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The Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage Through Afghanistan

Christina Lamb

3.86 · Rating details · 1,191 ratings · 129 reviews

Twenty-one-year-old Christina Lamb left suburban England for Peshawar on the frontier of the Afghan war. Captivated, she spent two years tracking the final stages of the mujaheddin victory over the Soviets, as Afghan friends smuggled her in and out of their country in a variety of guises.

Returning to Afghanistan after the attacks on the World Trade Center to report for Bri ...more

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Paperback, 384 pages

Published February 3rd 2004 by Harper Perennial (first published January 1st 2002)

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Aug 09, 2016 Katie B rated it liked it

Shelves: nonfiction, history, afghanistan, read-in-2018, islam, terrorism, war, religion

I wouldn't place this among the best books I have read about Afghanistan but it still was a decent read. Christina Lamb, co-author of I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, covered the Afghan war during the late 1980s. She returned to Afghanistan after September 11th to write about the people who lived under Taliban rule. This book was first published in 2002 and contains an afterword from Fall of 2003.

Having spent time covering the war in the I wouldn't place this among the best books I have read about Afghanistan but it still was a decent read. Christina Lamb, co-author of I Am Malala: The Story of the Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban, covered the Afghan war during the late 1980s. She returned to Afghanistan after September 11th to write about the people who lived under Taliban rule. This book was first published in 2002 and contains an afterword from Fall of 2003.

Having spent time covering the war in the 1980s really turned out to be a huge asset for the author as she was able to interview key people for this book including Hamid Karzai who became Afghanistan president in December 2001. By far, the best parts of this book were the stories of the people of Afghanistan. Even though I have read quite a few books, specifically on the women in the country, I still learned quite a bit of info. While I knew books and museum artifacts had been destroyed under Taliban rule, I had never heard the story of an artist who used watercolors to cover over the faces and bodies of people on oil paintings so they wouldn't be destroyed.

My biggest criticism of the book is it just didn't have a cohesive flow and at times could be hard to follow. I would not recommend this book if you aren't already familiar with the country and what has taken place in the last few decades. The history bits were usually placed in the middle of chapters and didn't really transition well. At times it felt like way too much unnecessary info was being provided. I much would have rather heard more from the people she interviewed and their experiences.

I have to say it was interesting reading this book knowing that it was written over 15 years ago. I found myself wondering what has happened to some of the people she interviewed. There was a particular prediction from a man that is pretty spot on. He essentially stated the Taliban will never be defeated and they will just come back under a new name. It was pretty chilling to read his words knowing that the battle against terrorism in some ways is even more difficult now.

I think this book probably had more of an impact when it was first published but in my opinion there are better books now on the market if you are interested in learning about Afghanistan. It certainly wasn't a wasted read but this isn't a book I would go out of my way to recommend like I have with others.
...more

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Oct 15, 2019 W rated it liked it

Shelves: afghanistan

I read this,when it came out in 2004.British journalist,Christina Lamb returns to Afghanistan,following the US invasion and the fall of the Taliban,after having already been there during the Soviet occupation in the 1980s.(Those days are described in her Pakistan book,Waiting for Allah).

For some reason,she has a strong affinity for the Afghan fighters,who in addition to fighting the Soviets and the Americans,have spilled the blood of their countrymen with abandon,too.

There are some chilling depi ...more

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Oct 16, 2017 Gary rated it it was amazing

