As part of the Fall for the Book Mini Fest, Women and Gender Studies sponsored a discussion titled Resistance, Justice, and Freedom by Ava Homa, who is an award-winning novelist, a journalist, and a human rights activist. The discussion was facilitated by Women and Gender Studies own Associate Director Holly Mason Badra. The talk surrounded Ava Homa’s novel Daughters of Smoke and Fire, which is set in Iran and explores the topics of identity, family, and oppression in the everyday lives of Kurdish people.
The discussion centered around the topics of generational trauma, the importance and sacredness of friendship, and the collective suffering as well as collective support of the Kurdish people in the face of oppression. Audience members expressed interest in recommendations for further reading, which are provided below.
Suggestions from Ava Homa for Further Reading:
- Love in a Torn Land: Joanna of Kurdistan by Jean Sasson
- The Last Girl by Jenna Krajeski and Nadia Murad
- The Last Pomegranate Tree by Ali Bachtyar
- about:blank by Tracy Fuad
You can learn more about Ava Homa here.
February 20, 2023
