Overview

"The untold story of generations of Middle Eastern freedom fighters--horsewomen who safeguarded an ancient breed of Caspian horse--and their efforts to defend their homelands from the Taliban and others seeking to destroy them.""A breathtaking book that revisits nearly one hundred years of Iranian history, highlighting the power and beauty of women who refuse to be subdued."" ―Alison Hawthorne Deming, author of A Woven World Book of Queens reaches back centuries to the Persian Empire and a woman disguised as a man, facing an invading army, protected only by light armor and the stallion she sat astride. Mahdavi draws a thread from past to present: from her fearless Iranian grandmother, who guided survivors of domestic violence to independent mountain colonies in Afghanistan where the women, led by a general named Mina, became their country's first line of defense from marauding warlords. To the female warriors who helped train and breed the horses used by US Green Berets when they touched down in October 2001, with a mission but insufficient intelligence on the ground--women whose contributions were then forgotten. Pardis Mahdavi chases the legacy of Caspian horses and the women whose lives are saved by them, drawing on decades of research, newly-discovered diaries, and exclusive military sources. Among those intersecting stories is that of American Louise Firouz, who helped bring the breed back from the brink of extinction, connecting Virginia traders to British royals to the son of the Shah. Firouz's life is forever changed when she meets Mahdavi's own family, who run an unusual smuggling operation in addition to raising horses in a wild bid for freedom.Book of Queens is an epic tale of hidden women whose communal knowledge was instrumental in saving an animal as ancient as civilization, and who were the genesis of their own liberation."

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9781668636381

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Reviews

"A story worthy of Graham Greene... Horse lovers will be fascinated, but with her focus on geopolitics and women's rights, Mahdavi reaches many audiences.-- ""Kirkus Reviews"" ""Book of Queens is a riveting tale of intergenerational strength and the sheer power of cross-species bonds. A virtuoso storyteller, Pardis Mahdavi weaves together the voices and experiences of these fearless horsewomen and their fierce dedication to protecting each other, their horses, and the land they love. Inspiring and captivating from page to page, Book of Queens makes the mind and heart race--almost as if the reader is spirited along by a Caspian itself made out of words."" --Christopher Schaberg, author of Adventure: An Argument for Limits In this magnificent story, Mahdavi unearths the tale of the feminist horsewomen warriors who from Persia to the contemporary Middle East overcame political tragedy and personal cruelty, creating a fighting force of their own and passing on their skills, defiant wisdom, and courage from generation to generation. Mahdavi weaves memoir, history, and recent events into an unforgettable narrative about East and West, the tragic costs of war, and the transformative power that bravery coupled with the bonds of sisterhood can unleash."" --Karen J. Greenberg, Center on National Security, Fordham Law"

Author Information

"Pardis Mahdavi, PhD, is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Montana. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been a fellow at the Social Sciences Research Council, the American Council on Learned Societies, Google Ideas, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Dr. Mahdavi has written for The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Ms. Magazine, and numerous other media outlets. Her work has been featured in academic books as well as numerous public opinion and policy pieces. Dr. Mahdavi is the author of Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution and four other single-authored books. She is an expert on transnational feminism and sexuality. Pardis Mahdavi, PhD, is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Montana. She is a lifetime member of the Council on Foreign Relations and has been a fellow at the Social Sciences Research Council, the American Council on Learned Societies, Google Ideas, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. Dr. Mahdavi has written for The Washington Post, Foreign Affairs, the Los Angeles Times Magazine, Ms. Magazine, and numerous other media outlets. Her work has been featured in academic books as well as numerous public opinion and policy pieces. Dr. Mahdavi is the author of Passionate Uprisings: Iran's Sexual Revolution and four other single-authored books. She is an expert on transnational feminism and sexuality. Suzanne Toren, award-winning narrator, has over thirty years of experience in narration. She was named a ""Golden Voice"" by AudioFile magazine in 2019. She has won the American Foundation for the Blind's Scourby Award for Narrator of the Year, AudioFile magazine named her the 2009 Best Voice in Nonfiction & Culture, and she is the recipient of multiple Earphones Awards. She performs on and off Broadway and in regional theaters and has appeared on Law & Order and in various soap operas. Sean Rohani is a talented voiceover artist who has worked on projects for Warner Brothers, Google, and Netflix. Born to Iranian immigrants, he was raised in a melting-pot community that taught him to be fascinated with all cultures and languages."

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