9781250043658
Twenty-three years ago, Kabul was a garden where seven-year-old Qais Akbar Omar flew kites from the roof of his grandfather's house. But then came the hollow sounds of rocket fire as the Mujahedin, self-proclaimed holy warriors, took over Afghanistan. Civil war erupted, and Omar's family fled to an old fort, leaving everything behind. Soon, after narrowly escaping death, his father decided that the family must leave the country. But the journey proved more difficult than anticipated, and the Taliban's victory over the Mujahedin made little difference to the Afghan people.
In this stunning coming-of-age memoir, Omar offers a moving recollection of these events—a story of daily hardships, relieved by moments of joy and immense beauty. Inflected with folktales and steeped in poetry, A Fort of Nine Towers is a universal tale of human resilience and a life-affirming triumph.