The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

Oct 11, 2011 Chrissie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio, afghanistan, history, kindle, kirkus, text-checked, netgalley

NO SPOILERS!!!

On completion: It didn't take me very long to read this book, that is simply because I found it very interesting. In fact it won over browsing GR! When a book doesn't draw me, I usually find something else to do; I find all sorts of other things that have to be done. I do this unconsciously. This book I read in three days!

What I liked about the book was that it provided a chance to experience life in Kabul under the Muzahideen, the Taliban and the bombing of Kabul after al Quaeda's...more

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Apr 18, 2011 Linda (Evanston) rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I felt this book, although well-intended, was trite, shallow and implausible. The main character, Kamila, takes it upon herself to start a home-based business designing and sewing custom dresses for women in Kabul during the time of a civil war when the Taliban essentially ruled Kabul and surrounding areas. I simply do not find it feasible that women living under the Taliban would need such garments when it was a struggle to even get food on the table for their families. I would not even recomme...more

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Mar 11, 2011 Athira (Reading on a Rainy Day) rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2011, nonfiction, source-review, format-ebooks, nf-bios-memoir

The author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, was an MBA student at Harvard Business School, when she yearned to do some research in a subject that mattered but which no one cared for much. That brought her to the topic of women entrepreneurship in war-torn Rwanda, and then to Afghanistan. Her initial search efforts in Kabul raised no potential candidates. It was after a long hunt that she found the protagonist of this biography and this book, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is her attempt to tell the story o...more The author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, was an MBA student at Harvard Business School, when she yearned to do some research in a subject that mattered but which no one cared for much. That brought her to the topic of women entrepreneurship in war-torn Rwanda, and then to Afghanistan. Her initial search efforts in Kabul raised no potential candidates. It was after a long hunt that she found the protagonist of this biography and this book, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is her attempt to tell the story of that woman entrepreneur.

Kamila Sadiqi was just returning home after receiving her diploma when she overheard many rumors about the Taliban's arrival at the outskirts of the city, fully intending to take control. The past four years wasn't the safest period for Kamila and her sisters, but their father was every bit insistent that the girls be educated. "The pen is stronger than the sword" - he loved to say. He had grown up watching European women work side-by-side with men, and he wanted his girls (and two boys) to be educated and capable of looking after themselves and their family in any dire situation.

But with the Taliban's arrival, a lot of avenues close up. Girls and women were forced to wear the chadri (the full-length burkha with just a tiny latticed slit for them to see through); they couldn't step out of their homes without a mahram, a male familial companion, and they weren't allowed to converse with any man who is not family. That figuratively shut them in their own homes. Those who didn't follow the rules were beaten ruthlessly. Kamila's parents were originally from the north and her father had worked for the previous government. This made their lives even less safe, prompting her father, her mother, and finally one of her brothers to leave to the north. Only Kamila, her youngest brother and her sisters were left behind.

Perhaps the only aspect that I didn't understand was how these girls - of whom only one was married and living separately with her husband and children, and also happened to be pregnant with twins, and Kamila, the elder of the rest was herself just seventeen - were left behind by their family. It was not safe outside, the author has reiterated time and again. Kamila's father has also explained that the girls were safer at home, but the menfolk weren't, because they were either put in prisoner camps (esp if they were found to have had worked for the previous government), or sent to the front lines to battle. And it was dangerous to move the whole family together. But I felt it was even riskier to leave the girls home alone, since they could barely get out of the home at risk of being beaten or taken to jail, and their only mahram was a thirteen-year old boy, too young to take responsibility (though Rahim proves to be so much more dependable, to be honest).

Since their funds are running real low now, Kamila comes up with a really risky idea to start a tailoring business. If she is caught, it can mean a lot of danger for herself, her mahram (Rahim), the shopkeepers who place orders, and her sisters. But Kamila being as stubborn as she is, she goes ahead with her plan. After a few initial misgivings, her sisters, who have been feeling lacklustre from nothing to do, jump into the opportunity. But everyone was having the same thought - how long will this continue?

Kamila is clearly a really strong woman, endowed with not just determination, but also a strong set of business skills that come in real handy and are even necessary. Gayle writes a really inspiring account of this young woman's life and those of her hard-working sisters, especially her older sister - Malika. I spent page after page rooting for the girls, hoping that none of the terrible danger befalls them. I'm not going to spoil it for you by saying what happens - you should find it out.

