In Kabul 2007 with a drug addicted father and no brothers
Rahima and her sisters only hope lies in the ancient custom of Bacha Posh. This custom
allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of
marriageable age. As a boy she can
attend school, go to the market, and accompany her sisters in public. Separated by a century, Rahima’s great great
grandmother, Shekiba is scarred by boiling kitchen oil and is reviled by her
family. She disguises herself as a man
and works as a guard at the women’s quarters in the king’s palace in Kabul
where she finds refuge. The book deals
with gender inequalities and violence against women in the two different
centuries. Although Russians, the
Taliban, Americans, and Europeans are mentioned, the book primarily involves
the traditional Afghan culture which has not changed much in a century.
Afghan-American, Nadia
Hashimi’s debut novel
The author is a pediatrician and was the democratic candidate
for congress from the 6th congressional district in Maryland
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