Samira & Samir

With her bestseller, Afghanistan, Where God Only Comes to Weep, Siba Shakib drew attention to the distressing situation of Afghan women. Taking up this theme again, she now tells a wonderful story of love and courage, and of a remarkable woman who finds her own path in life. When the young girl, Samira, is born, her father - a brave commander fighting in the mountainous land of Afghanistan - decides to bring her up as a boy known as Samir. Soon the fact that Samir is really a girl has been forgotten. Samir learns to fight, ride and shoot, and when her father is killed, she becomes head of the family. However, as an adult, Samir's love for the friend of her youth forces her to confess the truth. She wants to live as Bashir's wife but in return she must reveal her female identity and, in so doing, give up her freedom. Samira follows her heart but she hates wearing the veil. Eventually the torment is too great and Samira realises there has to be a third way for her - the way of a self-confident woman who bravely takes charge of her own life... (20040922)