While not one of the best biographies I've lately read on this topic, the story is no less inspirational. This is a fast and short read - only occasionally the writing disappointed me. One really sad consequence of the war in Afghanistan is the warped perspective that we have all developed as outsiders. Most of our opinions have been shaped by the statements of the warring governments, the media, the Taliban, the soldiers/fighters. Amidst all this din, the voices of the civilians actually stuck in the war have been very subdued. I've always wondered - how did the women feel about wearing the burkha? How did they accept the no-education-only-housework role? Didn't they yearn for freedom, to be heard, accepted for who they were, loved? How did they settle into this kind of life? Probably the most revealing fact was that these women had never seen or even owned a burkha until the Taliban came by. Until then, they were quite adventurous women - who partied in stylish western wear, educated themselves to be doctors, teachers, etc, and were very very respected by men.(less)

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Sep 04, 2012 Emily rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: forced-to-read, e-books

So after spending hours searching for a free copy of this online, eventually having to pay 10 bucks to buy the e-book, and reading this in somewhat of a hurry for college -- turns out I didn't have to read it after all.

Nice. Going. Me.

This book really wasn't my cup of tea at all. And don't get me wrong; it's definitely not because of the subject matter. A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner are two of my most favourite books ever and they were also set around the same period of time.

And t...more

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Sep 07, 2012 Karen rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Everyone

Shelves: education, inspirational, middle-east, women-s-fiction

I read this book overnight...and I don't usually do that since I love to sleep. This book drew me in right at the moment Gayle Lemmon landed in the airport and went into the bathroom to change into black all over and cover her hair and face....I thought I knew Middle East enough already, until I read this book. The author risked her own life traveling all the way to Kabul, to report a story about a woman who was strong and brave who sacrificed her safety to help out her family and other women in...more

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Oct 11, 2011 Mrs. Nicole rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: read-in-2011

Amazingly powerful biography of Kamila Sidiqi, a young educated Afghan women, as told from the perspective of American journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. This non-fiction work describes Kamila's struggle to adapt to the Taliban after taking control of Kabul, the city where she spent her entire life living. As the Taliban enact new rules in regards to the education and clothing styles of women, the women of Kabul are forced to adapt or be killed. Kamila's father, mother, and two older brothers leav...more

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Apr 06, 2011 Heather rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What would you do if you were banned from public places, including schools? Could you spend years hiding at home while your country is at war? This happens to Kamila Sadiqi, a teenager in Afghanistan when the Taliban takes control. She had studied to become a teacher, even earning a prestigious teaching certificate after completing a two-year program. She had planned to go to a coed university for two more years to receive her bachelor’s degree, and hoped to become a professor, perhaps even teac...more What would you do if you were banned from public places, including schools? Could you spend years hiding at home while your country is at war? This happens to Kamila Sadiqi, a teenager in Afghanistan when the Taliban takes control. She had studied to become a teacher, even earning a prestigious teaching certificate after completing a two-year program. She had planned to go to a coed university for two more years to receive her bachelor’s degree, and hoped to become a professor, perhaps even teaching literature some day. Then her world changes. She adapts her skills to survive and, despite the oppression, Kamila learns how to find glimpses of happiness for herself and others.

When the Taliban takes control of Kabul, women are commanded to stay home. They can no longer work or attend school. They cannot talk to men who aren’t relatives. Furthermore, they have to be covered in public, wearing full chadri’s and peeking through webbed eye slits.

This halts Kamila’s plans for further education. Seven of her parents’ 11 children still live at home in Khair Khana, including five girls, ages 6 to 17. After her parents and a brother flee the city, Kamila learns how to sew to support her family. She and her sisters start a dressmaking business that supports not only their family, but also the families of 100 neighborhood women who join their workforce.

Author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon beads together an inspiring true story which shows that these women are not victims, but heroines who hold their country together, like the stitches that hold together their beautiful handiwork. The former ABC news reporter made her first of several trips to Afghanistan in 2005.

“What I found in Kabul,” she writes in the book’s introduction, “was a sisterhood unlike any I had ever seen before, marked by empathy, laughter, courage, curiosity about the world, and above all a passion for work.” Lemmon earned an MBA at Harvard, where she wrote about women entrepreneurs in war zones including Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Rwanda. She continues to speak regularly on women’s economic issues.

It is easy to identify with Kamila and her sisters, who never give up hope for a brighter future for Afghanistan. At one point, Kabulis get Titanic fever. They smuggle VCR tapes into their homes and pass them from relative to relative. The girls love the song “My Heart Will Go On,” and get caught up in the romance of Rose and Jack, whose happiness is impossible. The boys relate, too, and get floppy-in-the-front “Leo looks.” Soldiers shave the boys’ heads and arrest barbers who give these haircuts, but the Titanic craze continues, as does the sewing enterprise in the Sadiqi home.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana reminds me how precious is our freedom to learn and to teach. Students complain about the drudgery of schoolwork, and teachers alike look forward to spring breaks and summer vacations. Perhaps we all need to reconsider how blessed we are to have these freedoms, and the ability to make a difference. Kamila’s freedom ends in an unexpected moment and this thrusts her into a situation where she draws on every ounce of resiliency and courage to survive and even thrive. Could I do the same? Could my daughters, or my students? How about you? I wonder whose light could shine as brightly as Kamila’s as she inspires the women around her in war-torn Afghanistan to believe that a better future is possible.

