Mayada, Daughter of Iraq

Mayada Al-Askari is a true daughter of Iraq. This self-reliant print shop owner traced her heritage to one of the most distinguished and honored families in the country. One grandfather fought alongside Lawrence of Arabia; the other is recognized as the first true Arab nationalist, publicly admired by even Saddam Hussein. Mayada's uncle was Iraq's prime minister for nearly 40 years; her mother, a high government official. Yet all her venerated forebears could not guard her from the tyranny of Saddam's system. In 1999, she was seized without warning and thrown into a tiny cell in Baghdad's notorious Baladiyat Prison, which she shared with 17 equally unlucky "shadow women." This book records her courageous story and theirs.