THE ALTERATIONS LADY

The harrowing story of an Afghan refugee’s journey to Arizona.

A gown that needed alterations brought Miller into contact with Shahwali—and allowed the journalist to learn the tailor’s remarkable story. In this as-told-to biography that alternates between episodes from the tailor’s past, Miller examines the events that transformed Shahwali from an Afghan girl with dreams of becoming a doctor into an international refugee. Growing up in comfortable, though not wealthy, circumstances, young Shahwali learned that marriage—typically brokered between families—was her fate as a woman. However, through the intervention of Zaher, her father’s older brother and family patriarch, Lailoma was allowed to go to school, where she excelled. Her parents still arranged a marriage for her to Mussa, a wealthy older man she at first did not accept but came to love for his kindness and liberal attitudes toward her professional goals. But just as she was ready to begin university studies, the Taliban took power and forced all girls and women back into the home. The Taliban eventually killed Mussa, forcing the almost penniless Lailoma and her son Maiwand to flee across mountainous terrain into Pakistan, then to the United States. Miller’s narrative skillfully transforms the raw details of Lailoma’s life into a captivating book.

Engrossing reading about a courageous immigrant.