“We hurtled through the streets of Amman, our tyres screaming in protest as we tore around corners. I could smell the powerful scent of burning rubber in the air. It was terrifying, but not as terrifying as the thought of what those four men would do if they caught up with us.”
Does this sound like a best selling thriller? Well, a thriller it is, but far from fiction. This is an excerpt from “Heroine of the Desert” by Donya Al-Nahi, with Andrew Crofts. The subtitle states: The true story of a woman who risked everything to reunite kidnapped children with their mothers.
Rather than write a review (which is often subjective), I will quote excerpts from the blurbs, and leave you to decide if it’s worth reading.
Donya Al-Nahi, born in 1965 in Scotland, lived in England as a young child. “Having left home at 15, she fell in love with the Arab way of life, and converted to Islam while still in her teens. Having settled in London with her Iraqi husband and four small children, she became a crusader for the rights of women to be reunited with their stolen children.”
A few isolated quotes from the jacket cover:
“She is an angel of mercy to hundreds of British women who have had their children taken away from them by Middle Eastern fathers, who do not want their children exposed to a liberal, Western upbringing. ……….What started as a favor to a friend has turned into a life’s work for this determined and incredibly courageous woman. ………
She has ventured to countries where few would dare to attempt such acts of heroism. Her missions have taken her to some of the world’s more dangerous spots, including Iraq, Libya, Morocco, and Dubai……This is a brutally honest, emotional and fascinating read. As well as being a series of heart-stopping adventures, it also shows what can go wrong when people marry across the culture gap.”
Copyright © Donya Al-Nahi and Andrew Crofts.
Indian edition: Thomson Press, 2005
If you have read the original true story or seen the movie “Not without my daughter”, this book would remind you of it.
amazing! would love to read this book asap. thanks for sharing this with us. I love your writing style. regards
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