A Tulip in the Desert

Haider, Syed Raza

ISBN 10: 1493165054 / ISBN 13: 9781493165056

Published by Xlibris, 2014

About this Item

Seller Inventory # I-9781493165056

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Tulip in the Desert
• Publisher: Xlibris
• Publication Date: 2014
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1493165054
• ISBN 13: 9781493165056
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

A Tulip in the Desert is the story of Amina, a nine year old girl from a small village in the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan who lives in an extended family system. Amina narrates the next ten years of her tremulous life, opening a window into the enigmatic society of ultraconservative Waziristan. Life there is particularly harsh for girls as they are kept fully guarded by their male relatives. As if life isn't harsh enough for her, she dares to pursue a passion that women in that "medieval society" are forbidden to even dream of. A new twist comes with the start of the American-Afghan war. Thousands of Afghani Taliban fl ood her village as refugees but soon start imposing their versions of Islamic laws and morality. Like many of their fellow villagers, Amina's family faces Taliban vengeance at one front and American drone bombing at the other. She describes how these events seal the fate of each member of her extended family and how they impact her in pursuit for her forbidden passion.

About the Author

Syed Raza Haider was born in Northern Pakistan and did most of his early schooling there. Later he studied medicine and the German language in Switzerland. He got his Ph.D. degree in immunology from England. Afterwards he moved to the US where he held appointments as a lecturer, a research scientist and an assistant professor at universities in Illinois and New York. Currently, he works as a scientist and lives in the San Francisco bay area with his wife and three children. Raza plays squash and badminton and enjoys hiking and biking. He has a keen interest in the current affairs and closely follows the news from the Subcontinent and the Middle East. He is a fervent reader and has been an active member of reading groups and discussion forums for over a decade. He is also a senior member of a writer s club.