Sunday, May 11, 2014

A Fort of Nine Towers | Qais Akbar Omar

I picked up this book no really knowing much about it, it's author or Kabul... Although the style was hard to get into, once I got used to the cadence of the language it was riveting.

This is the account of Qais' life growing up in Kabul through three decades of civil war, invasions and restitution.
Although Afghanistan has been in the news for time immemorial, this account brings home the day to day struggle of the everyday people trying to feed and house their families, educate their children and live 'normal' lives in the country they love. It's remarkable how passionate Afghanis are about their nation and how much suffering they have undergone in the last thirty years because of it.

This book is worth reading as it is a detailed account full of emotional insights into Qais family, humour and despair. It outlines the struggle they have gone through  just to stay alive. I've learned a lot through reading it, and have grow in compassion towards them and other refugees who turn up at our doors, battered and weary form similar regions.

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