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Mar 30, 2013 Will Byrnes rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, afghanistan

Gale Tzemach Lemmon offers us a profile in courage about a young woman who defied the daunting odds in Taliban-controlled Kabul to established a business that offered employment, income and hope to her family and neighbors, at a time when all three were in very short supply.

One of the many awful aspects of the extreme form of Islam practiced by the Afghan Taliban is their complete subjugation of women. Women are not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. They are not...more Gale Tzemach Lemmon offers us a profile in courage about a young woman who defied the daunting odds in Taliban-controlled Kabul to established a business that offered employment, income and hope to her family and neighbors, at a time when all three were in very short supply.

One of the many awful aspects of the extreme form of Islam practiced by the Afghan Taliban is their complete subjugation of women. Women are not allowed to leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. They are not allowed to work outside the home. When in public, women must at all times wear the head-to-toe-covering burkah, also known as a chadri. The list of forbiddens goes on like a list of biblical begats, and shifts with the moods of local commanders. When the Taliban took over control of most of Afghanistan in 1996, they made their version of Sharia the law of the land, and a dark age (or a darker age, anyway, as it had not been a frolicsome garden spot before) fell over the land. However, even in the darkest of times, there are always some points of light. Kamela Sediqi was one shining example.

Sediqi and her family were Tajiks, the second largest ethnic group in the country. The Taliban are Pashtun, the largest. Remaining resistance to Taliban rule was centered north of Kabul among groups of largely Tajik ethnicity. Believing that all ethnic Tajiks were thus suspect, the Taliban engaged in a widespread campaign of oppression, particularly against Tajik males. Sediqi’s father, even with over thirty years in the Afghanistan military, knew that his service was of less significance to the Taliban than his Tajik ancestry. He fled to the north, placing leadership of the family in the hands of the young Kamela, a recent graduate of the Kabul Teacher Training academy. As new head of her family, Kamela struggled to find some way for the family to earn income. The education system was in tatters, particularly for women, so teaching was not an option. Although she had no experience with tailoring, she recognized that there was an unmet need and, with the assistance of her expert-seamstress sister, Malekheh, and her many other sisters, she began a small business sewing clothing for sale by local tailors.

Soon demand for her family’s products exceeded the family’s ability to produce them, so Kamela began taking on trustworthy neighbors. Everyone who worked at her home was thrilled to have any work at all, given how difficult it was for women to work in this males-only world. Still, Kamela had to contend with the ever-present threat of beating and/or arrest by roaming groups of sharia enforcers. Lemmon tells how the business thrived and kept growing during the trying time of Taliban control. After their removal from power in 2001, her business boomed, branching off into various other directions. Kamela’s little sewing shop had become a considerable concern. She was also recruited by the NGOs that had returned to Kabul, to try to find ways to use her expertise to educate a new generation of entrepreneurial women.

Lemmon does an excellent job of keeping herself out of the story, recreating Kamela’s tale from 1996 to the present, but mostly until the 2001 US retaliation for 9/11. It reads very quickly. She communicates quite well the sense of ubiquitous danger and fear that permeated the country. One of the great concerns present today is that the Taliban will return to some measure of power, and women’s hard-fought gains will be lost. It is not an idle concern.

There are many stories to be told about Afghanistan and the Taliban. Lemmon’s tale is very revealing, about what is possible with intelligence, craft and determination, even when faced with overwhelming opposition. Kamela’s small business triumph is a pretty big deal, showing one way in which elements of the devastated Afghan economy can rebuild.

However, it is not the only deal. I found that Lemmon’s business-centric view of the world may have caused her to overlook some things. Lest one believe that this is a story of a poor girl making good, Kamela did not come from a poor family. In the very beginning we are introduced to her as a teaching institute graduate, which speaks of the availability of resources beyond the norm in this poor country. That the family had a spare apartment that they rented to a doctor for income indicates more of the same. Surely, her father’s decades of service in the national army contributed to that. While the family may not have been wealthy by American standards, they were pretty well off by Kabul standards. This takes nothing away from Kamela’s bravery or accomplishment. We work with what we have. But the significance is in what one extrapolates from the experience.

I get the impression that Lemmon sees entrepreneurship in almost religious terms. If only we would let people make businesses everything would be fabulous. The educational and financial opportunities Kamela enjoyed were not available to many women. She had a leg up. Which is ok, unless one seeks to use the example of Kamela as the sole model for how to rebuild. Then it becomes dishonest. Kamela is a remarkable individual. Well if she could do it, why can’t you? And that is how I fear this book might be used, as a means of promoting a particular ideology. Entrepreneurship can be hugely creative and productive but it is not the only tool in the toolbox. Public and NGO programs have a significant place in economic reconstruction, whether the scarred surface is Kabul or Brownsville.

