In this powerful evocation of a Muslim childhood, famed Bengali dissident Taslima Nasrin revisits her early years — from her auspicious birth on a Muslim holy day to the threshold of womanhood at 14 — in a rural village during the years East Pakistan became Bangladesh. Set against the dramatic backdrop of the fight for independence, Nasrin’s memories alternate between vivid tableaux of village life and scenes of violence and flight. The extremes of her world are reflected in her father, a philanderer obsessed with education, and her mother, whose powerlessness drives her into Islamic fun ... More from Amazon