any one would chose to do this to their own children is something that is beyond my comprehension. I try to live my life not judging people on there cultural or religious beliefs. But sometimes you read up on a topic and find it hard to bite you tongue. As the author states this is child abuse pure and simple. She splits the book in to sections the first is about her life and how it effect her. The second is accounts of other people life's that this has effected and the continued fight to stop this practise. She does an amazing job of relating both of these topics. In a clear and succinct way. I feel that in writing this book it was as much about her coming to understand and maybe come to terms with this as much as it is for us to read it.

     This is a hard read and from this book my eyes have been opened to something that is usual kept secret from the out side world. As she says her self the Somali community has been both welcoming at times and also damming of her for speaking out about it. Facing problems within her own family for doing so. This is a book I urge you to read and learn form. I cant promise it will be an easy one to get through. But some books are not meant to be.