Infidel

I've just finished reading Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. It's an autobiography about this chick who was born in Somalia, grew up Muslim in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Saudi Arabia, then moved to the West where her life changed.

Although it's an autobiography, I read it more like a story. You follow her through her life, seeing things as she saw them, but also get glimpses into the perspective of other people in her life too. It has excitement and twists, and it's all true, which makes it all the more interesting.

It really gives insight into what it's like to live in a Muslim country with Muslim values, and it has some rather shocking information about those countries and values. It's an inspiring story of a girl breaking free of Islam, and going on to do better things, which is almost impossible to do for most girls in her situation. And it's not just interesting because it's topical. It's about how she came to reach reason and integrity, despite all odds and even when her life depended on it (which it did -- several times).

It's a must if you want to understand why Islamic society and ideals are different from the West and other religions. To those of you who are still sceptical about putting time into reading it: it doesn't take much time or effort. It's really easy/fast to read, and well-written.