Often tragic, always youthful, yet never what those in the West expect, Ayla's coming of age, her boundaries and customs, and her friends, Alia, oppressed by her wealthy, overly conservative parents and Tanzeela a teenager trapped in an arranged,
abusive marriage - Novelized to protect the innocent, this is a revealing, truthful, and poignant novel, a must-read by

Westerners seeking to understand the complex world of Islamic fundamentalist countries...