Dancing in the Mosque

An Afghan Mother’s Letter to her Son

By: Homeira Qaderi

Narrated by: Ariana Delawari

Length: 6 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

An exquisite and inspiring memoir about one mother's unimaginable choice in the face of oppression and abuse in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan.

The day that Homeira Qaderi gave birth to her son Siawash, the road to the hospital in Kabul was barricaded because of a suicide bomber explosion. With the city and military on edge, an armed soldier pointed his gun at the pregnant woman's bulging stomach, terrified that she was hiding a bomb. Frightened and in pain, forced to make her way on foot, Homeira walked through the blood and wreckage to reach the hospital doors, propelled by the love she held for her soon-to-be-born child. But the joy of her beautiful son's birth was soon overshadowed by other dangers that would threaten her life.

No ordinary Afghan woman, Homeira refused to cower under the strictures of a misogynistic social order. Defying the law, she risked her freedom to teach children to read and write, and fought for women's rights in her theocratic and patriarchal society. Shortly after Siawash's birth, as she was preparing to leave for the United States to participate in the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa, her husband divorced her, allowing her to leave Afghanistan—but without her beloved son.

Homeira was faced with a heartbreaking choice that would forever haunt her.

Devastating in its power, Dancing in the Mosque is a mother's searing letter to a son she was forced to leave behind. In telling her story—and that of Afghan women—Homeira challenges you to reconsider the meaning of motherhood, sacrifice, and survival. Her story asks you to consider the lengths you would go to protect yourself, your family, and your dignity.

©2020 Homeira Qaderi (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

AMAZING!!!!!

An eye-opening, heartbreaking & uplifting true story about an Afghan girl who grew up fighting for her rights and the rights of all Afghan girls!

An Afghan girlhood

This is an incredibly beautifully told account of the author's life in Afghanistan, from the time she was born in 1980 under the Soviet occupation, until she was married under Taliban rule, and beyond. It is not an ordinary story; she is an extraordinarily brave and accomplished person. As we learn very early on, she was forcibly separated from her son when he was only 19 months old. This book is written partly as memoir and partly as a letter to her son, written from her exile in California, the story alternating with her words to the son who's been told she is dead. Dr. Qaderi is an award-winning writer in Persian, and I have no trouble believing it, because even in translation her writing is magical. I wish I'd had this book when I was teaching a university course on women in Muslim societies; it gives such a direct account of life under the Taliban, and, lest we think it paints all Muslims with the same brush--even those that live under Islamist regimes--it depicts Iran, where she and her husband lived in their early marriage, as a feminist paradise.

The narrator's performance is also excellent. She clearly speaks Persian and knows how to pronounce the names and other words.

Fantastic, beautiful story telling!

I had not heard of this author, but now she is a favorite! I want to learn more. Is this her real story? Or, is it one of millions? So many thoughts went through my head as I listened. I think of the blessings I have, and I think of the many joys that are still lacking for women around the world.

Narration

The story’s interesting though it felt sometimes lacking in detail.! Did not like the narration.

Excellent story

While I thoroughly enjoyed the story of Homeira Qaderi, the editing of the narration was surprisingly not of good quality. There were so many times when the voice changed due to editing sentences here and there. It was very distracting. I wish this would be recorded again because this is a very powerful glimpse into the life of Afghan women. The production doesn’t do justice too the story.

Amazing

If you read only one book this year. Make it this one. It kept me captive.

Courage defined

The author is writing to her SPN - the child she was denied when her Afghan husband divorced her. Rich memoir about a woman of great courage who is determined to see woman be freed from the tyrant of life I Der Afghan society.

Fantastic true story

How Islamic repression of women personally affected this literate and brave Afghan woman. Spellbinding and inspiring.

Truth Told

I tutor a refugee from Afghanistan. She has told me many of the same stories. This is all happening now and we need to know about it. But beyond that the story is exceptionally well told and riveting. I urge you to read it.

Flawed but important

The first-person story is important to witness. The facts are truly horrific and, at many points in the book, hard to listen to. I’m glad I persevered and finished it, although whether or not she has reunited with her son is a glaring omission. And as others have mentioned, the recording quality is clunky and poor. The narrator, while a tad melodramatic in style, was good.