The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir
Encyclopedia
The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir (originally published as The Story of my Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky) is a Memoir
by Farah Ahmedi with Tamim Ansary. The Memoir profiles the life of Farah Ahmedi from the time she was born until she was seventeen years old.
Farah Ahmedi was born in Kabul
, Afghanistan
near the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
. When she was in second grade, she stepped on a land mine
while taking a shortcut through a field to school. Farah was transferred to Germany
where her leg was amputated. After over eighteen months in Germany, she returned to her home in Kabul. Shortly after she returned home, her father and sisters were killed by a stray rocket while Farah and her mother were shopping for fabrics, and her two brothers left Afghanistan in order to avoid a draft
. Fearing for their lives, Farah and her mother fled to Pakistan
where they endured harsh conditions in refugee camps for a couple years before World Relief
rescued them and provided them a home in Chicago
, Illinois
. In Chicago, Farah and her mother began to adjust to their new life in Chicago, with major help from Alyce Litz, one of Farah's new friends.
Memoir
A memoir , is a literary genre, forming a subclass of autobiography – although the terms 'memoir' and 'autobiography' are almost interchangeable. Memoir is autobiographical writing, but not all autobiographical writing follows the criteria for memoir set out below...
by Farah Ahmedi with Tamim Ansary. The Memoir profiles the life of Farah Ahmedi from the time she was born until she was seventeen years old.
Summary
Kabul
Kabul , spelt Caubul in some classic literatures, is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. It is also the capital of the Kabul Province, located in the eastern section of Afghanistan...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
near the end of the Soviet war in Afghanistan
Soviet war in Afghanistan
The Soviet war in Afghanistan was a nine-year conflict involving the Soviet Union, supporting the Marxist-Leninist government of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan against the Afghan Mujahideen and foreign "Arab–Afghan" volunteers...
. When she was in second grade, she stepped on a land mine
Land mine
A land mine is usually a weight-triggered explosive device which is intended to damage a target—either human or inanimate—by means of a blast and/or fragment impact....
while taking a shortcut through a field to school. Farah was transferred to Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
where her leg was amputated. After over eighteen months in Germany, she returned to her home in Kabul. Shortly after she returned home, her father and sisters were killed by a stray rocket while Farah and her mother were shopping for fabrics, and her two brothers left Afghanistan in order to avoid a draft
Draft
Draft or draught may mean:* Draught beer or other beverage, served from a bulk keg or cask rather than a bottle or can-Watercraft dimensions:* Draft , distance from waterline to keel* Draft , degree of curvature in a sail...
. Fearing for their lives, Farah and her mother fled to Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
where they endured harsh conditions in refugee camps for a couple years before World Relief
World Relief
World Relief is an international relief and development agency. Founded in 1944 as the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief offers assistance to victims of poverty, disease, hunger, war, disasters and persecution. Headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, the...
rescued them and provided them a home in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
. In Chicago, Farah and her mother began to adjust to their new life in Chicago, with major help from Alyce Litz, one of Farah's new friends.