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A review by ballgownsandbooks
Dancing in the Mosque: An Afghan Mother's Letter to Her Son by Homeira Qaderi
challenging
emotional
fast-paced
This is an absolutely heartbreaking memoir chronicling Qaderi's childhood in Afghanistan, during first the Soviet-Afghan War and then the rise of the Taliban. She describes the atrocities experienced by her family and neighbours during this time, and also paints a fascinating and horrifying picture of the way extremism can infect an entire culture. Qaderi's strength and resilience shines through every chapter, but her desperation and grief is palpable too, making this an incredibly affecting and devastating read.
With regard to writing style and craft: the narration in the first few chapters is absolutely gorgeous and evocative - credit to both Qaderi and her initial translator, Vanisa Saffari - though I found the dialogue to be somewhat stilted and unnatural. The writing style in the later chapters also felt a little choppy; presumably a consequence of the fact that these were done by a different translator.
With regard to writing style and craft: the narration in the first few chapters is absolutely gorgeous and evocative - credit to both Qaderi and her initial translator, Vanisa Saffari - though I found the dialogue to be somewhat stilted and unnatural. The writing style in the later chapters also felt a little choppy; presumably a consequence of the fact that these were done by a different translator.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gun violence, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, and Violence
Moderate: Grief