Summary and Analysis of the Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe: Based on the Book by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

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So much to read, so little time? This brief overview of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana tells you what you need to know—before or after you read Gayle Tzemach Lemmon’s book.
 
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This short summary and analysis of The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe includes:
 

• Historical context
• Chapter-by-chapter overviews
• Profiles of the main characters
• Detailed timeline of key events
• Important quotes
• Fascinating trivia
• Glossary of terms
• Supporting material to enhance your understanding of the original work

 
About The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon:
 
 
The Dressmaker of Khair Khana is the inspiring true story of Kamila Sidiqi, a young woman who received her teaching certificate the day the Taliban entered and occupied Kabul in 1990. With ingenuity, faith, and leadership, Kamila established a garment business in her living room—employing family members and neighbors—which enabled their survival in during one of the most tumultuous decades in the region.
 
Gayle Tzemach Lemmon tells the uplifting story of the women who, with quiet heroism, not only survived Taliban rule, but supported and protected their families and fellow Afghans.
 
The summary and analysis in this ebook are intended to complement your reading experience and bring you closer to a great work of nonfiction.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: May 2, 2017
• ISBN: 9781504046381

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Book preview

Contents

Context

Overview

Summary

Timeline

Cast of Characters

Direct Quotes and Analysis

Trivia

What’s That Word?

Critical Response

About Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

For Your Information

Bibliography

Copyright

Context

Afghanistan’s recent history has been one of constant conflict. War has been the only environment in which so many of today’s Afghans have grown up. The turmoil generated has resulted in destruction at every level, from basic infrastructure and public services to life itself.

It is within this context that Kamila Sidiqi’s remarkable story takes place. Having just earned her teaching certificate in 1996, 19-year-old Kamila’s dreams of becoming a teacher were shattered when the Taliban seized control of Afghanistan. Not only banned from teaching, but banned from exercising virtually all freedoms she previously knew, Kamila and every other woman in Kabul were forced to stay in their homes and renounce their careers.

Although the Taliban were technically defeated by US forces in late 2001, they have not disappeared. Moreover, their version of Islam is not unique; countless people—especially women—in various parts of Central and Southeast Asia, as well as the Middle East, face oppression on a daily basis. Now a major political figure and entrepreneur in Afghanistan, Kamila Sidiqi has dedicated herself to improving the lives of her fellow citizens.

Overview

One of eleven children, Kamila Sidiqi grew up in a world that had not known peace for decades. Afghanistan had been ravaged by civil war and the Soviet invasion of 1979, but nevertheless, her father insisted that all of his children be well educated, as he had been. The day the Taliban finally took control of Kabul was the day Kamila earned her teaching certificate. She dreamed of attending university and being a literature professor. But with the Taliban’s arrival, all of her plans came crashing down.

Like every other woman in the area, Kamila was effectively put under house arrest, and her family was torn apart; because of Mr. Sidiqi’s past ties to the former communist government, Kamila’s father, mother, and older brother had to flee to safety. As conditions worsened in Kabul, Kamila knew she needed to do something quickly to earn money and support her family. Knowing that her options were severely limited, she decided on dressmaking. Her older sister, Malika, was a wonderful seamstress and could teach her how to sew. From there, it was a matter of creating samples and finding merchants to partner with.

Once the dressmaking business