A bold and beautiful read about the Kurdish resistance

Book title: Daughters of Smoke and Fire Book author: Ava Homa

“A mountain begins with its first rocks and a human with the first pain.”

Daughters of Smoke and Fire is a story of a Kurdish woman who follows her desire to create her own identity and of the Kurdish people who dream about a waving flag of their own.

Leila, an Iranian Kurdish girl-turned-woman tells us her deeply personal story. Her childhood was shaped by the constant negligence from her parents, that made her an adult who longs to be understood, who doubts easily and who wants to be heard. Leila always knew what could make her parents love her more, and she wanted to be loved, but she refused to bury her desire to create her own identity, or bury her desire to stand on her feet, make films, make her own future, in a society where all parents worry about their daughter is, her virginity.

An artful film played in front of my eyes when I was reading the book.

The grease on the countertop glistened in the daylight, and cobwebs clung to the corners where the ceiling met the wall.

The details of the surrounding were crafted to perfection. So was the pain of an unborn nation, the crushed dreams of its people. The scenes reminded me of the July warriors of Bangladesh, and the Aynaghar survivors… was it this dark in Aynaghar where abducted people stayed year after year without basic human rights.

It was an excellent read that introduced me to the resistance of the Kurdish people and of the brave Kurdish women. I loved the poetic writing of Ava Homa. I will be waiting to read more from her!

My highlights and notes from the book