You really should read ‘Words in the Dust’ by Trent Reedy. He is an ex US soldier who served in Afghanistan and who has written an incredibly moving story about Zulaikha, her sister Zeynab and the rest of their family in Afghanistan. The character of Zulaikha is based on a real girl who Reedy came across during his tour of duty.
Zulaikha has a cleft lip, a harsh stepmother and yearns to go to school, to become a reader of the old Afghan poetry that her own mother loved so much. She meets Meena who offers to teach her to read and then the Americans come to their village and they may be able to fix her face. Nothing is easy in Zulaikha’s life but she always has hope. “Every triumph from patience springs, the happy herald of better things”
There is a glossary of all the Afghan words and phrases in the book ands suggestions for further reading. A proportion of the money from the sales of his book is going to ‘Women for Afghan Women’ an organisation which works to secure education and human rights for women and girls in Afghanistan. Trent Reedy has told Zulaikha’s story with the utmost sensitivity and respect for the Afghan people.
Words in the Dust by Trent Reedy £6.99
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