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is a readable, interesting look at one aspect of life under Taliban tyranny, and any such effort that fuels hope for a better future is most welcome.
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Sep 21, 2011 Yoonmee rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: middle-east

A quick, easy read about a young female entrepreneur who started her own business during Taliban rule in Kabul. This is definitely a story that needs to be told, but unfortunately the writing was a tad too simplistic. I had trouble really connecting with the characters. I also got a little bit annoyed with the tone of the author in the Introduction and the Epilogue (mostly annoying in the Introduction). For some reason the author felt the need to name drop the brand name clothing she wore, her f...more

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Jul 01, 2012 Randi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: reading-olympics

Incredible story showcasing the courage of Afghanistan women during the Taliban rule.

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Apr 27, 2013 Jan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A great little nonfiction book about life in Afghanistan for women who are trying to survive the Taliban takeover after the Soviets left in the 1990's. As the Taliban swept across the country and took over cities, women were forced to live under their new social/religious laws. They could not leave their homes unless accompanied by a male relative. They could no longer attend college. They had to wear the chadri in public, which allowed only the eyes to be exposed beneath a veiled peephole in th...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Megan rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Megan by: Jamie Cook, Tanya Rogers

Shelves: bookgroup

My reaction to this book was, "I should feel an emotional connection to these women and their situation, but I feel nothing." I was trying to figure out if that was my fault or the fault of the author.

This book is the true story of women in Kabul during the Taliban terror. Their lives were drastically changed as they were forced from their jobs, their schooling, and the streets, to live lives of house arrest. One woman risks a lot--her own life, her family's safety, to put together a dressmaking...more

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Oct 14, 2012 Judy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When the Taliban seized control of Kabul in 1996, Kamila Sidiqi's life completely changed. Instead of becoming a teacher, the nineteen year old and her sisters were forced to remain at home and they, like the other women in Kabul, could only appear in public completely covered and accompanied by a male relative. After her father and older brother were forced to flee Kabul, Kamila and her five sisters were left on their own in the family home. Kamila used a loophole in the Tabiban law that allowe...more

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Oct 10, 2012 Julie Luekenga rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A wonderful account of five sisters left to their own resourcefulness to earn money for their large family in the wake of the sudden and abrupt change inflicted on them when the Taliban took power in their region of Afghanistan. Living under relative freedom prior to the Taliban's presence, the sisters were encouraged by their father to seek education. They dressed modestly but didn't wear the full chadri and roamed the city of Kabul with relative freedom. All that drastically changed when the r...more

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Sep 04, 2012 Tara rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I loved learning about these amazing women and their fortitude. I developed an admiration for them immediately and it grew as the book went on. I loved that the book read like a novel. Gayle Tzemach Lemmon did a beautiful job telling the story of this family; I felt like I was there in the room with Kamila and her sisters. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is that I felt that Lemmon did a really poor job with time. I frequently found myself confused on the timeline of events. The way t...more

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Aug 23, 2012 Jenni rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was given this book as required reading at University of Florida, as a part of our "common reading" program where every Freshman receives the same book so that we share a common "intellectual experience". Let me say two things:

1) There was nothing intellectual whatsoever going on with this book.

2) Thank GOD I didn't pay for it.

This book was well intended and cut a good message: sympathize with and appreciate the women who stay behind to make things work while the men are at war.

The writing it...more

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Jul 24, 2012 Mimi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

My daughter will be attending the University of Florida in the Fall & this book has been assigned to all incoming first-year students as the annual "Common Reader"... Gayle Tzemach Lemmon will even be speaking at Freshman Convocation! Along with the students, family member have been invited to join in the Common Reader program and read this book as well...so that's what I did! This inspirational biography of Kamila Sidiqi, a young woman who exemplifies the entrepreneurial spirit by running a...more

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Jul 12, 2012 Shelley rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was a very interesting story, a true story about one Afghanistan woman, Kamilia Sidiqi who stands up and risks her life (and her families) when the Taliban come and take over her town. She is bored at home as a result of the Taliban banding all women to staying within the four walls of their homes, all freedom that they knew before gone. But Kamilia proves she is not a woman to be messed with, nothing is going to stand in her way of what she wants to do. She comes up with the wonderful idea...more This was a very interesting story, a true story about one Afghanistan woman, Kamilia Sidiqi who stands up and risks her life (and her families) when the Taliban come and take over her town. She is bored at home as a result of the Taliban banding all women to staying within the four walls of their homes, all freedom that they knew before gone. But Kamilia proves she is not a woman to be messed with, nothing is going to stand in her way of what she wants to do. She comes up with the wonderful idea of being a sewing teacher and teaching sewing lessons to her sisters in their home and to the girls and women of their town secretly without the Taliban knowing about it (for the most part), while at the same time earning money to put food on her table/their tables for their families who are desperately starving or who have sick children that they can't buy medications for. Upon reading her story, she is a role model to all women of standing up and going after your goals and with the aim to never give up!

Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, the author, has also risked her life of going to Afghanistan and staying with the Sidiqi family with the aim to get the word out that just because the Taliban have tried suppressing their women, it just goes to show you that they have no clue just how strong and determined Afghanistan women are!

This book was a very easy read and I read it within a few days. It wasn't the greatest written work I've read, but then it didn't have to be either. I wish sometimes a reader would go beyond their love stories or adventure stories and read something that is educational, an eye opener, by reading about the ways of life for different cultures such as the misunderstood Afghanistan people and what exactly took place and not by the newspeople/newspapers or by people who have no idea because they haven't lived it.

This story just goes to show you that we may look different and have different lifestyles, different ways of lives, but we are really all the same: we would do anything and everything for our loved ones. (less)

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Jun 05, 2012 Harikleia Sirmans added it · review of another edition

The dressmaker of Khair Khana is the inspiring story of Kamila Sidiqi who created a thriving sewing business in the living room of her own house, when the Taliban occupied the city of Kabul and banned women from nearly all public places including schools. Confined to their homes, women’s lives virtually changed overnight. When Kamila’s father and brother fled the city, Kamila became the breadwinner of her family. Kamila believed whole heartedly that “by starting her own business and helping othe...more The dressmaker of Khair Khana is the inspiring story of Kamila Sidiqi who created a thriving sewing business in the living room of her own house, when the Taliban occupied the city of Kabul and banned women from nearly all public places including schools. Confined to their homes, women’s lives virtually changed overnight. When Kamila’s father and brother fled the city, Kamila became the breadwinner of her family. Kamila believed whole heartedly that “by starting her own business and helping other women do the same, she could help save her long-troubled country.” (p. xxvi)

The journalist in Lemmon wants to know where Kamila’s passion originates, and how her story affects Afghanistan’s future and its partnership with America. She also hopes that her book will change the tradition that women are portrayed as victims of war and pitied. Instead they are survivors of war whose bravery and determination held their families and communities together. In addition, they should be involved in resolving conflicts. This is a true story and yet it reads like a novel. Lemmon wanted her readers, who will never visit Afghanistan, to pick up her book and realize just how similar their struggles are with those of the story’s characters.

The joy of reporting, the power of storytelling, the well-researched details on everyday life in Kabul during the Taliban period, and Lemmon’s work experience in conflict and post-conflict areas such as Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Rwanda provide sufficient evidence that Lemmon has achieved her goals in this true story of courage, determination, and faith. By writing Kamila’s story, Lemmon not only inspires her readers to pursue their dreams despite any obstacles, but she also reveals the “countless quiet feats of courage” in a country that, to foreigners, it is known for “its rocket attacks and roadside bombs” (p. 229).

The dressmaker of Khair Khana is the product of several years of detailed research, reporting, and in-depth interviewing at Afghanistan, Rwanda, and Bosnia. Lemmon manages to evoke the atmosphere of daily life in Kabul during the Taliban occupation, and particularly women’s hardships and their role in resolving conflicts. These heroines found creative ways to work around the Taliban system, to provide the basic necessities for their families, and to support each other and their community. This is a fascinating story that embraces women’s active involvement in political, economical, and business decisions.
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Apr 18, 2012 Laura rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What an uplifting and inspirational book! It has made it to my list of best reads for 2012. This is a book that celebrates women as unheralded heroines, telling of their quiet courage, their grace under fire, and their determination to use their skills to survive in impossible situations. It is, in particular, the story of Kamila Sidiqi, who was but a teenager when Afghanistan came under Taliban rule, leaving her in the scary position of caring for her younger siblings when her father and brothe...more What an uplifting and inspirational book! It has made it to my list of best reads for 2012. This is a book that celebrates women as unheralded heroines, telling of their quiet courage, their grace under fire, and their determination to use their skills to survive in impossible situations. It is, in particular, the story of Kamila Sidiqi, who was but a teenager when Afghanistan came under Taliban rule, leaving her in the scary position of caring for her younger siblings when her father and brother were forced to flee.

Journalist Gayle Tzemach Lemmon has unveiled a side to Afghanistan that is virtually undiscovered by most people. We all witnessed on TV or newspapers the fully covered burqa-clad women who were stripped of their rights by being confined to their homes, not allowed to get an education, not allowed to interact with men who were not family, and not allowed to be in public without a mahram, or male relative. Cut off from the world and in desperate need to provide for their families because they are widows or have their men fighting in the war, these women had to find a way to survive. This is the Afghanistan we heard of, but The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells the story of triumph and not defeat.

