Overview

Girl Fightersis a novel based on a true account of two girls who passed as men and fought in Yemen's 1960's civil war. The characters in our story are two cousins who dress as males and are known as Mohammed and Ali. The men in their family have died in war. The girls feel it is their duty to seek revenge, the code of honor in tribal society. However in Yemen girls are hidden from public view-behind walls, doors, and veils. When Mohammed and Ali decide to seek revenge, they ironically violate another tribal expectation: that fighters be males. At first, Mohammed and Ali are inspired by their act of resistance. The war was compelling, a ""noble cause."" Later, they come to realize that war benefits corrupt political leaders and business interests, both local and international. Against the backdrop of war they gain new perspectives. Taking off veils and dressing as men opens their eyes to gender inequities. They question female roles in tribal society. For example, boys can be educated at mosques, but girls cannot attend schools. Mohammed plans to open a girl's school when the war ends. Ali is a military medic. When Ali is killed, Mohammed confronts loss and guilt. She cannot return to her former life. The dream of educating girls cannot happen as a ""man."" In tribal society, as ""a woman"" she must marry and produce children. Against the odds, Mohammed reshapes her life as leader in the community.

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9781951082239

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Reviews

While living in Yemen, Carolyn Han was told a tale of two girls who disguised themselves as boys so they could fight in Yemen’s 1960s civil war. Fascinated by the story, but lacking further details, Han uses her knowledge of the war and Yemeni culture and society to create a captivating tale of girls who left their village to preserve family and tribal honor but are transformed by their daring choice. Abetted by the culture’s emphasis on body secrecy, the female fighters are able to pass as young men. Presenting themselves as Mohammed and Ali, they are caught up in the life of tribal warriors: struggling to move from camp to camp, hiding in caves from Egyptian airplanes, dealing with the effects of poison gas. Being bright and willing, they are taken under the tutelage of a British officer and advisor who opens their horizons by imparting rudimentary English and medical skills, knowledge unknown to illiterate village girls. Han’s paradoxical portrait of two young women challenging patriarchal practices even as they strive to preserve the rule of Yemen’s Imam against modernist forces provides a rich portrayal of Yemen and Islam. —Dr Thomas B. Stevenson, Anthropologist Since Yemen’s current war began in 2015, the face Yemen has presented to the world has been of the cruel bombings of civilians and images of dangerous diseases and malnourished children. In this book Carolyn Han, who gave an intimate portrait of Yemeni Bedouin in Where the Paved Road Ends, has restored a more human face to this exquisite and complicated country. Han speaks to us this time in the voices of two young women who disguise themselves as warriors in the country’s 1960s civil war to avenge the death of their brothers. She eloquently portrays their transition from a motivation of revenge to one of antipathy to all war. The anti-war message that emerges resonates in the current conflict engulfing Yemen today. Ms. Han spins her tale beautifully and saves a surprise for you at the book’s end. —Marjorie Ransom, author of Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Regional Jewelry Girl Fighters is a remarkable tale of two brave girls who defied conservative social expectations to avenge their brothers’ deaths and protect their families. Fast-paced, moving, and sensitive, it exposes the ravages of war. At the same time, it beautifully depicts Yemen’s rich and robust cultural heritage and traditions, from wedding practices to tribal mediation. Set during North Yemen’s Civil War (1962-1970), it tells a story of war profiteering, foreign interference, local despotism, and gender discrimination that, sadly, remains salient. At its heart, though, Girl Fighters is a tale of young women learning to fight not only these battles, but also their own fears. A true gem. —Dr Nathalie Peutz, Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies (2019-2020) Associate Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies, NYU Abu Dhabi, author of the award-winning book Islands of Heritage: Conservation and Transformation in Yemen (Stanford, 2018)

While living in Yemen, Carolyn Han was told a tale of two girls who disguised themselves as boys so they could fight in Yemen's 1960s civil war. Fascinated by the story, but lacking further details, Han uses her knowledge of the war and Yemeni culture and society to create a captivating tale of girls who left their village to preserve family and tribal honor but are transformed by their daring choice. Abetted by the culture's emphasis on body secrecy, the female fighters are able to pass as young men. Presenting themselves as Mohammed and Ali, they are caught up in the life of tribal warriors: struggling to move from camp to camp, hiding in caves from Egyptian airplanes, dealing with the effects of poison gas. Being bright and willing, they are taken under the tutelage of a British officer and advisor who opens their horizons by imparting rudimentary English and medical skills, knowledge unknown to illiterate village girls. Han's paradoxical portrait of two young women challenging patriarchal practices even as they strive to preserve the rule of Yemen's Imam against modernist forces provides a rich portrayal of Yemen and Islam. -Dr Thomas B. Stevenson, Anthropologist Since Yemen's current war began in 2015, the face Yemen has presented to the world has been of the cruel bombings of civilians and images of dangerous diseases and malnourished children. In this book Carolyn Han, who gave an intimate portrait of Yemeni Bedouin in Where the Paved Road Ends, has restored a more human face to this exquisite and complicated country. Han speaks to us this time in the voices of two young women who disguise themselves as warriors in the country's 1960s civil war to avenge the death of their brothers. She eloquently portrays their transition from a motivation of revenge to one of antipathy to all war. The anti-war message that emerges resonates in the current conflict engulfing Yemen today. Ms. Han spins her tale beautifully and saves a surprise for you at the book's end. -Marjorie Ransom, author of Silver Treasures from the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Regional Jewelry Girl Fighters is a remarkable tale of two brave girls who defied conservative social expectations to avenge their brothers' deaths and protect their families. Fast-paced, moving, and sensitive, it exposes the ravages of war. At the same time, it beautifully depicts Yemen's rich and robust cultural heritage and traditions, from wedding practices to tribal mediation. Set during North Yemen's Civil War (1962-1970), it tells a story of war profiteering, foreign interference, local despotism, and gender discrimination that, sadly, remains salient. At its heart, though, Girl Fighters is a tale of young women learning to fight not only these battles, but also their own fears. A true gem. -Dr Nathalie Peutz, Princeton Institute for Advanced Studies (2019-2020) Associate Professor of Arab Crossroads Studies, NYU Abu Dhabi, author of the award-winning book Islands of Heritage: Conservation and Transformation in Yemen (Stanford, 2018)

Author Information

Carolyn Han has a Master's Degree in English from San Diego State University. In 1985 she taught at Chongqing University, and later at Yunnan Minority Institute, Kunming, China. In 1989, she lectured at the University of Hawaii-Hilo and Hawaii Community College. She edited three collections of Chinese folktales: Tales from Within the Clouds (1997), The Demon King and Other Festival Folktales of China (1995), and Why Snails Have Shell (1993) which were published by the University of Hawaii Press. She also wrote children's books: Koa's Seed (Beach House Publishing, 2004), Ponopono (Island Heritage, 2001) and Kalapana (Island Heritage, 1999). In 2000, Carolyn traveled to Yemen to study Arabic. She then wrote: From the Land of Sheba: Yemeni Folk Tales (Interlink, 2005). Her book, Vanishing Spots, written in Arabic and English, was published in Lebanon (2012). With Bedouin she crossed the Ramlat as-Sab'atayn, Yemen's desert, by camel. She wrote: Where the Paved Road End, a memoir set in Yemen (Potomac, 2012). In 2008, she left Yemen to live and work in Oman, and later lived in Egypt, Kosovo, and now Montenegro.

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