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A Thousand Veils

D. J. Murphy
Lulu.com (2007)
ISBN 9781435705319
Reviewed by Gina Holland for RebeccasReads (5/08)

Fatima Shihab: An Iraqi poet, journalist, and mother.  When she learns that she is marked for death, she sets out to leave Iraq and try to get asylum in the states. She leaves behind her brother and a daughter. Her daughter’s name is Latifa. Latifa is her life, her soul and her mission is to find a better life. When Fatima was younger and their father died, she was left in the care of her four brothers, Omar, Abdeljelil, Majid, and Dawud. Before their father passed, he made sure that all the children were well educated so that they would have a great future.

Things did not go well for Fatima. She was forced to marry a man a lot older than she was. After he tired of her and she gave him a daughter instead of a son, he left her with nothing. He then ordered her and their daughter out of his house. She had no choice but to move in with her brother Abdeljelil and his family, but when the time was right, she slipped out and made her escape.

Charles Sherman: An American Wall Street lawyer, and a kind man.  He is appointed the savior of Fatima by one of his very best friends. Charles and Omar, Fatima’s brother, meet with her in Paris and there, they begin to toughest fight of their lives to try and get her asylum. Unknown at first to all of them, they are followed by Saddam’s Secret Police who were sent to kill Fatima because of her too many secrets on Iraq. Before Fatima even gets to Paris, she is captured and tortured and luckily saved and let go by her brother Abdeljelil’s connections to the police. Once in Paris, she faces even more challenges. After some time spent eluding the police, Fatima is captured once more. What happens to her in prison is the most awful thing that I have ever heard or read about. This being a true story, it makes your heart break for her, cheer for her, and hope for her. As you read, you will find that Fatima gives up her freedom to go back to Iraq and get her daughter. The trials and tribulations that these people go through are the most selfless acts that I have ever read about. You want so much to have a happy ending for Fatima and her daughter.

“A Thousand Veils” leaves you with so much to think about. I believe that this book is for adult eyes only. It would be very hard for even a teenager to understand the lives of these Muslim people. My opinion is that D.J. Murphy did a great thing by writing this true story for all to read. It gives us a better understanding of what really goes on in other countries. This book shows just how special family can be.

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