A review by serendipitysbooks
My Pen Is the Wing of a Bird: New Fiction by Afghan Women by Maryam Mahjoba

emotional reflective medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

 My Pen is the Wing of a Bird is an anthology of short stories written by Afghani women before the fall of Kabul in 2021. While there are the expected explorations of loss, violence, and misogyny other stories focus on women’s power, agency and resistance. I especially enjoyed the village women cooperatively digging a lengthy ditch to protect their village from flood waters - much to the amazement of the men, and female workmates standing in solidarity against sexual harassment, even if it did cost them their jobs. Some stories centred on events like a suicide bombing at a wedding or a rocket attack interrupting a regular working day, which were totally outside my experience. Others, like that of the young girl who had to buy the red boots regardless of practicalities or the young women who simply couldn’t sleep well when away from home, not even when she took her favourite pillow with her, felt universal. What I enjoyed most about these stories was the way they gave a more complete picture of women’s lives in Afghanistan than the news headlines and that they were told by the women themselves. Fiction yes, but very much grounded in real world experiences. 
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