Words In The Dust

Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven out of Afghanistan. She hopes for a good relationship with her hard stepmother. And she hopes one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft lip fixed. Zulaikha knows that all will be provided for her, Inshallah God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to the village, promising not just new opportunities, but surgery to fix Zulaikha\'s face. These could mean a whole new life - but can Zulaikha dare to hope they will come true?

Trent Reedy’s breathtaking first novel, based on his experiences serving with the US Army in Afghanistan, shows astonishing insight into the different cultural attitudes of the traditional people and their peace- keepers, and, in a land where hidebound traditions clash with an emerging desire for freedom, offers humanity and hope.