Devotion and Defiance: My Journey in Love, Faith and Politics

Title: Devotion and Defiance: My Journey in Love, Faith and Politics

ISBN/ID: 393081486

Condition: In this riveting memoir, Shahid, a journalist and two-term member of the Provincial Assembly of the Punjab, recounts her fight for the rights of women and the poor in Pakistan. The politics are intense, and the stories Shahid shares about the people she tries to help are heartbreaking and enraging. Through this highly charged narrative, she weaves her own story as well, and women readers in particular will find themselves identifying strongly with her struggle to balance work and home, especially during difficult pregnancies. Shahid does a beautiful job of revealing Pakistani society, in both her own upper-middle-class home and the poverty-stricken areas she visits for her work. She exposes the stark conflict between urban and rural life, which is destabilizing the country in myriad ways. Her frustrations with corrupt and complacent politicians is palpable, and her determination to make things right for victims of acid attacks, child brides, and more marks her as a ­superhero. In this energizing and inspiring account, Shahid is simply amazing, and her story must be read to be believed. --Colleen Mondor

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