In these memoirs the author writes about her experiences in Afghanistan, a country with which she has come to care deeply about and to explore intimately.
She details her experiences with people she has interviewed and come to know in Afghanistan and what she has come to witness in her years there.
Through the book she shapes a history of Afghnanistan, a rich land of many nations which has been invaded by many from the armies of Alexander the Great, the Persians and Mongols, the British and Russia In these memoirs the author writes about her experiences in Afghanistan, a country with which she has come to care deeply about and to explore intimately.
She details her experiences with people she has interviewed and come to know in Afghanistan and what she has come to witness in her years there.
Through the book she shapes a history of Afghnanistan, a rich land of many nations which has been invaded by many from the armies of Alexander the Great, the Persians and Mongols, the British and Russians/Soviets and most recently the Arab and Pakistani Islamists.
We learn that most of the Taliban were not Afghans at all but Arabs and Pakistani Islamo-Nazis barging into a county were they found it easy to wage their nihilist jihad and foist Islamo-Nazism on a hapless population.
The author explores the totalitarian and insane laws forced on the people by the Taliban in Afghanistan during the Taliban reign of terror, there, such as forcing women to be covered by a burka, to be not allowed out unless accompanied by a male relative, any woman who had her nails painted was to have her fingers cut off, and any woman who showed her ankles was to be whipped.

Music was banned, laughing in public was baned, chess was banned, card were banned, flying kites were banned, keeping any pets including birds was banned.

Of course the people of Afghanistan welcomed the American liberation of that country from the Taliban hell, even if Islamic jihadis and left wing fanatics around the world did not.
The people of Afghanistan wanted to be free, even if the likes of Noam Chomsky and the Satanic Stalinist Workers World Party in America or George Galloway's 'Respect' did not.

The author highlights memoirs of the holocaust perpetrated by the Soviets on the Afghan people, Isn't it ironic that the same Communist rabble around the world that supported Soviet atrocities in Afghanistan should be the same ones who loudly join in the hyena chorus against the USA for liberating Afghanistan from Taliban terror.
And why are radical feminists in the West so silent about atrocities against women in Islamic states, by the same Islamists these Western radicals are so quick to champion.

We also learn how the Afghans yearned for the peace and claim of the reign of the enlightened King Zahir Shah before 1973.
Zahir Shah had spilled no blood and allowed a peaceful and enlightened country to flourish in which women enjoyed full rights.
Afghanistan was plunged into the hell of the Soviet holocaust and then Islamist tyranny from 1978 when the Communists were foisted by the Soviets like a bacillus onto Afghanistan.

A very colourful, highly readable and exciting window into the tragedy of Afghanistan and it's liberation.
It was beautiful to read of the freedom enjoyed by women and girls after the Taliban were forced to flee.
Young women could wear lipstick and trousers and enjoy a full range of freedoms under the presidency of Hamid Karzai.
But still that country struggles under the terror of Islamist terrorism and the fear that the Taliban and Al Qaeda may regain control and reinstall their regime of terror. ...more

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Dec 13, 2013 Agustinus Wibowo rated it it was amazing

Shelves: communism, history, pakistan, journalism, travel-writing, afghanistan, central-asia

The best nonfiction book I have ever read on Afghanistan. Compelling story, vivid description, meticulous investigation, word class storytelling. It brought Afghanistan and Afghans come to live, this book even introduces Hamid Karzai as a person with humane feelings, not merely a president we used to see on press conference.

The most mindblowing chapter for me is Chapter 9:Face to Face with the Taliban, about Taliban and Pakistan interference in Afghanistan history and future.

"So many people had ...more

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Mar 13, 2010 chucklesthescot rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: asian true life readers

Shelves: asian, non-fiction

This book was just an ego book for the author about HER journey and what SHE did rather than exploring the life of the people that she met. It was a 'As I was going through the town, here is what I was doing' instead of telling us about the town and its people. The title of the book is misleading as well as you only meet the women briefly in one chapter of the book and never hear from then again. I was expecting a book about these brave women meeting in secret to defy the hardline men but they w ...more

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Dec 29, 2008 Hope rated it it was ok

I finished this book but had a hard time with it. The book meandered through scads of tribal history, introducing what felt like hundreds of names, without giving providing a clear picture of the historical events or their context. It needed an editor with a sharper eye to readability and continuity.

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Oct 31, 2011 Claire Croxton rated it it was amazing

This is a very compelling book. One that I took me quite some time to finish because I was unable to read more than a few pages at a time. Very disturbing. Another one of those, “Thank God I live in the United States” books.

