Quotes
"With Mona, I'd lose all track of time hile strolling along Hayle Avenue."
Page 49
Who is her sister?
Mona
What is the father struggling with?
Not being able to get a job/provide for his family.
What does Sana's represent?
The family’s growing desperation.
Why was the move to Sana’a overwhelming for Nujood?
The city is noisy, crowded, and unfamiliar. She loses the sense of safety she had in the village.
Page 73
Who is Faez Ali Thamer
Nujoods husband
Where does the family move?
The Capital City/Sana's
What does The Village of Khardji represent?
Lost innocence/ a poor but safe life.
What parts of village life seem comforting to her, and what parts seem limiting?
Comforting: the routine, the closeness of family, and the natural environment.
Limiting: strict gender roles, poverty, and lack of opportunities.
"Hit her even harder. She must listen to you-shes your wife."
Page 83
Who is her lawyer?
Shada Nasser
What does Nujood do to try to help her family?
What does the promise represent?
Nujood being treated like property/inappropriate behavior towards children or women
How does the move affect Nujood’s sense of safety and identity?
She feels smaller, more vulnerable, and less like a child. The city makes her feel lost and invisible.
Page 108
Who is Dowla
Her fathers second wife
What was the promise made to her father after she was married?
What do the closed doors in her husbands house represent?
Her childhood closing.
What role do cultural expectations play in the adults’ decisions?
Tradition normalizes child marriage, and adults feel pressure to follow social norms rather than protect Nujood.
"I married her off of fear"
Page 115
Who is Delphine Minoui
The co-writer of this book
Nujood and her husband sleep together and she describes blood stains on the sheets
What does her husbands house represent
Isolation, loss of protection, emotional jail, discomfort
At what point in these chapters does Nujood realizes she is truly trapped?
When the promises made to her are broken and she is left alone in her new house, she understands she cannot escape.