The Dressmaker of Khair Khana

The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon
Bibliography

The author, Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, was an MBA student at Harvard Business School, when she decided to do some research into women in war-torn countries and their entreprenurial spirit. This brought her to war-torn Rwanda, Bosnia and Afghanistan

 Kamila Sidiqi's life changes when the Taliban seizes power in Afghanistan and she is cut off from the education and enlightened life her father provides for her and her five sisters.  Further the men of the family are under serious threat and the older ones must leave for safer territories.  This leaves the sisters almost destitute and no way of earning more money.

Kamila starts a dressmaking and seamstress operation in her house.  The threats are enormous as she must still try to sell their wares.  She is a very resourceful young lady with lots of bravery to do as she did to support her family.

This is a story of hope, bravery and fantastic human spirit.  The only inconsistency I just didn't quite understand is whose was buying these garments if everyone was so badly off?


First Line: "I touched down in Afghanistan for the first time on a raw winter morning in 2005 after two days of travel that took me from Boston to Dubai via London."

Rating:
(4.0/5)