Ms. Lamb traveled to the region in the 1980s and was captivated by the Afghans, the mujaheddin who was fighting the Soviets. She rode on motorbikes with the bearded mujaheddin and was literally in the trenches with them as they fought for their country’s freedom.

After the b ...more

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Jul 27, 2010 Maranda (addlebrained_reader) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: non-fiction, 2010-reads, recommended-reading

Christina Lamb is a journalist from England who has traveled to Afghanistan several times in her career. These visits to this country have ranged from before and after 9/11 and the terrorist attack on the United States.

This book is checkered throughout with letters from a young lady, Marri, in Afghanistan who explains of her love of dancing and red lipstick. However, Marri's letters are also full of fear, anger and hurt because of the men who force her to hide beneath the burqa.

In this book, Chr Christina Lamb is a journalist from England who has traveled to Afghanistan several times in her career. These visits to this country have ranged from before and after 9/11 and the terrorist attack on the United States.

This book is checkered throughout with letters from a young lady, Marri, in Afghanistan who explains of her love of dancing and red lipstick. However, Marri's letters are also full of fear, anger and hurt because of the men who force her to hide beneath the burqa.

In this book, Christina provides pieces of Afghanistan's history; the beauty the country used to possess. She speaks of interviews with members of the Taliban. She discusses wars and how children are brought up, not to play and love, but to fight, hate and win. Christina explores and writes about every side and she does so unbiasedly; as a good journalist should.

This is the book The Hubble chose for me for July. Yes, I've been reading it for 2 months. This is not a page turner by any means. In fact, when I finished the book I simply sat there holding it for a good 5 minutes before taking it back to The Hubble in the other room. When I walked out and handed him the book he asked me "how do you feel." The only answer I could give was "drained."

This book made me feel many emotions. I felt anger toward the men who beat Marri's mother because she removed her burqa to look at a swatch of fabric. I felt sad for the families who found their loved ones hanging from tree branches. I felt scared for the women who would have secret lessons so as to continue educating the young girls in the country.

It amazes me to see pictures of women walking through the streets of Afghanistan with heels, skirts, books and their hair done in modern styles. I can hardly envision the landscape when the country is described to have been a paradise with trees, gardens, birds and exquisite beauty. Afghanistan once was a tourist destination!

But 23 years of fighting has definitely marred our memories and perceptions of this once great land. But if I feel that way, how can I imagine it would feel to be a child brought up in that environment. Can it ever change??

When I read this book, I kept thinking this is why we are there. I couldn't help but be touched by Marri's distress or the tales of men being forced into the Taliban by being threatened. On the other hand, Christina Lamb described, in such amazing detail, the hatred some people in Afghanistan feel for Americans that I found myself wondering why the Hell should we help them?? They just want to kill our people!

I don't know if this country will ever have peace. I keep thinking about the movie "Lady in the Water." There's a part in the movie where they talk about the author of a book. This book will be written and it will be found by a young boy. This boy will take this book and read it. This boy will change the world because of this one book. I keep thinking we need that one book and that one boy. But even if the book and the boy were to meet, that boy wouldn't be able to read that book. Education in that country is gone.

When The Hubble was in Afghanistan last year, he got to talking with his interpreter during a recon mission. The Hubble asked his interpreter "Will Afghanistan ever have peace?" To this, the interpreter replied "Without education there will be no peace."

This book was difficult and emotional to read but I'm glad I did. I've been having trouble understanding why The Hubble is SO passionate about these people and why he wants to get back as quickly as possible. After reading this book...I get it. I absolutely get it....
...more

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Jun 19, 2012 Nick rated it really liked it

The "sewing circles" were an excuse for girls to gather under the Taliban. Surreptitious classes were given, and a half-finished dress was kept handy for when the Taliban police showed up to check. Of all the books I have read about Afghan culture--a misnomer really, since the country is a collection of peoples that no empire could handle--Christina Lamb seems to know it best and have the greatest sympathy. She travelled with some of the Taliban when they were just a group fighting the Russians ...more

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Oct 07, 2017 Shahana rated it it was amazing

've lost count of how much fiction on or by Afghans I've read over the years - starting from Rabindranath's Kabuliwala and MM Kaye's Far Pavilions to Rumi and then to Khaled Hosseini, Nadia Hashimi, Yasmina Khadra, Asne Seierstad....Afghanistan has always been the darling of writers and journalists because few countries can claim a more poignant and moving history, which is still in the making.
This one, however, is special in its own way; the author is both a writer and a journalist; weaving a t ...more

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Jan 28, 2008 Nancy rated it liked it · review of another edition

Enjoyed this book recommended to me by my dauther Elizabeth. Written by a British woman journalist, it details her two trips to Afghanistan. It includes a great deal of history and accounts of her interviews with powerful Afghan leaders. The sewing cirlce potion of the book is minimal, but it does contribute to the general theme of the book which is the tragedy that has befallen a once proud country.

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Aug 19, 2012 Fiona rated it really liked it

Shelves: travel-writing, favorites

I admire Christina Lamb's journalism and this book is an exceptional example of her in depth knowledge of her chosen subjects. My only criticism would be that at times I found myself questioning her objectivity but that might be unfair. Having met her at a litfest, I'm sure she would happily debate that point as she is one of the most intelligent journalists I've listened to or read. ...more

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Jan 11, 2018 Sally Edsall rated it it was amazing

Shelves: afghanistan, biography, history

This is a bit of a “wow!” book in the sense I kept thinking “wow - how did you get access there!”

It covers a lot of Afghan history (you have to concentrate because it does jump around, but it’s important). We learn about the centuries old tribal enmities, the royal period. In the period of the mujahideen fighting the soviets, Lamb is in the ditches during battle with the jihadis!

Twelve years after leaving after the Soviets are (briefly) victorious, Lamb goes back, after 9/11 and after the Talib This is a bit of a “wow!” book in the sense I kept thinking “wow - how did you get access there!”

It covers a lot of Afghan history (you have to concentrate because it does jump around, but it’s important). We learn about the centuries old tribal enmities, the royal period. In the period of the mujahideen fighting the soviets, Lamb is in the ditches during battle with the jihadis!

Twelve years after leaving after the Soviets are (briefly) victorious, Lamb goes back, after 9/11 and after the Taliban.

I was fascinated by the people she meets & talks to - women and men who throughout it all managed to keep teaching secretly in Kabul, who preserved the literary culture of Herat, the head of Pakistani intelligence, a chief protaganist. She manages to gain access to one of the madrasses
In Pakistan training young boys to be Taliban fighters. She locates the family of the last person executed by the Taliban before their official demise in Herat. We meet Hazaras on the run and Pashtun fighters (of various tribes) and women who are trying the best they can against the odds.

Lamb has the advantage of having access to both women and men and so we also enter the purdah sections of houses occasionally.

We learn how men switched from being mujahideen to Taliban, and back again. We are shocked (as she was) that after reading of all the atrocities of human upon human how emotional the reaction to the destruction at the National Museum in Kabul, and are amused and astounded by the way many paintings were preserved in the National Gallery. (Peraonally I think the emotional reaction is because of the poignancy of the gentle humans who in the midst of all this bloody tribal warfare remained full of hope and even now loom to the future)

Lamb doesn’t hold back on the atrocities. Some of the descriptions are truly awful, and make you think “this place is fucked.”

A theme which runs throughout is of a young woman teacher in Kabul who wrote letters to Lamb (whom she had never met) describing daily life amidst the oppression and chaos. She is jubilant when the Taliban are driven out of Kabul. In the latter part of the book Lamb searches for this woman named Marri through the rubble of Kabul. No spoilers about the outcome!

Hamid Karzai, who became president is an old friend of Lamb’s and we meet him several times. One of the most outstanding is on the eve of his becoming president, when he is in the remains of the old royal palace, sharing the building with his hostile predecessor.

I have a fascination with Afghanistan since my aunt lived there in the 1960s, and I found this a fascinating and informative read - it takes you right inside this fiercey proud, and warring country. ...more

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Sep 24, 2020 Nola rated it liked it

I picked this book up at a 2nd hand bookshop, I was totally ignorant of the politics of Afghanistan, what a mess this country is in. The British, Americans and Pakistan have a lot to answer for. This book has left me with wanting to know more about this country. Christina Lamb was very brave to have undertaken her trips into Afghanistan. Recommended reading to know a little more about this country.

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Nov 03, 2013 Cheryl Gatling added it

Christina Lamb is a British journalist. In the 1980s she reported on the Afghans' war with Russia. She thrived on danger, disguising herself to get as close to the front as she could, riding on motorbikes with mujaheddin, some of whom would go on to become leaders of the Taliban, and one of whom, Hamid Karzai, who would go on to become President of Afghanistan. Then she returned home, married, and had a child.

After 9/11 she went back. This time she found an Afghanistan struggling to recover fro Christina Lamb is a British journalist. In the 1980s she reported on the Afghans' war with Russia. She thrived on danger, disguising herself to get as close to the front as she could, riding on motorbikes with mujaheddin, some of whom would go on to become leaders of the Taliban, and one of whom, Hamid Karzai, who would go on to become President of Afghanistan. Then she returned home, married, and had a child.

After 9/11 she went back. This time she found an Afghanistan struggling to recover from the damage done by the Taliban. She tells about once-beautiful cities destroyed by war, all the flowering trees cut down, and the birds gone. She tells the stories of the people she meets-- tales of beatings and executions, of artworks and books and ancient artifacts destroyed, of women imprisoned in their homes.

She also tells inspiring stories of secret resistance. The sewing circles of Herat is one of those. Women were pretending to meet for sewing lessons, but were really studying literature from a male university professor, something that probably could have gotten them all killed. Preparing for a possible raid, they had a half-made dress ready to hold up, and a child on guard, warning the professor to run out the back.

Another inspiring story is that of a painter who showed up at the art museum, claiming "I have been contracted to restore the paintings." No one had hired him, but no one checked. He raced to paint over all the faces and figures in the paintings, before the Taliban could scratch or cut them out. After the Taliban left, he washed off the water-based paint he had used.

Most of the stories were just sad. She visits the football stadium where the Taliban had performed so many public executions, and finds a young man hosing down the ground. The water washed the blood out of the soil, and there was so much blood, the water continued to run red for days.

Along the way, Lamb tells stories of the history of Afghanistan, which is admittedly hard for most of us Westerners to follow, but is full of betrayals and murders, but also of glories of music and art and poetry. Between the chapters she includes letters sent to her by an Afghan woman named Marri. Marri, an educated woman, a teacher, risks imprisonment at least by writing to a foreigner about conditions for Afghanistan's women.

At the end of the book, Lamb goes searching for Marri, which takes her door to door, meeting many broken families, who all invited her in for tea. There is so much thrown into this book (history, interviews, observations) that it is something of a jumble at times, but there are many, many moving bits, and it helps to paint a fuller picture of Afghanistan than we usually see here on our news. ...more

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May 03, 2016 Cheryl rated it liked it

An interesting look at Afghanistan both pre- and post-9/11. This book contained enough history and cultural information that you can understand why things haven't changed there in hundreds of years, no matter how much progress is made. The discussion of the role of the King (I didn't know there ever was one) and of Hamid Karzai both before and after the World Trade Center were also very educational. I was a little disappointed, though, in how much of the book was NOT about the sewing circles of ...more

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Jun 08, 2013 Janette Wilkins rated it really liked it

I found this book full of history, struggle, courage - a much needed glimpse into the world of the real people of Afghanistan. It is a serious read which takes some energy depending on your background with the history of the country. Definitely worth while if you like narrative fiction and want to learn something.

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Mar 07, 2008 Brooke rated it liked it

Recommends it for: Those interested in Afghanistan

Recommended to Brooke by: the web site for "A Thousand Splendid Suns"

Absolutely fascinating! A slower read, a little detail dense, but so interesting. I am going so slow because every few pages I read I have to spend the next five minutes telling my husband about what I just learned.

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Mar 01, 2009 Lynne rated it it was ok

Shelves: did-not-finish

Although educational, I abandoned this book after the umpteenth depiction of torture.. I should have researched the book prior to starting it. Based on the title, I expected a book about women in Afghanistan rather brutal descriptions of torture. My fault.

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Feb 19, 2019 Marie Greaney rated it liked it · review of another edition

A book that is not about the sewing circles of Herat - women meeting ostensibly to sew (which was allowed) but actually to read (which was not, unless it was the Koran). It was about Afghanistan, the Taliban, history, war, torture, destruction, etc.

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Oct 15, 2007 Megan rated it really liked it

I found this book entertaining and educational. I learned alot about Afghanistan, and also felt more conflicted about America's role there after reading. ...more

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Feb 24, 2017 Aparna Singh rated it it was ok

There are some interesting stories in this book based on the author's work in Afghanistan over two time periods (during the Soviet war and immediately after 2001).

However a few things spoilt it for me.

There is a lack of depth to most of the stories, which seem to be about the author more than the people she meets. I suspect this could be because it is hard to really get into another culture as an outsider, especially if one is using an interpreter to talk!

Secondly there is hardly anything about ...more

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Apr 01, 2018 Janet rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Excellent book. Informative, interesting and, in parts, quite shocking in man's inhumanity to man (and woman, obviously).

I did actually know Afghanistan had a monarchy, although nothing much about it, and that the country had a turbulent history. Not helped, of course, by the imperialist tendencies of its neighbours.

Well worth taking the time to read. ...more

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Feb 16, 2018 Ang rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: armchair-travel, war-history-true

I found the chronology a little difficult at times, unsure which visit to Afghanistan I was in. I found the title not fully reflective of the content - I guess I was hoping to see more on womens insight from inside the war, and less on the history and machinations of war.

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Aug 07, 2019 Vicki Klemm rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I started reading this book earlier in the year and could not get in to it, but this time I found it interesting and captivating. Learned a lot about the history around Taliban/ ISIS/ CIA involvement, etc...

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Oct 15, 2020 Dawn Fortenberry rated it really liked it

definitely helped me to better understand how things happened in Afghanistan especially in recent history. oddly, what really blew my mind most was learning that children's elementary school math books feature guns rather than apples and oranges etc when teaching addition. ...more

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Jan 10, 2019 D rated it really liked it

Christina Lamb conveys her love for Afganistan in this memoir. There were so many threads in this book I wanted to follow further... like the clandestine sewing classes!

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May 26, 2020 Lou rated it it was amazing

Shelves: feminalia, hx

Painful in some respects but yet so inspiring.

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Feb 13, 2019 Eloise rated it it was amazing

Christina Lamb had access to some people and places that I would not have thought possible. That alone intrigued me about the book. At one point she is literally in a ditch with the mujahideen whilst being attacked by the Russians.

She covers a lot of history which I found very interesting but would really need to re-read and take notes to follow it all more fully.

She introduces us to some fascinating, sometimes horrific, stories and situations including talking with a former Taliban torturer.

