A Good Wife : Escaping the Life I Never Chose
Author(s): Samra Zafar, Meg Masters
She faced years of abuse after arriving in Canada as a teenage bride in a hastily arranged marriage, but nothing could stop Samra Zafar from pursuing her dreams
At 15, Samra Zafar had big dreams for herself. She was going to go to university, and forge her own path. Then with almost no warning, those dreams were pulled away from her when she was suddenly married to a stranger at 17 and had to leave behind her family in Pakistan to move to Canada. Her new husband and his family promised that the marriage and the move would be a fulfillment of her dream, not a betrayal of it. But as the walls of their home slowly became a prison, Samra realized the promises were empty ones.
Desperate to get out, and refusing to give up, she hatched an escape plan for herself and her two daughters. Somehow she found the strength to not only build a new future, but to walk away from her past, ignoring the pleas of her family and risking cultural isolation by divorcing her husband.
A Good Wife tells her harrowing and inspiring story, following her from a young girl with big dreams, through finding strength in the face of oppression and then finally battling through to empowerment.
Review(s):
“Whether you are trying to escape a life you never chose or the one you did, Samra’s resolve and ingenuity will inspire you to honor every flicker of longing for freedom.”
“I cried while reading this book, but I was also left in awe of Samra Zafar’s epic grit and bravery. Her story will stay with you long after the last hope-filled page is turned.”
“A thoroughly engaging story of strength, feminism and refusal to conform to societal and familial expectations. I found it difficult to put this book down.”
“Samra Zafar has penned a rare memoir, a life story worth reading and an emotional rollercoaster that will leave you feeling empowered at the end. This is a modern-day fairy tale where the heroine saves her own life.”
ISBN: 9781443454865