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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
hopeful
informative
sad
slow-paced
dark
emotional
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
emotional
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
medium-paced
A moving memoir from a resilient and incredibly accomplished woman, shedding light on life growing up in one of the world's toughest places to be a woman.
When asked by her brother why she continued to take the risk of educating herself and her peers despite the threat of reprisal from the Taliban, Homeira said to him:
“I’m afraid of being killed as you are, but I’m even more afraid of getting buried alive for the rest of my life without realising my dreams.”
There were several descriptions throughout this book that stuck with me. One’s that come to mind are Homeira's students packed seclusively into a tent in heat so menacing it melted the soles of their trainers, her family burying their books in a chest in the garden before an impending Taliban house raid, and them reluctantly placing communist flags up during the Russian invasion to pose as loyalists, and thus avoid harm.
Of course, we are reminded that war and conflict mostly impact the lives of innocent civilians. Moreover, the survival of totalitarian regimes is dependant upon severing familial and communal bonds, to produce compliant individuals that will always be more loyal to the regime and the furthering of it's cause.
It’s clear that the love Homeira’s family had for each other and the ties she built with those like-minded in her community were therefore acts of defiance, and this shaped who she became.
The book flows nicely taking us through the authors experience growing up, and is interspersed with heartfelt letters she wrote to her son during her separation from him in exile. I sighed with relief at the end upon realising she was able to regain custody of him.
The message of this book remains incredibly apt at a time when women's rights continue to be rolled back in Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover.
When asked by her brother why she continued to take the risk of educating herself and her peers despite the threat of reprisal from the Taliban, Homeira said to him:
“I’m afraid of being killed as you are, but I’m even more afraid of getting buried alive for the rest of my life without realising my dreams.”
There were several descriptions throughout this book that stuck with me. One’s that come to mind are Homeira's students packed seclusively into a tent in heat so menacing it melted the soles of their trainers, her family burying their books in a chest in the garden before an impending Taliban house raid, and them reluctantly placing communist flags up during the Russian invasion to pose as loyalists, and thus avoid harm.
Of course, we are reminded that war and conflict mostly impact the lives of innocent civilians. Moreover, the survival of totalitarian regimes is dependant upon severing familial and communal bonds, to produce compliant individuals that will always be more loyal to the regime and the furthering of it's cause.
It’s clear that the love Homeira’s family had for each other and the ties she built with those like-minded in her community were therefore acts of defiance, and this shaped who she became.
The book flows nicely taking us through the authors experience growing up, and is interspersed with heartfelt letters she wrote to her son during her separation from him in exile. I sighed with relief at the end upon realising she was able to regain custody of him.
The message of this book remains incredibly apt at a time when women's rights continue to be rolled back in Afghanistan following the Taliban's takeover.
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
This will be turning in my head a long time. Qaderi writes that she doesn't remember her homeland of Afghanistan when it wasn't at war, she writes of her life under Taliban rule, she writes of being forced to leave her beloved son ... and yet, she writes of power and of dreams and of light.
Equal parts heart-wrenching and poignant, this memoir is also a love letter to her son, that he may know of her love and the impossible choices she was forced to make.
Perhaps the most beautiful of the entire thing is the love of her parents - her father risking everything to share his beloved books with her, despite the banning of books other than the Qaran. Her mother telling her to write her stories, despite it being forbidden. Her brother escorting her to the place where she taught other girls to read and write under the Taliban's noses, despite the danger
Equal parts heart-wrenching and poignant, this memoir is also a love letter to her son, that he may know of her love and the impossible choices she was forced to make.
Perhaps the most beautiful of the entire thing is the love of her parents - her father risking everything to share his beloved books with her, despite the banning of books other than the Qaran. Her mother telling her to write her stories, despite it being forbidden. Her brother escorting her to the place where she taught other girls to read and write under the Taliban's noses, despite the danger
emotional
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
really 3+ because of other similar subject books I have read; however, 4 stars because of the anguish of sharing her story.
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced