Tag: Afghanistan

Nadia Hashimi’s—A House without Windows *****

In an Afghan village, Zeba is discovered beside her dead husband in the courtyard of their home. She is immediately blamed for the murder and imprisoned in Kabul’s Chil Mahtab women’s prison. When her lawyer arrives, she refuses to reveal the events that led to her husband’s brutal murder. With little hope of Zeba not being found guilty, her lawyer, Yusuf visits her village to try to uncover the truth. Because he’s lived in New York since the age of five, the villagers don’t trust him, and he is at a loss to know how to defend a woman he believes is innocent.

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Linda Holeman’s — The Moonlit Cage *****

Darya grows up in an Afghanistan village in the 1850s under an overbearing father. He brings home a second wife who gives him the son he’s always wanted. Before the second wife leaves the family, she curses Darya so no one will marry her.

Eventually, she is married to Shaliq from a Ghilzai tribe whose cruel treatment forces her to flee. This leads to a long and dangerous journey Darya could never have dreamed of.

Sally Hovey Wriggin’s — The Silk Road journey with Xuanzang *****

Back in my school days, we were only ever taught about European explorers as if no other nation travelled the world. So this book was a refreshing change. Xuanzang was a Buddhist monk from Chang’an who left China in the seventh century and travelled over 20,000 kilometres to what is now known as Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan, then south-east through Afghanistan and Pakistan to India. He saw flaws in the translations of Buddhist texts in China and was determined to reach the heart of Buddhism in Northern India to discover the truth behind these discrepancies. His journey along with his stops where he studied with renowned Buddhist monks kept him away from China for sixteen years. Because he documented his travels in detail, this is a fascinating read.