I Should Have Honor: A Memoir of Hope and Pride in Pakistan by Khalida Brodi [in Library Journal]
When she was 25, Forbes named Khalida Brohi to its 2014 “30 Under 30: Social Entrepreneurs” list for founding Sughar Foundation, which trains and empowers rural Pakistani women. Brohi makes both her authorial and performance debuts as she chronicles her journey from a rural Pakistani village to the international stage.
Her activism began in 2002 when a 14-year-old cousin died in an honor killing by her own family for choosing a boy she loved rather than be shackled to the older man to whom she was betrothed as a child. For Brohi, “honor” would have significantly contrasting meaning. Defying tribal expectations, Brohi’s father refused to bind her in marriage and instead bestowed the freedom of education: “the day you stop working hard and fail in school, I will be completely dishonored.”
Encouraged by her parents (a child marriage themselves at age 9 for her mother, 13 for her father), Brohi tenaciously goes beyond her community and her country seeking justice and equity for Pakistan’s rural women. Her journey is not without conflicts, from misunderstandings with even her beloved father to violent threats.
Verdict: Brohi’s earnest, forthright narration should ensure sizable demand.
Review: “Audio,” Library Journal, October 15, 2018
Readers: Young Adult, Adult
Published: 2018
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