 | |
| Author | Ayaan Hirsi Ali |
|---|---|
| Original title | Mijn Vrijheid |
| Genre | Autobiography |
| Publisher | Free Press |
Publication date | 2006 |
Published in English | 2007 |
| Pages | 368 |
| ISBN | 0-7432-9503-X |
| Preceded by | The Caged Virgin |
| Followed by | Nomad: From Islam to America |
Infidel: My Life is a 2006autobiography ofAyaan Hirsi Ali, a Somali-Dutch activist and politician. Hirsi Ali has attracted controversy and death threats were made against Ali in the early 2000s over the publication of the book.[1][2]
Hirsi Ali writes about her youth inSomalia,Saudi Arabia,Ethiopia andKenya; about her flight tothe Netherlands where she applied forpolitical asylum, her university experience inLeiden, her work for theLabour Party, her transfer to thePeople's Party for Freedom and Democracy, her election to Parliament, and the murder ofTheo van Gogh, with whom she made the filmSubmission. The book ends with a discussion of the controversy regarding her application for asylum and status of her citizenship.
The launch of the book in the Netherlands was considered a success, with the initial print run selling out in two days.[3] A review inde Volkskrant concluded that "anyone who discovers Hirsi Ali's tumultuous history can only sympathise with her".[1] The German edition of the book,Mein Leben, meine Freiheit ("My Life, My Freedom"), debuted in the top 20 of the bestseller list ofDer Spiegel.[3][4]
The book was also well received upon the release of the English edition in 2007. Reviewing the book forThe Sunday Times,Christopher Hitchens called it a "remarkable book."[5] Hitchens provided a foreword to the 2008 paperback edition.
ThePulitzer Prize-winning authorAnne Applebaum, writing inThe Washington Post, said "Infidel is a unique book, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is a unique writer, and both deserve to go far."[6] A review inThe New York Times described the book as a "brave, inspiring and beautifully written memoir".[7] In an interview,Newsweek editorFareed Zakaria described it as "an amazing book by an amazing person".[8]
