Infidel (first published 2007), a
New York Times bestseller, is the English translation of the
autobiography of
Ayaan Hirsi Ali, originally
ghostwritten in Dutch as
Mijn Vrijheid ("My Freedom") and released on September 29, 2006. It was released in English by
Free Press on February 1, 2007. The English edition does not identify the translator.
Synopsis
Hirsi Ali writes about her youth in
Somalia,
Saudi Arabia,
Ethiopia and
Kenya, about her flight to
the Netherlands where she applied for
political asylum, her university experience in
Leiden, her work for the
Labour Party, her transfer to the
People's Party for Freedom and Democracy, her election to Parliament, and the murder of
Theo van Gogh, with whom she made the film
Submission. The book ends with the controversy regarding her citizenship, which helped bring down the Dutch government.
Reception
Praise
The launch of the book in the
Netherlands was a great success, with the initial print run selling out in two days. A review in
de Volkskrant concluded that "anyone who discovers Hirsi Ali's tumultuous history can only sympathise with her". The German edition of the book,
Mein Leben, meine Freiheit ("My...
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