Girl Fighters

While living in Yemen, Carolyn Han was told a tale of two girls who disguised themselves as boys so they could fight in Yemen’s 1960s civil war. Fascinated by the story, but lacking further details, Han uses her knowledge of the war and Yemeni culture and society to create a captivating tale of girls who left their village to preserve family and tribal honor but are transformed by their daring choice. Abetted by the culture’s emphasis on body secrecy, the female fighters are able to pass as young men. Presenting themselves as Mohammed and Ali, they are caught up in the life of tribal warriors: struggling to move from camp to camp, hiding in caves from Egyptian airplanes, dealing with the effects of poison gas. Being bright and willing, they are taken under the tutelage of a British officer and advisor who opens their horizons by imparting rudimentary English and medical skills, knowledge unknown to illiterate village girls. Han’s paradoxical portrait of two young women challenging patriarchal practices even as they strive to preserve the rule of Yemen’s Imam against modernist forces provides a rich portrayal of Yemen and Islam.
—Dr Thomas B. Stevenson, Anthropologist

Since Yemen’s current war began in 2015, the face Yemen has presented to the world has been of the cruel bombings of civilians and images of dangerous diseases and malnourished children. In this book Carolyn Han, who gave an intimate portrait of Yemeni Bedouin in Where the Paved Road Ends, has restored a more human face to this exquisite and complicated country. Han speaks to us this time in the voices of two young women who disguise themselves as warriors in the country’s 1960s civil war to avenge the death of their brothers. She eloquently portrays their transition from a motivation of revenge to one of antipathy to all war. The anti-war message that emerges resonates in the current conflict engulfing Yemen today. Ms. Han spins her tale beautifully and saves a surprise for you at the book’s end.

—Marjorie Ransom, author of Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Regional Jewelry

Girl Fighters is a remarkable tale of two brave girls who defied conservative social expectations to avenge their brothers’ deaths and protect their families. Fast-paced, moving, and sensitive, it exposes the ravages of war. At the same time, it beautifully depicts Yemen’s rich and robust cultural heritage and traditions, from wedding practices to tribal mediation. Set during North Yemen’s Civil War (1962-1970), it tells a story of war profiteering, foreign interference, local despotism, and gender discrimination that, sadly, remains salient. At its heart, though, Girl Fighters is a tale of young women learning to fight not only these battles, but also their own fears. A true gem.

—Dr Nathalie Peutz, Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies (2019-2020) Associate Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies, NYU Abu Dhabi, author of the award-winning book Islands of Heritage: Conservation and Transformation in Yemen (Stanford, 2018)