November 2005    

A Bed of Red Flowers: In Search of My Afghanistan Author: Nelofer Pazira Publisher: Free Press $15.00 Paperback (408 p.) ISBN: 0743281330 B&T         YBP Reviewed by Suzanne Kapusta, Regional Manager, Collection Management & Development Group, Southeast Nelofer Pazira was raised in an Afghan home during turbulent times. Her father was a doctor who had been raised in poverty; her mother a university educated teacher from a wealthy family. They dressed in European styles and could have enjoyed a wonderful, privileged, peaceful life were it not for the place they were born and the times in which they lived. Nelofer's story of growing up in Afghanistan is riveting. Time and again, I would re-read a paragraph absolutely astonished that this beautiful woman lived this life and suffered through these horrors and yet can tell this story with beauty and clarity and grace. She tells of visiting her father in prison at a young age, a scene that strengthened her resolve and planted a seed of strength in this young girl. I was moved learning from her what it was like living in a country divided by war and terror during the Russian invasion. Her attempts to fight the Communists by joining revolutionary resistant groups and the story of her family's eventual escape to Canada via Pakistan are gripping. Her eye for detail and her incredible grasp of the conflicting power struggles of Communism, the Taliban, the U.S., and the succession of various leaders of the country show a depth of intelligence and courage to which many can aspire, but which few can reach. Nelofer is a woman of substance from whom we can learn much, and I think we will hear more from her in the future. The parallel threads that she weaves, or that I read into this story of life in a country at war, and the hatred felt by the people in that country for the invaders sent chills down my spine. There are Nelofers right now within Iraq - living a life much like hers - yet in this case we are the invaders. Nelofer continues the story by returning to Afghanistan to try to find her lost friend Dyana as well as traveling to Russia to interview the men who invaded her country - fascinating and remarkable. Published by YBP Library Services 999 Maple St., Contoocook, NH 03229 USA v: 800.258.3774   f: 603.746.5628 w: www.ybp.com   e: academia@ybp.com All rights reserved.