3 Review(s)

For The Love Of A Son: One Afghan Woman’s Quest For Her Stolen Child is a riveting tale of a tortured, yet unwavering woman, who fights for her freedom and equality on par with men in Taliban-oppressed Afghanistan. Summary Of The Book For The Love Of A Son: One Afghan Woman’s Quest For Her Stolen Child is the story of Maryam Khail, who from her childhood rebelled against Afghanistan’s policy of repressing women by pretending to be a boy. She was sheltered from the harsh realities of the world around her by her liberal parents Ajab Khail and Sharifa Hassen. She saw them put up with abuse and considered them weak for not fighting against it. Having witnessed the terrible hardships that her grandmother and aunts had endured, she often wished that she had been born male. Her rebellion continued into her teenage years when she openly defied the invasion of her country by the Russians. Her defiance forced her and her family to leave the country and move to America at the age of seventeen. Maryam was under the illusion that a new life awaited her, but her hopes came crashing down when her father married her off to an unknown Afghan man who was fifteen years older to her. She got to know of her husband’s violent side on the very first night of the wedding and ended up in a hospital. Her marital life was filled with violence, rape and abuse by her brutal husband. The only silver lining was the birth of her son. Unfortunately, her joy did not last for long as her husband stole her son and fled to Afghanistan. Set against the background of the Taliban’s stronghold over the country and the civil war in Afghanistan, the book chronicles the search of Maryam for her lost son battling all odds. As much as this story is about Maryam, it is also the story of all other women across the world who have suffered at the hands of their country's government or their own culture. About Jean Sasson Jean Sasson is an American author who has written extensively on women from the Middle East. Some of her popular books are Princess Sultana's Daughters, Mayada: Daughter of Iraq and The Rape Of Kuwait. Sasson was born in 1947 in the small town of Troy, Alabama. Known for her love to travel, she moved to Saudi Arabia in 1978 and worked at the King Faisal Specialist Hospital in Riyadh. She returned to the United States and began her writing career. Her love for travelling and people continued, which led her to visit 66 countries and travel extensively to other Arab countries. As a result, her writing strongly reflects Middle Eastern influences. She is passionate about people, animals, books and is very interested in learning about foreign countries and cultures.