The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree

How I Fought to Save Myself, My Sister, and Thousands of Girls Worldwide

By: Nice Leng'ete

Narrated by: Nneka Okoye

The inspirational true story of one girl who changed the minds of her elders, reformed traditions from the inside, and is creating a better future for girls and women throughout Africa.

Nice Leng`ete was raised in a Maasai village in Kenya. In 1998, when Nice was six, her parents fell sick and died, and Nice and her sister, Soila, were taken in by their father’s brother, who had little interest in the girls beyond what their dowries might fetch. Fearing “the cut” (female genital mutilation, a painful and sometimes deadly ritualistic surgery), which was the fate of all Maasai women, Nice and Soila climbed a tree to hide.

Nice hoped to find a way to avoid the cut forever, but Soila understood it would be impossible. But maybe if one of the sisters submitted, the other would be spared. After Soila chose to undergo the surgery, sacrificing herself to save Nice, their lives diverged. Soila married, dropped out of school, and had children - all in her teenage years - while Nice postponed receiving the cut, continued her education, and became the first in her family to attend college.

Supported by Amref, Nice used visits home to set an example for what an uncut Maasai woman can achieve. Other women listened, and the elders finally saw the value of intact, educated girls as the way of the future. The village has since ended FGM entirely, and Nice continues the fight to end FGM throughout Africa, and the world.

Nice’s journey from “heartbroken child and community outcast, to leader of the Maasai” is an inspiration and a reminder that one person can change the world - and every girl is worth saving.

©2021 Nice Leng'ete (P)2021 Little, Brown & Company

Inspiring story

This is a well told and inspiring story by one very brave and powerful Masai girl to end female genital mutilation. It was at once disturbing and uplifting.

Beautiful, Warm, and Engaging!

Beautiful, warm, and engaging! Once I got past the introduction, I understood why Nice gave us the gory details. It was hard to swallow. I could not comprehend. It was unimaginable. She told the story well due to her through description and personal reflections. I was captured. I’ve shared it with everyone I can. Some Westerners do not know how fortunate and blessed we are. I am appreciative of her story. I thought the voice was that if the author! Great performance and details. Thank you for the knowledge. I pray for the continual success of The Nice House.

Beyond Inspiring!

Rarely have I read a memoir where the author experiences so much heartbreak and trauma, and nevertheless overcomes it all in such a satisfying and remarkable way! Nice is one of the most inspiring humans I’ve come across - I love her story and am amazed at just how many women her life and work have impacted in the best of ways!

THE CUT

Nice Leng’ete offers the story of her life in “The Girls in the Wild Fig Tree”. A large part of her story is about her life from age 4 to 10 years of age. She is born into a Christian family in Kenya. The final chapters address the lessons of her life and her journey to adulthood. Her father and mother die early in Leng’ete’s life. She explains both her parents died from AIDs.

Leng’ete shows herself to be an unconventional woman as well as an extraordinary Maasai. She breaks many international misogynist beliefs as well as Maasai traditional roles for women in her native country. In the Maasai, FGM (Female Genital Mutilation) is a rite of passage into adulthood and a pre-requisite for marriage. Leng’ete explains to the elders of her village how genital cutting of women’s genitals often cause excessive blood loss, infection, and high fevers that cause the death of women in their tribe. In the past, such deaths were believed to be unrelated to the cutting but to supernatural causes. In truth, Leng’ete notes many of the deaths are from unsterile instruments and imprecise cutting of the clitoris. The broader cultural reality of FGM is that it reinforces sexual inequality.

This is a brave story of a great woman who demonstrates the truth that all human beings are equal, while a very few are the greatest among us.

Powerful

This was an amazing audiobook. powerful story and beautiful performance. would definitely recommend this listen.

How we all can learn to make a difference

Amazing story of overcoming life in a severe male dominated society. Such courage and perseverance.

Powerful, more than FGM

While the cut is the core issue of the book, there is so much more. It gives an enlightening look into Maasai culture, and then also its role, particularly with regard to women, inside the greater Kenyan society. This was actually quite welcome, as it provided me with a context I must admit was woefully lacking in my understanding. What results is the description of a colorful and complex culture, at once unique and traditional, at other times supremely recognizable with problems universal to all. The author deftly balances the effort to address her culture's shortcomings, while retaining its heritage, as well as welcoming outside assistance without letting Western sensibilities dictate how that progress proceeds. I had slightly feared the pomposity of the subtitle, but reasoned that it was merely the cynical addition of a book publisher, seeking to goose sales. But as the book goes on, Nice, always an appealing personality, gets her legs under her, (balanced on her favored stiletto heels), and the confidence, edging toward prideful, does begin to appear. But even if it does, it's well earned for a brave and inspirational woman. A genuinely enlightening book.

Truly a wonderful read

An inspirational life, worth documenting. Nice is making a difference in this world. We should all strive to be indomitable of spirit like her.

So worth the read. Thank you Nice!

This audiobook was so wonderfully read, and such a wonderfully told story. I could not be happier to have spent time learning about your culture through a female’s point of view. What a warrior you have been. Your story is so inspiring!
Thank you for courageously walking through your life and sharing your story to lift us all up.

Terrific!

What a terrific story about overcoming of a dangerous cultural practice! What a terrific example of change coming from within a culture instead of being pressured from without which does not lead to lasting change!