Description

Twentythree years agoafter the Soviets left and before the Taliban came to powerKabul was a garden where sevenyearold Qais Akbar Omar flew kites from the roof of his grandfathers house Then came the hollow sounds of rocket fire as the Mujahedin selfproclaimed holy warriors took over Afghanistan and the country erupted in civil war Omars family fled leaving everything behind to take shelter in an old fort But after a narrow escape from death his father decided that the family must leave the country

Yet the journey proved more difficult than anticipated and in this stunning comingofage memoir Omar offers a moving recollection of these eventsa 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 lifeaffirming triumph