- Softcover
- Used
Seller: World of Books Inc, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.World of Books Inc
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Condition: Used - Fair
£ 4.90
Quantity: 1 available
Add to basketItem description from seller
Gold Medal, Best Regional Fiction, Independent Publishers Book Awards 2017First Prize, North Street Book Contest 2017Courageous teachers wanted to rebuild war-torn nation.With her marriage over and life gone flat, Theresa Turner responds to an online ad, and lands at a school in Kurdish Iraq. Befriended by a widow in a nearby village, Theresa is embroiled in the joys and agonies of traditional Kurds, especially the women who survived Saddam's genocide only to be crippled by age-old restrictions, brutality and honor killings. Theresa's greatest challenge will be balancing respect for cultural values while trying to introduce more enlightened attitudes toward women - at the same time seeking new spiritual dimensions within herself.
Based on true events, The Kurdish Bike is gripping, tender, wry and compassionate - an eye-opener into little-known customs in one of the world's most explosive regions - a novel of love, betrayal and redemption. San Francisco Book Review gave the book five stars and compared it to The Kite Runner. The Manhattan Book Review also gave it five stars, and called it a must-read for anyone interested in the Middle East.…
Seller Inventory # CIN0692758100A
- Title
- The Kurdish Bike
- Author
- Alesa Lightbourne
- Publisher
- Alesa Lightbourne
- Publication year
- 2016
- Condition
- Fair
- Binding
- Paperback
- Language
- English
- ISBN 10
- 0692758100
- ISBN 13
- 9780692758106
“For fans of Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner. Five stars.” — San Francisco Book Review
“A must-read for anyone interested in the Middle East. Five stars.” — Manhattan Book Review
"Lightbourne writes in a cinematic prose and easily folds in background about the Kurdish people’s suffering under Saddam Hussein. This story of sisterhood, motherhood, and nationhood should have wide appeal." — BookLife
Inspired by the incredible true story of an American teacher in northern Iraq, The Kurdish Bike is a gripping, compassionate and often wry tale of adventure set in one of the world’s least understood cultures. It is 2010, and Theresa Turner responds to an online ad for “courageous teachers to help rebuild a war-torn country.” Landing in a repressive school for Kurd elites, she yearns to experience the "real” Kurdistan, buys a bicycle, and explores the nearby villages and countryside. When she is befriended by a local widow, Theresa is embroiled in the joys and agonies of traditional Kurds, especially the women who survived Saddam’s genocide only to be crippled by age-old restrictions, female genital mutilation (FGM), brutality and honor killings. She experiences a female bonding that transcends cultures, and a generosity that staggers the imagination. Theresa’s greatest challenge will be balancing respect for local values while trying to introduce more enlightened attitudes toward women — at the same time seeking new spiritual dimensions within herself.
The Kurdish Bike is a novel of love, betrayal and redemption. Well-developed characters face life-and-death decisions, and are not always who they seem. Unexpected changes back home have devastating impacts on the expatriates. And it is impossible to determine who is a genuine ally in such a foreign setting. Add to this the main character's desire for inner transformation, and you have a must-read page turner that haunts the reader for months. It is the winner of the Gold Medal for Best Regional eBook from Independent Publishers, First Prize in the North Street Book Awards, and Readers Favorite Best Cultural Fiction Bronze Medal.
The Kurdish Bike is highly recommended for book clubs. The author gives frequent presentations on Kurdish culture to clubs, public libraries, universities, churches, community service groups, etc. and will speak to groups via Skype upon request. She is a passionate supporter of women's causes in rural Kurdistan, and is committed to helping the women described in the book create a better life for themselves. Visit kurdishbike.com for book club discussion questions and recipes for a Kurdish-themed meal.
"Synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
"About the title" may belong to another edition of this title.
World of Books Inc
Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
AbeBooks seller since March 23, 2026
Shipping rates within U.S.A.
| Item | 4 to 12 business days | 3 to 6 business days |
|---|---|---|
| First item | £ 0.00 | £ 8.14 |
Payment methods
Store description
Founded in 2002, World of Books is a leading online destination for buying and selling both preloved and new books, committed to making sustainable reading accessible to all. With a mission to help people read more and waste less, World of Books offers a huge range of affordable, high-quality books — giving both new and preloved titles a second life. The company also operates World of Books – Sell Your Books, an easy-to-use platform that allows customers to trade in unwanted books for cash, helping to keep books in circulation while promoting sustainability. As a Certified B Corp, World of Books is driven by a vision to become the world’s largest and most sustainable dedicated online bookstore. The company measures its success through the positive environmental impact it creates, the value it provides to customers, and its ability to operate profitably while supporting its sustainable mission …
Specialty
Second Hand - All GenreSeller's business information
SBYB, Inc.
900 Knell Road
Montgomery, IL U.S.A. 60538
Right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer you can withdraw from the contract in accordance with the following. Consumer means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business, craft or profession.
Information regarding the right of withdrawal
Statutory right to withdraw
You have the right to withdraw from this contract within 14 days without giving any reason.
The withdrawal period will expire after 14 days from the day on which you acquire, or a third party other than the carrier and indicated by you acquires, physical possession of the last good or the last lot or piece.
To exercise the right of withdrawal, electronically fill in and submit a clear statement on our website, under "My Purchases" in "My Account". We will communicate to you an acknowledgement of receipt of such a withdrawal on a durable medium (e.g. by e-mail) without delay.
To meet the withdrawal deadline, it is sufficient for you to send your communication concerning your exercise of the right of withdrawal before the withdrawal period has expired.
Effects of withdrawal
If you withdraw from this contract, we will reimburse to you all payments received from you, including the costs of delivery (except for the supplementary costs arising if you chose a type of delivery other than the least expensive type of standard delivery offered by us).
We may make a deduction from the reimbursement for loss in value of any goods supplied, if the loss is the result of unnecessary handling by you.
We will make the reimbursement without undue delay, and not later than 14 days after the day on which we are informed about your decision to withdraw from this contract.
We will make the reimbursement using the same means of payment as you used for the initial transaction, unless you have expressly agreed otherwise; in any event, you will not incur any fees as a result of such reimbursement.
We may withhold reimbursement until we have received the goods back, or you have supplied evidence of having sent back the goods, whichever is the earliest.
You shall send back the goods or hand them over to World of Books Inc, Montgomery, Illinois, U.S.A., without undue delay and in any event not later than 14 days from the day on which you communicate your withdrawal from this contract to us. The deadline is met if you send back the goods before the period of 14 days has expired. You will have to bear the direct cost of returning the goods. You are only liable for any diminished value of the goods resulting from the handling other than what is necessary to establish the nature, characteristics and functioning of the goods.
Exceptions to the right of withdrawal
The right of withdrawal does not apply to:
- The delivery of newspapers, journals or magazines with the exception of subscription contracts; and
- The supply of digital content which is not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g. on a CD or DVD) if you accepted when you placed your order that we could start to deliver it, and that you could not withdraw once delivery had started.