This book and Half the Sky by Kristof and WuDunn taught me more than I ever wanted to know about fistulas:"...traumatic fistula, which occurs when the wall separating the vagina from the bowels or urinary tract is punctured and cannot heal. The damage creates a steady, uncontrollable leaking of urine or fecal matter. The victim smells bad, causing her to be rejected by her family and community. Women typically get traumatic fistula in childbirth. In Congo, it is a common form of sexual torture, inflicted with guns, tree branches, or broken bottles" (p. 65).Though I posted a teaser about this book back in February, I never did finish reading it. That's what Nancy (Bookfool) calls a DNF book (Did Not Finish). It didn't seem to have a point, other than telling one horror story after another about different women. What's going on in the Congo is truly terrible, and I really wanted to finish this book. It was a struggle to keep reading, though I tried for over a month and even renewed my check-out from the library. Couldn't do it. It was so repetitive! I can't possibly recommend it, so my rating for A Thousand Sisters: "nah."
Here's a much better review of the book than mine, by someone who did finish the book and explains why she was not happy with it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.genderacrossborders.com/2011/10/03/book-review-a-thousand-sisters/