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Jun 21, 2015 Mike rated it it was amazing

Richard Maconachie, one-time British Minister to Kabul, wrote, “Throughout the country [of Afghanistan] the advantages of anarchy seem to have been better appreciated than its drawbacks.” And in Lamb’s book an unnamed Afghan boasts: “Fighting is our problem. We fight with everything. Afghans are world champions in fighting.”
Many people might have thought that before the infamous regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan, (who, according to the Afghans, are Pakistani puppets) this country was quiet an Richard Maconachie, one-time British Minister to Kabul, wrote, “Throughout the country [of Afghanistan] the advantages of anarchy seem to have been better appreciated than its drawbacks.” And in Lamb’s book an unnamed Afghan boasts: “Fighting is our problem. We fight with everything. Afghans are world champions in fighting.”
Many people might have thought that before the infamous regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan, (who, according to the Afghans, are Pakistani puppets) this country was quiet and peace-loving. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Historically this is a people endlessly engaged in inter-tribal warfare, revenge and assassinations, while simultaneously defending themselves from invasions by surrounding nations: Iran, Russia, China, India – and, of course, Britain. The Kalashnikov is the constant companion of most men and boys.
In the past, Afghans produced beautiful architecture, art and poetry. Yet through constant warfare, little of this beauty remains intact, and Afghanistan must now be at its lowest cultural ebb.
Christina Lamb paints a picture of a country unable to get right with itself. She combines her own adventures and investigations with long and short stories of contemporary and historical individuals caught up with warfare, and fills in a great deal of the historical processes that have brought Afghanistan to its knees.
At times there is an excess of detail, particularly in the recounting of tortures and executions. There is no doubt Lamb is a fine journalist, one with a compassionate heart for the people she meets, a heart that has learned compassion the hard way.
Early in the book she comes across a group of woman and children fleeing one of the interminable battles. They mistake her for a doctor. She, however, is too busy ‘scribbling non-stop in her notebook,” and has no time to help an injured child. She abandons the child’s pleading mother. Only afterwards does she recognise that a journalist cannot always remain objective.
The book covers Lamb’s pre-Taliban experiences, when the Russians were the enemy, and her return to the country after Sept 11th. The chronology and geography can be confusing, as Lamb often starts a story at a high point and gradually fills in the details. There is also a wide sweep of names filling the book, but the index is very helpful for those who struggle to remember who’s who.
This is story of a people who can be utterly foreign in their thinking, yet who whose needs and desires are the same as ours. The horrors are sickening and the tragedies almost overwhelming. But there are some brighter moments.
For instance, the Taliban painted over, or destroyed, any depiction of a human or animal face. One artist managed to protect a number of valuable paintings by overlaying them with removable watercolour and then painting ‘acceptable’ pictures on top.
Beneath the horrors, optimism survives.
One old man spends his days collecting fragments of the mosaics that once used to decorate the Minarets in Heart. And the sewing circles of the title refer to the women who wanted to be educated even though the Taliban kept them out of schools. They set up ‘sewing circles’ which were in fact mini-schools, and gained some education that way.
...more

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About Christina Lamb

Christina Lamb

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Christina Lamb OBE is one of Britain's leading foreign correspondents. She has been named Foreign Correspondent of the Year five times in the British Press Awards and What the Papers Say Awards and in 2007 was winner of the Prix Bayeux Calvados - one of the world's most prestigious prizes for war correspondents, for her reporting from Afghanistan.

She has won numerous other awards starting with You ...more

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“At a dinner party in north London, I listened to friends bragging about buying Porsches with their bonuses and sending out from their offices for pizzas and clean shirts because they were clinching a deal and could not leave their desks. I wanted to tell them of a place where every family had lost a son or a husband or had a leg blown off, almost every child seen someone die in a rocket attack and where a small boy had told me his dream was to have a brightly coloured ball. But, when I began to talk about Afghanistan, I watched eyes glaze and felt as if I was trying to have a conversation about a movie no one else had seen.” — 19 likes

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Preview — The Sewing Circles of Herat by Christina Lamb

The Sewing Circles of Herat: A Personal Voyage Through Afghanistan

Get A Copy

Friend Reviews

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Lists with This Book

Community Reviews

new topicDiscuss This Book

Readers also enjoyed

Genres

About Christina Lamb

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