The Dressmaker of Khair Khana : Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe by Gayle Tzemoch Lemmon

Kamila Sidiqi’s life changed dramatically when the Taliban seized control of the city of Kabul during the Afghanistan civil war. Kamila was 19 years old; she had just received a teaching degree. But the Taliban banished women from the public square. They were not allowed to work; if they went outside their homes, they must be accompanied by a male relative, and be completely covered by a burqa at all times. They were not allowed to speak to a man, even a shopkeeper, and were often beaten in the streets for a slight offense.

When her parents and brother had to flee the city to escape the Taliban, Kamila became the sole breadwinner for her five siblings. But she wasn’t allowed to leave her home to go to work, so she had no way to support the family. She decided to start a tailoring business; she and her sisters would make women’s clothing in their home. By sheer determination, she created a thriving business, and branched out into educating other women on how to do the same.

This book was written by a journalist who met Kamila after the U. S. invaded Afghanistan in 2001. Gayle Lemmon wanted to tell the story of women entrepreneurs.  This is a true story that reads like a novel, about sisterhood, family and resilience in the face of unimaginable living conditions.

Highly recommended.

 304 pages