The Lovers - Softcover

Nordland, Rod

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1473607000 ISBN 13: 9781473607002

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton, 2016

Synopsis

"She is his Juliet and he is her Romeo, and her family has threatened to kill them both..."

This is the heartrending account of Zakia and Mohammad Ali, a couple from opposing ethnic sects, who defying their society's norms have left behind everything they know and are quite literally risking their lives for their love.

Friends from childhood, Zakia and Mohammad Ali could never have predicted that their love would anger their families so much that they would be forced to leave their homes finding refuge only in the harsh terrain of the Afghani mountains. Without money or passports they rely on the kindness of strangers to house them for a couple of days at a time as they remain on the run, never deterred.

New York Times journalist, Rod Nordland, has chronicled the plight of the young lovers telling their extraordinary story of courage, perseverance and love in one of the world's most troubled countries. This moving love story is told against the bigger backdrop of the horrific but widespread practices that women are subjected to in Afghanistan.

About this title

Review:

From the couple s elopement to their elevation to media prominence, Nordland s storytelling remains gripping, with more than a hint of Shakespearean drama. --Publishers Weekly"

A captivating account of forbidden love in one of the world s most conservative countries. Nordland takes the reader on his personal journey to save a couple from the inevitable doom of secret love in Afghanistan and reveals an unprecedented window into the country s cultural constraints.--Lynsey Addario, author of It's What I Do: A Photographer's Life of Love and War"

Rod Nordland has written a riveting, romantic page-turner about two young people fighting to be together against terrible odds. This is a vitally important book that exposes the abominable treatment of women by a society the U.S., in its ignorance, has fought to preserve. --Susan Adams, senior editor at Forbes"

Meticulously reported and written, Nordland s book is an exceptionally well-delineated glimpse into the marriage practices of a closed patriarchal society and the suffering it has caused women. A provocative, well-told story of love . . . and an incisive examination of the continued violation of women s rights in Afghanistan. --Kirkus"

An appealing love story of a young couple from neighboring farming families in mountainous northern Afghanistan. A heartfelt, readable account for those interested in the personal impact of a decade of American engagement in Afghanistan. --Library Journal"

This sensitive and unblinking portrait of love and injustice somehow encompasses Afghanistan s recent tragedy: hope, suffering, disillusionment, resilience. Rod Nordland has come as close as any Western reporter to the human heart beneath the headlines. --George Packer, author of The Unwinding and The Assassins' Gate"

... a searing analysis of the endemic gender terrorism in a culture where no woman of any age or class . . . is immune from brutality at the hands of her own kinsmen. You will never use the word patriarchy casually after you read it. And read it you must. --Judith Thurman, critic, biographer, and winner of the National Book Award"

With The Lovers, Rod Nordland has delivered a true-to-life Romeo & Juliet story that cuts straight to the heart. This saga of Zakia and Ali is raw, poignant, uplifting, and suspenseful, and absolutely compelling throughout. --Jon Lee Anderson, New Yorker staff writer and author of Che Guevara"

Rod Nordland is a master at bringing war down to the human level. --Jill Abramson, former executive editor of the New York Times"

A gripping read and a compelling exploration of Afghanistan well beyond its headlines. You will be thinking about Ali and Zakia long after you have finished the book. --Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, Council on Foreign Relations and author of Ashley's War"

Book Description:

A story of forbidden love. Zakia and Mohammad Ali are a modern day Romeo and Juliet. Two young Afghan lovers who defied their families risking their lives in order to be together.

About this edition

• Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton
• Publication date: 2016
• ISBN 10: 1473607000
• ISBN 13: 9781473607002
• Binding: Paperback