I read this book several years ago and it would be a good eye opener for anyone trying to get an idea of what life under Taliban rule was like for women.... this book is set in a fictional world, but the parallels are painfully clear. Very well written and impossible to put down.

Short rundown:
On Irustan, a planet settled long ago by humans, the Book of Second Prophet painstakingly details the proper way of being. Despite space travel and advanced technologies, men are the absolute decision makers. Women, draped in shapeless silks, their faces heavily veiled, are chattel. Only a select few get a glimpse at independence by becoming medicants, who are trained in the medical sciences. Such work is regarded as too distasteful for men. The beautiful Zahra is a young wife, a talented medicant, and a murderer. Sickened by a world of abusive husbands, Zahra's choice to kill is believably righteous, but it is fraught with treacherous subsequent ramifications.

Released on Tuesday, April 27, 2004 at Harbor Athletic Club on Allen in Middleton, Wisconsin USA.

Left on a table in the lobby area.

Not read yet.