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_askthebookbug 's review for:
A Woman Like Her
by Sanam Maher
// A Woman Like Her by Sanam Maher
The first time I learnt about honor killing was when I watched a Bollywood film named NH10. The brutal murder of a couple from the film shocked me to the core. Although the film was fictional, the theme is something very deeply rooted in our society. A girl is respected as long as her honor is intact. And honor is defined differently in such communities. Couple of years later when I started reading non-fiction, I discovered a horrifying world in which these killings were very much real. And recently, when I picked up Maher's account of Qandeel's life, I was again left heartbroken. Again, I was left angry.
In 2016, a Pakistani social media celebrity and model was found murdered at her home. It didn't take long for the killer to come into the picture. It was Qandeel's younger brother Waseem who lived a comfortable life because of her earnings. Qandeel was an eccentric woman with a nonsense attitude who challenged religious norms and politicians for their patriarchal nature. Coming from a village, Qandeel made a name of her own that still reverberates across the globe. For a very long time, she shared a love hate relationship with the public. They loved to watch her but hated her for being so openly challenging. For the men in Pakistan, this was something unheard of. They couldn't understand why and how Qandeel was this confident.
Maher explores the gender norms in Pakistan along with the model business to give us a clear picture of Qandeel's death. The details are intricately woven, sometimes even painfully slow to keep a track of. But Maher does manage to put forth her intention for penning this book. Qandeel's life is similar to that of millions of women who try to step out of the circle drawn by men. She was a feminist and didn't buckle in the face of powerful authorities. But all this came at a price. This culture of honor killing is still in practice in many countries and often the law stands no chance in protecting the women.
Maher's book is powerful much like Qandeel herself was. Right after reading the book, I watched a BBC documentary featuring this fantastic woman who refused to give up until the very end.
The first time I learnt about honor killing was when I watched a Bollywood film named NH10. The brutal murder of a couple from the film shocked me to the core. Although the film was fictional, the theme is something very deeply rooted in our society. A girl is respected as long as her honor is intact. And honor is defined differently in such communities. Couple of years later when I started reading non-fiction, I discovered a horrifying world in which these killings were very much real. And recently, when I picked up Maher's account of Qandeel's life, I was again left heartbroken. Again, I was left angry.
In 2016, a Pakistani social media celebrity and model was found murdered at her home. It didn't take long for the killer to come into the picture. It was Qandeel's younger brother Waseem who lived a comfortable life because of her earnings. Qandeel was an eccentric woman with a nonsense attitude who challenged religious norms and politicians for their patriarchal nature. Coming from a village, Qandeel made a name of her own that still reverberates across the globe. For a very long time, she shared a love hate relationship with the public. They loved to watch her but hated her for being so openly challenging. For the men in Pakistan, this was something unheard of. They couldn't understand why and how Qandeel was this confident.
Maher explores the gender norms in Pakistan along with the model business to give us a clear picture of Qandeel's death. The details are intricately woven, sometimes even painfully slow to keep a track of. But Maher does manage to put forth her intention for penning this book. Qandeel's life is similar to that of millions of women who try to step out of the circle drawn by men. She was a feminist and didn't buckle in the face of powerful authorities. But all this came at a price. This culture of honor killing is still in practice in many countries and often the law stands no chance in protecting the women.
Maher's book is powerful much like Qandeel herself was. Right after reading the book, I watched a BBC documentary featuring this fantastic woman who refused to give up until the very end.