Despite all of the difficult restrictions and the dangers of being beaten on the street if a Talib deemed a woman was immodest simply because too much wrist showed, Kamila managed to start a thriving tailoring business, without any prior experience, and helped other women in her community to support their families. Her story is admirable and remarkable. She forged ahead even when the risks were too high. She is an estimable example for all women, whether as an entrepreneur, sister, daughter, friend and woman of faith.

I did not want this book to end. It touched me deeply. It read like a novel, thanks to Lemmon's superb storytelling techniques after putting together her research gathered by visiting war-torn and dangerous Kabul many times. Her perseverance in interviewing the women, travelling long hours, and immersing herself in the culture both by learning the language and dressing like the women in Kabul, paid off in bringing us a story that showed what daily life was like for women during the Taliban years.

Lemmon has succeeded in shifting our view of women as victims in wartime to intelligent, dignified and beautiful beings who have fought a suppressive regime armed not with weapons but with wisdom, courage, and true guts. I highly recommend all to read this book. You will not easily forget it. Well-told, well-written and well worth the read.
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Apr 09, 2012 Cathy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Of the books I brought with me on last week's vacation, this was one of my favorites. Such an interesting book about a family living in Afghanistan and the struggles they face when the Taliban comes into power. This is along the lines of The Kite Runner, (Afghanistan) but much less sad and tragic. This was full of hope and an amazing story about how this family of mostly women (five sisters) who are forced to try to find work and create a business so that they can survive. Since women were forbi...more

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Apr 01, 2012 Dhara Mehta rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is about one sister and her struggle to make ends meet during the Taliban’s occupation of Afghanistan. Kamila Sidiqi, is a trained teacher, as are a few of her sisters. All the Sidiqi girls are devastated when the Taliban gains control of Afghanistan. Taliban target men and force them to join their military. The men in Afghanistan are in prison or in a mass grave. Women are left to fend for themselves and for their families. Kamila and her sisters are bored to tears...more

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Mar 26, 2012 Angela rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I really like Kamila -- what a passionate, courageous, creative woman! In fact, all the women and men in this book were wonderful. And I'm so glad we have their story. I just didn't like how it was written. A little simplistic. I would have liked more detail and understanding of their feelings at the time.

The author definitely mentions time and again that things were very dangerous and even gives a few examples of random women getting beaten for no good reason. But she told us things were dange...more

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Mar 11, 2012 Sfchick rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The story is about this young girl that persevered during the Taliban's occupation of Afghanistan. When the Taliban was in Afgan, the women had to adhere to the strict rules of the Taliban. Rules such as wearing the chadri at all times, never seen in public without a mahram, women were not allowed to work or go to school, basically they had to stay at home at all times. The men of the family had to leave and find work elsewhere or they needed to leave so that they would not be recruited to fight...more The story is about this young girl that persevered during the Taliban's occupation of Afghanistan. When the Taliban was in Afgan, the women had to adhere to the strict rules of the Taliban. Rules such as wearing the chadri at all times, never seen in public without a mahram, women were not allowed to work or go to school, basically they had to stay at home at all times. The men of the family had to leave and find work elsewhere or they needed to leave so that they would not be recruited to fight. This family of 11 siblings were left alone to fend for themselves. Their mom and dad left for the north and they stayed in their home fearing that fleeing would be more dangerous for them. Because food was becoming scarce and the boys of the family had school, and they were still young, Kamila one of the eldest of the family had to think of something to help out and what she did was she asked her older sister Mailka to help her learn how to sew. Kamila started a dressmaking business selling these dresses in the bazaar. She and her brother Rahim became the marketing arm of their business. She was the one who tried to find new clients/buyers for the dresses. Her business flourished and in time what she did was help the women of her city. She didn't turn down anyone that needed a job. She started a school training them how to sew and in return they would help with the production of dresses that she needed. Her driving force was she wanted to push herself to get more buyers to make sure that there was enough work for all the women that wanted to help them. In the end she started working for the UN and Mercy Corps where she started teaching more women but still having her own business.

What did I think of this story: Well, I liked it coz it gave me an inside look at what it was like in Afgan during the Taliban time and how it was when 9/11 hit with all the bombings. It is very inspirational what Kamila did. At such a young age she took over a really big responsibility. How I wish I had her perseverance. She had such a strong determination for her cause its very heart warming.

Would I recommend this book to others? Well, it wasn't entertaining for me and it didn't really draw me in as much but I always love books that inspires me and thats what it did. (less)

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Feb 13, 2012 Marcy rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This global read sheds light on the fighting that occurred in Afghanistan for so many years. Regime took over regime. People in Kabul were living under Soviet invasions, then civil war, with rockets whizzing above the men and women who were going to school and trying to conduct business. Then the Taliban began to rule, with Muslim rules that forbid girls and women their education. Women, by the rules of the Taliban, had to wear chadri, setting their "freedom" and rights to an education back year...more This global read sheds light on the fighting that occurred in Afghanistan for so many years. Regime took over regime. People in Kabul were living under Soviet invasions, then civil war, with rockets whizzing above the men and women who were going to school and trying to conduct business. Then the Taliban began to rule, with Muslim rules that forbid girls and women their education. Women, by the rules of the Taliban, had to wear chadri, setting their "freedom" and rights to an education back years and years.

