Veiled Freedom

By:                      Jeanette Windle

Publisher:           Tyndale House

Publish Date:      April 2009

     Veiled Freedom is an amazing book! The reader learns about the people and politics of Afghanistan through a riveting story line. The author breathed life into characters that lived and dreamed and despaired their very existences.

     The three main characters, Steve Wilson, Amy Mallory, and Jamil come together from different realities and worldviews. Steve, a private security expert, is working in Afghanistan. He is jaded and disgusted with life, especially with "freed" Afghanistan post-911. Amy is a young Christian humanitarian worker whose desire is to meet the physical and emotional needs of Afghan women and children. Jamil is an Afghan with too many life experiences, a young man with no hope for a brighter future for his country. The lives of these three people intersect in Kabul, and are forever intertwined. 

My knowledge about the difficult lives of the Afghan people has been very limited. I didn't realize the depths that greed, corruption, and misused power had wrought in this country. I didn't understand how poorly women are treated, and how little has changed within the culture as a result of Western military operations. Although a novel, Ms. Windle's well-written book is based on truth. The details she brings to each page adds significantly to the reading experience. I could smell the dusty smog of Kabul, I could hear the merchants and customers of the marketplace. 

The author also contrasted Christianity and Islam through the book. The character, Amy, believes that people should have the right to choose what belief system they adopt, and struggles as she is not allowed to share her own faith to the Afghan people. Jamil, on the other hand, vacillates between his devout adherence to the Muslim faith, and what he has read in a bible he has been given. Is love more powerful than vengeance? Does God want us to love our enemies or to find revenge for the wrongs that have befallen us? Is forgiveness attainable? As he wrestles with these questions, the reader is also confronted with their own belief system? Do we live by a system of beliefs, and let them guide our choices and decisions, or do we go about our daily lives giving lip service to a higher power yet not allow our beliefs to impact our lives?

     I would recommend this book to all readers. It is impactful and has an interesting story as well.