In this award-winning book, American scholar and storyteller Farhana Qazi takes you inside a place of beauty and tragedy.This is a true story. In this heartbreaking book, Qazi takes you inside Kashmir, the world's most militarized zone--also called Paradise on earth--to tell the true, emotional stories of women brutalized by decades of war. In this incredible journey, Qazi examines conflict from both sides of the contested border, moving across mountains in India and Pakistan to bring you the secrets of an unforgettable people.Kashmir is an active conflict. It is unsettling and unpredictable. Every day, someone dies. Someone is detained. Or someone disappears. The valley of death is also described as Wonderland, but in this land of magic and myth, there are madmen, militants, and militaries that trample on Kashmir's beauty. After seven decades of war, Kashmiris go on living. They go to school. They fall in love. They get married. Many have children. They do what seems normal, despite the protests, politics, and paranoia of living in a place that is not free. Qazi uses powerful storytelling and descriptive prose to reveal the secrets of conflict. This book is a heart-breaking reminder that military occupation must end so the Kashmiri people can be free.PRAISE FOR THE BOOK"An American woman sets out on a journey to understand one of Asia's longest running wars and the role of women within it. Farhana's bravery, open-mindedness, intelligence and tenacity take her into danger, real lives, raw emotions and ultimately discovery. This is a book that must be read by those who wish to deeply understand the motivations, lives and thoughts behind women in Kashmir." --Robert Young Pelton, Author & Documentary Filmmaker"Farhana gives us an extraordinarily different perspective with a focus on women. For anyone who wishes to understand this land of poets and mystics, this is essential reading." --Akbar Ahmed, Author, Playwright & Former DiplomatSecrets of the Kashmir Valley is a moving and eye-opening account of the struggles faced by the people of Kashmir. These powerful stories bring awareness to this country and what the people endure. For those that want to learn more about this region and understand what it is like to live there as a woman, this informative and passionate look at life in the Kashmir Valley will shed light on the decades of suffering and the unstoppable desire for survival. - Literary TitanEXCERPT from Chapter "Bomb Girl"In July, Srinagar is mildly tropical by day and cool by night. Flies buzzed haphazardly. The atmosphere was arid. Only a few damp clouds billowed. I prayed for rain. Sadia led the way on the wide road. Shopkeepers lazily turned their heads. The Indian Army on patrol gawked as we silently turned into a street corner."I volunteered for a suicide operation," Sadia said, her head lowered."The men turned me away. They said they didn't need women. But they are wrong."
