The Alterations Lady
An American, an Afghan Refugee, and the Stories that Define Us
Cindy Miller author Lailoma Shahwali author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Apollo Publishers
Published:7th Dec '23
£19.99
Supplier delay - available to order, but may not be available until after 12th December 2024.
A heart-tugging true story of identity, friendship, and perseverance from a survivor of the war in Afghanistan and an American who is forever changed by what she hears.
When Cindy Miller met Lailoma Shahwali, who was altering her daughter’s wedding dress, she expected their interactions would be brief. But in Lailoma she found not just a seamstress, but a survivor who opened up about her remarkable experience enduring Afghan war crimes, her husband’s brutal murder in front of Lailoma and her young son, and her escape to the US and journey to a new life and the American dream.
A breathtaking account of triumph in the face of all odds, The Alterations Lady documents Lailoma’s courageous pursuit of education as an Afghan girl, what she endured when extremists took over her beloved country and she was stripped of her rights, her relentless determination to protect her child, and much more. It is also an evocative reminder of the life-changing importance of remaining attuned to the continued struggles in Afghanistan today, and of how those in our day-to-day can inspire us to be better, fuller, and more empathetic humans if we simply take the time to listen.
"A captivating book...Engrossing reading about a courageous immigrant." —Kirkus Reviews
“This is a beautifully written book that combines a strong bond of two women from very different worlds with a detailed personal account of living in Afghanistan as a woman and ultimately leaving to start a new life in America. A great and interesting personal pathway into Afghan culture, politics, geography, and history.” —Peter Bussian, photojournalist, photographer, and aid worker working in Afghanistan for fifteen years, author of Passage to Afghanistan, and founder of the Afghanistan Support Group
“The Alterations Lady is an inspiring book and a clear look at what it means to be an American refugee, with all the lost dreams of your life in your homeland and with the vision of new purpose in America. Cindy Miller’s beautifully told story of Lailoma Shahwali’s journey from Kabul and the Hindu Kush to Scottsdale and the dry terrain of Arizona gives us a firsthand view of the heritage and rich traditions of Afghan culture and the complexity of the past and present living side by side.” —Farah Pandith, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations and former special representative to Muslim communities for the US Department of State
ISBN: 9781954641303
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
288 pages