The book goes behind the scenes into the lives of Muslim women, showing how these are very different from those of Western women and revealing the rules, pressures and tensions that they face. It describes how Islamic concepts of honour and shame can oppress and endanger women and how arranged and forced marriages can be life-threatening for them.

An Afghan woman who escaped from the Communists, and her younger sister, who fled the Taliban only to be jailed by the INS, describe the changing circumstances for women in their homeland and their efforts to survive in exile.

We don’t achieve everything we want and sometimes when we fail to fulfil the dream we have been seeing for years or our loved one leaves us, we feel, the purpose of our life ends here. And some of us take a horrendous step like a suicide. Why? Sometimes destiny makes us to lose small battles so that we can win a war. The same happens when a serious personality aaditya fails to crack an IIM interview because of his own drawback, thus he wants to end his life. Then a girl enters in his life, who always hides herself behind a burqa. Why is she hiding her identity? Come... Dive into the life of a boy who fears a lot. Watch him crossing all the boundaries for the friendship and fall in love without seeing a face for that he believes... True love isn't about faces because... Pretty faces are merely better arrangement of biochemical.

“I lived in Afghanistan for five years. I learned the rules – I had to.” Riveting and fast paced, In the Land of Blue Burqas depicts sharing the love and truth of Christ with women living in Afghanistan, which has been called "the world's most dangerous country in which to be born a woman." These stories are honest and true. The harsh reality of their lives is not sugar-coated, and that adds to the impact of this book. Through storytelling, the author shows how people who don't know Christ come to see Him, His truth, and His beauty. The stories provide insight into how a Jesus-follower brought Jesus' teachings of the Kingdom of God to Afghanistan. They reveal the splendor of Christ, the desire of human hearts, and that precious instance where the two meet. All of the names ofthose involved—including Kate's—plus the locations have been changed to protect the participants.

Soon after the fall of the Taliban, in 2001, Deborah Rodriguez went to Afghanistan as part of a group offering humanitarian aid to this war-torn nation. Surrounded by men and women whose skills–as doctors, nurses, and therapists–seemed eminently more practical than her own, Rodriguez, a hairdresser and mother of two from Michigan, despaired of being of any real use. Yet she soon found she had a gift for befriending Afghans, and once her profession became known she was eagerly sought out by Westerners desperate for a good haircut and by Afghan women, who have a long and proud tradition of running their own beauty salons. Thus an idea was born. With the help of corporate and international sponsors, the Kabul Beauty School welcomed its first class in 2003. Well meaning but sometimes brazen, Rodriguez stumbled through language barriers, overstepped cultural customs, and constantly juggled the challenges of a postwar nation even as she learned how to empower her students to become their families’ breadwinners by learning the fundamentals of coloring techniques, haircutting, and makeup. Yet within the small haven of the beauty school, the line between teacher and student quickly blurred as these vibrant women shared with Rodriguez their stories and their hearts: the newlywed who faked her virginity on her wedding night, the twelve-year-old bride sold into marriage to pay her family’s debts, the Taliban member’s wife who pursued her training despite her husband’s constant beatings. Through these and other stories, Rodriguez found the strength to leave her own unhealthy marriage and allow herself to love again, Afghan style. With warmth and humor, Rodriguez details the lushness of a seemingly desolate region and reveals the magnificence behind the burqa. Kabul Beauty School is a remarkable tale of an extraordinary community of women who come together and learn the arts of perms, friendship, and freedom.

What does a mother suffering from cancer, a self made millionaire, a 911 survivor and a 12 year old orphan in Iraq have in common? The Untold Secret of Fathima is the story of the life altering religious awakening in their lives. Their stories are intertwined with an invisible bond and they are destined to help one another. Together, they make the impossible, possible and prove that religion has no boundaries. The Untold Secret of Fathima conveys that the essence of all religion is love and peace.

Renowned picture book creator Jeanette Winter tells the story of a young girl in Afghanistan who attends a secret school for girls. Young Nasreen has not spoken a word to anyone since her parents disappeared. In despair, her grandmother risks everything to enroll Nasreen in a secret school for girls. Will a devoted teacher, a new friend, and the worlds she discovers in books be enough to draw Nasreen out of her shell of sadness? Based on a true story from Afghanistan, this inspiring book will touch readers deeply as it affirms both the life-changing power of education and the healing power of love.

At the age of eighteen Lucy Wadham ran away from English boys and into the arms of a Frenchman. Twenty-five years later, having married in a French Catholic Church, put her children through the French educational system and divorced in a French court of law, Wadham is perfectly placed to explore the differences between Britain and France. Using both her personal experiences and the lessons of French history and culture, she examines every aspect of French life - from sex and adultery to money, happiness, race and politics - in this funny and engrossing account of our most intriguing neighbour.

The author examines the role of women in Oman culture