This is the story of Kamila, a young girl, whose life is shaped by the Taliban rule, who, by becoming "the dressmaker of Khair Khana," finds a way to support her brothers and sisters during a time of terror and extreme poverty. When her parents fled because of their allegiance to a former leader, Kamila, with the help of her elder sister, started a "business" in their home, making beaded dresses and pant suits. Kamila, dressed in her chadri, and her younger brother acting as her mahram, walked from store to store in the marketplace to sell the home-made clothes. Little by little, with Kamila's investment in more sewing machines and a small generator, they were able to hire neighborhood girls and women to help them meet the demand of the store owners for more and more clothing.

Kamila was responsible for creating jobs and hopes for women all over Kabul. Her home was in constant danger of the Taliban closing it down, but the rules of her home were respected; It was quiet, and women came in shifts to work, not to draw attention to themselves. Opposition toughened Kamila's resolve. She began to work in Kabul for the UN Habitat, in a new community forum in Kabul that offered classes for girls and jobs programs for women. Kamila recognized she could be arrested for working for "foreigners," but she persevered, even during the barrage of American bombing after 9/11.

Kamila always relied on her faith and daily prayers. To this day, Kamila is a well-known entrepreneur, creating businesses that provide women the learning they need to become the future entrepreneurs of Kabul, to help them become independent bread winners. In the end, education is what frees all people. Kamila and her family were educated before the Taliban took over, and continued to educate themselves at home, and at the university once the Taliban abandoned Kabul.

I commend the journalist and author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, who brought this story to the eyes of the world. (less)

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Feb 03, 2012 Nancy Kennedy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

We have come to view the women of Afghanistan as oppressed victims of the Taliban -- which they are -- but they are not just that, writes Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. They are heroes who under the harshest of circumstances have carved out a niche for themselves as entrepreneurs and activists. They have no choice, if they and their families are going to survive.

Until I read this story of Kamela, a young woman struggling to stay alive in Taliban-occupied Kabul, I had no idea of what that oppression meant...more We have come to view the women of Afghanistan as oppressed victims of the Taliban -- which they are -- but they are not just that, writes Gayle Tzemach Lemmon. They are heroes who under the harshest of circumstances have carved out a niche for themselves as entrepreneurs and activists. They have no choice, if they and their families are going to survive.

Until I read this story of Kamela, a young woman struggling to stay alive in Taliban-occupied Kabul, I had no idea of what that oppression meant. I knew that women were denied an education and forced to cover themselves entirely. But I could never have extrapolated how cruelly their lives were shut down. Gangs of "morality police" roam the streets, beating any woman whose covering reveals a stray hair, or who has lifted her chadri for a second so she can see what she's buying at the market. Women are unable to work, to go out without a male family member, or talk with anyone when they do venture out. It is risky business to walk down a street, and they cannot recognize even a friend, covered as they are from head to toe. Women are essentially cut off from society and put under house arrest.

Kamela can't bear this enforced captivity. First, she and her sisters figure out how to swap books with friends to ease their boredom. Then, she sets in motion a plan to become a seamstress, since her plan to teach has come to an end. It doesn't matter that she has never sewed! She is determined to learn; otherwise, her family will starve. Her father and brother have been forced to flee the country, as most men have in order to escape impressment or death, leaving her and her sisters without an income.

Having failed miserably at sewing myself, I am astounded at how quickly Kamela and her sisters learn to make beautiful garments adorned with intricate beading and embroidery. Kamela is a natural businesswoman, and soon she is quietly finding shopkeepers to buy her clothing and teaching other desperate women the trade. Eventually, after Taliban rule has come to an end, she catches the eye of Westerners who recognize the value of women like her to act as catalysts for change.

"Brave young women complete heroic acts every day, with no one bearing witness," the author writes. In this elegant book, Ms. Lemmon brings to light the story of one singular hero, a dressmaker who risks everything -- even her life -- to reclaim not only her place in society, but her very soul. (less)

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Feb 02, 2012 Jessica Cocita rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2012

This story of a woman's ingenuity and perseverance in a time of struggle is remarkably inspirational. Kamila is a "protagonist" with whom all women will be able to relate in some way or another. Through her efforts, her family's ability to sustain itself during the difficult times of Taliban control in Afghanistan is both enlightening and engaging. Kamila's story is inspiring in numerous ways, and both male and female readers will find something in the book to interest themselves.

The author's wr...more

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Jan 22, 2012 Siobhan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I was debating between 3 or 4 stars for this book. I decided to go with 4, because I found Lemmon's description of a woman's life under the Talibal gripping and compelling.

