Love in a Torn Land

This is the story of a female Kurdish freedom fighter, from the "New York Times" bestselling author of "Princess". In this gripping book, popular author Jean Sasson tells the story of Joanna Al-Askari Hussain, and in the process, reveals the sad plight of the Kurdish people, who have been brutally suppressed by the Iraqis, Turks, Iranians, and Syrians. In Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Joanna fell in love with a Kurdish freedom fighter, married him, and joined the struggle herself. But when her village was gassed by Saddam's forces in 1987, Joanna had to flee for her life. Temporarily blinded, she and her husband faced desperate odds as they dodged Iraqi patrols and tried to make their way to safety. Joanna eventually escaped, but more than 200,000 of her fellow Kurds were killed in Saddam's genocidal campaign. Written with a you-are-there immediacy, "Love in a Torn Land" is an unforgettable portrait of a heroic woman and an eye-opening look at the oppression of the Kurdish people. Jean Sasson is the author of the "New York Times" bestseller, "Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia (0-9676737-4-7)", as well as two sequels to that book and "Mayada: Daughter of Iraq (0-451-21292-4)". Sasson has appeared on "Oprah", the "Today show", "48 Hours", "Imus in the Morning", "CNN", and "NPR".