I just finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini. I read his book "The Kite Runner" last year. Both books are really good and give you a lot to think about. They are fictional, set in Afghanistan, in fairly current times. They make you realize how fortunate we are to be living in this great country of ours. Agree or disagree with how it is being handled, we are still very lucky to have the freedom that we have. And we as women are lucky to have the freedom to be what we want to be! These are not books that I would have picked up to read on my own. They were recommended and I wanted to pass that on. They are worth the time!

These books gave me a real appreciation for the following true story I want to share.

When I worked at Eisenhower, I had some help from a woman named Saraya. She shared with me her story of Afghanistan. She and her family were quite well off. They had a nice house, good vacations, etc. But Saraya was a teacher and after the Taliban came in, girls were no longer allowed to go to school. Saraya continued to teach them secretly. One day (I think around 2000), someone came to her husband to warn him that they were coming to take his wife away that night because of her secret teachings. They gathered all of their money and her jewelry together and escaped on foot. Their journey was treacherous as they had to hide out and travel at night (over mountains) until they were out of the country. They made it to the United States, dropped at a mall in Moreno Valley, with just the clothes on their back. With the help of some kind citizens, they are now making a living (safely)here in our country!