Kamila Sidiqi's career aspirations received a near-fatal blow the very day she received her teaching diploma. That very day, the Taliban began rolling into Kabul.

Within a few weeks, Kamila and her sisters -- educated women who worked or planned to work as doctors and teachers -- found their lives overturned, as the Taliban b...more

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Nov 26, 2011 Chandler rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

As I read books, I often conjure questions that I mull over a long period of time. This book, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon brought several to mind.

Afghanistan has been under Soviet control and now the Taliban has rolled in--women are being persecuted. No more simple scarves, time to don the chandri...shopping requires that a male family member accompany each woman and these restri...more As I read books, I often conjure questions that I mull over a long period of time. This book, The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon brought several to mind.

Afghanistan has been under Soviet control and now the Taliban has rolled in--women are being persecuted. No more simple scarves, time to don the chandri...shopping requires that a male family member accompany each woman and these restrictions are just the beginning.

Why do men or groups of men feel that they have the right to impose restrictions on women? Some theories place religion to blame...some blame the women themselves. I ponder if granting women rights is an evolutionary process much like the disappearance of wisdom teeth or the creation of multi-tasking abilities.

Then I read a book such as this and see how a simple girl can mobilize her family and other women to earn money and provide services and goods for other women. Her example of how good deeds and spirit create a positive ripple effect.

Yes this book is of the same vein as "Three Cups of Tea", "Reading Lolita in Tehran", "The Kabul Beauty School" and "The Bookseller of Kabul." I loved all those books and I love this one. This is an area of the world that is fascinating and constantly under change.

When you read about the Taliban and their suppression of the female spirit, it is easy to look at it through western eyes. However even here in the United States, there are women who live under the yolk of their husband. Some of these women can be found in polygamist cults. Many women are suppressed without realizing it--they are given limited budgets and funds, they can't have contact with their friends, they are scared to stand up and offer honest input to their husband because of the wrath it might generate. We have prostitutes that pay heavily to their pimps, women who are suppressed by their bosses or work environment.

My admiration for the heroine, Kamela Sediqi, is boundless as is my admiration for all women who strive to make this world a better place for their daughters (and sons).

This book is a gentle read. Sometimes I found the dialogue a bit stilted and contrived and the writing style youthful. However this author has budding talent to be a real force for this world of literature and thank you to her for allowing us to experience the story of Kamela Sediqi. She is a blossom that bloomed in a desert.(less)

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Nov 05, 2011 Jenny McPhee rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Gayle Lemmon, a former ABC News journalist, was in Kabul interviewing and researching her book during the same years as Barker. “Most stories about war and its aftermath,” Lemmon writes in the introduction, “inevitably focus on men: the soldiers, the returning veterans, the statesmen. I wanted to know what war was like for those who had been left behind: the women who managed to keep going even as their world fell apart. War reshapes women’s lives... Charged with their family’s survival, they in...more Gayle Lemmon, a former ABC News journalist, was in Kabul interviewing and researching her book during the same years as Barker. “Most stories about war and its aftermath,” Lemmon writes in the introduction, “inevitably focus on men: the soldiers, the returning veterans, the statesmen. I wanted to know what war was like for those who had been left behind: the women who managed to keep going even as their world fell apart. War reshapes women’s lives... Charged with their family’s survival, they invent ways to provide for their children and communities. But their stories are rarely told. We’re far more accustomed to -- and comfortable with -- seeing women portrayed as victims of war who deserve our sympathy rather than as resilient survivors who demand our respect.”

In Kabul, Lemmon found Kamila Sadiqi, a woman who started a dressmaking business while living under the Taliban. Lemmon’s narrative, which reads like a novel, is recounted from Kamila’s perspective. One of nine children and seven sisters, she was raised by parents who believed in education and careers for all their children. Kamila finished her teaching school degree as the Taliban took over Kabul in 1996, their Draconian laws against women equivalent to house arrest. Kamila’s father and brothers had to flee Kabul, leaving behind a house full of women forbidden to work. Money and food were scarce. Determined and resourceful, Kamila learned to sew and began a home-based dressmaking business that would eventually employ over 100 neighborhood women. Lemmon describes the both harrowing and mundane experiences of Kamila, her family, and an entire community of women, offering an exceptional perspective on life under the Taliban. By 2005, Kamila had moved on from dressmaking to construction. Invited to Washington, D.C., by Condoleezza Rice to address Congress, “she spoke about how business and education transformed women’s lives, and how this change had led to another extraordinary development: women in Afghanistan taking part in the political process.”

For my full column "Women Writing War" go to Bookslut: http://www.bookslut.com/the_bombshell...(less)

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Recommendations of fiction stories of women in Afghanistan?	3	33	Oct 03, 2012 04:04am
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