A Woman Like Her is about Qandeel Baloch, who was a social media star in Pakistan. This journalistic piece comes in the wake of her murder in 2016. Qandeel Baloch was murdered in an honour killing by her brother for bringing shame to the family.
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She had become famous or as some people would certainly describe her as notorious for her social media content. She posted various selfies and videos of herself singing, dancing and talking online. She offered to strip tease if Pakistan beat India in the cricket which quickly blew up the internet in Pakistan. She faced a lot of outrage as she was denounced as a "slut", "dishonouring her family", and not behaving as a good Muslim woman should.
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Although this book is about Qandeel it draws out much broader questions as Sanam Maher interviews the various people that were involved in Qandeel's life. She encourages the reader to question who was really involved in the murder, how has the state handled the murder, and how does the state of Pakistan continue to deal with honour killings. Do we really have all answers to who murdered Qandeel Baloch?
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She examines the power and influence of the media and the impact it had on Qandeel's life. This feels particularly relevant globally as we continue to see women crucified in the media: Meghan Markle and Caroline Flack to name just two. This book raises questions about how women are treated in the media, how women engage with the digital age and the expectations of women online. Especially when this is layered with the religious and cultural traditions of Pakistan.
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Sanam Maher builds an interesting and thoroughly immersive journalistic piece that centres on the death of Qandeel Baloch but questions so much more. She encourages the reader to question their first impressions and dig deeper into what isn't being said; it makes for a very clever but important piece of journalism.