Desert Flower is the autobiography of the Somalian girl turned supermodel, Waris Dirie.
Waris was born to a nomadic
family in Somalia. As a young girl she had to walk for miles alone in the desert in search of water for her family. When she was five years old, she was subject to female circumcision in the
middle of the desert without any anesthetic or antiseptic, as was the custom in her village. Her sister, who ran away in pain in the middle of the procedure, died from bleeding.
At twelve, her father arranged for her marriage to a sixty-year-old man for the price of five camels. Waris ran away from home in the middle of the night. She walked for days through the desert to reach the Somali capital, Mogadishu. In Mogadishu, she stayed with
relatives, and later flew to London to work for some rich relatives as a servant. She was spotted by a photographer while bringing her cousin to school.
When her relatives returned to Somalia, Waris refused to return with them. She stayed in London, determined to make a life for herself there. Waris worked at McDonald's and found some friends to live with. Eventually she took up modeling and made it to the cover of a Pirelli calendar. After a successful career as a model, she devoted her time and energies to campaigning with the UN against female genital mutilation.
Waris Dirie's story is one of great determination to overcome the odds and make a better future for herself. It is a source of inspiration for young women.