Shahnaz Qayumi
March 05th, 2024
“You are a man now, take care of your mother,” Zia’s father whispers just as he is arrested–never to return home. It’s a life-changing moment in Kabul born author, Shahnaz Qayumi’s debut novel, Zia’s Story (Tradewind Books $14.95) set in the aftermath of the Russian withdrawal from Afghanistan in 1989, as the country descends into civil war. The new rulers, the Taliban, enact rules that restrict women working and girls attending school. The story follows young Zia and his mother fleeing war-torn Afghanistan through Pakistan to Canada. Qayumi writes of what she knows as she was also an Afghani refugee who found sanctuary in Canada. She now lives in Vancouver and teaches at Langara College. Illustrations by Nahid Kazemi. 9781990598142
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