The Storyteller's Daughter: One Woman's Return to Her Lost Homeland Paperback – October 12, 2004

It helps to have read author Idries Shah's (1926-1996) material in order to understand what his daughter, Saira is dealing with. Shah is of ancient Afghan lineage and renown largely for his Sufi tales of ancient Eastern wisdom. Yet, Saira, sister and brother were raised in England. East meets West. This is not unlike the general struggle of Westerners today; why are the two peoples so different? This book provides the inside, hands-on reality of the present Afghan culture with insight into its long history. Written in the period of the Russian occupation, Saira travels to Afghanistan and mixes with freedom fighters as well as everyday Afghan citizens (horseback, the back of a pick-up truck, on foot in freezing weather at 17,000 ft) on a quest to discover who the Afghans are and their relationship to her personal identity. That she survived is amazing. She discovers that Westerners have created a fairy tale re the nature of the Afghans; assuming that they are "just like old day Americans on a quest for freedom." Not! It is a primitive culture based in unique historical millennia that has few common links to the West. Latter day American troops got a taste of this but they need to read this book. "Reality" is all about human conditioning, indoctrination; adapting to the specific environment at hand. Survival. Every culture/society creates its own. Important read, especially for social science, psychology workers, teachers. Eye opener.

It seems quite appropriate to have read this engaging work in the year 2014, the year the NATO forces are disengaging from Afghanistan, when once again, eventually, the literacy programmes, the education of children and the safety of women and children will no doubt be under the threat of the Taliban and their obnoxious policies.This book is like a wondrous tapestry, multi-threaded with the author's childhood impressions of Afghanistan, bequeathed to her by way of her famous father, the Sayed Idries Shah and other family members, her experiences in the war-ravaged country, the interesting people she met, the humour and tragedy, all interspersed with some of the wonderful stories that were part of her father's bequest to her and her siblings and the beautiful Sufi sayings of the great mystics, like Rumi.When I first started reading this book, I was marking pages that I thought contained useful information and insights that I would certainly re-read and ponder on; I soon gave this up as I realised that I might just as well mark the whole book!Much more than a personal narrative this book encompasses many themes and observations on the nature of war, culture, religion and survival under tyranny. It is filled with ruthless honesty and wisdom: not just a storyteller's daughter, Saira Shah is also a Master Storyteller herself. I absolutely recommend this book.

As an American curious as to what exactly is going on "over there" where our boys (and girls) are fighting, THIS book has helped me most, with insights not just into the facts of the centuries-long fighting in Afghanistan, but also insight into Afghan culture--heart understanding.The author writes a narrative, but skillfully weaves in Afghani tales of old that help to clarify the viewpoint of those of a culture foreign to most Americans....foreign to most of the West. The author is the daughter of an Afghani father and Indonesian mother, and was raised in England. It is apparent, as she reveals to us her own struggle of East versus West, that she is attempting to be as fair as she can to both viewpoints, and even more than that...she is trying to carve out the truth between the two.Sometimes the truth hurts. The myth of the Afghani Mujahidin, the Northern Alliance, the "rescue" of the Afghani people by the West...all is revealed. It would seem that such a thing would leave the reader in dispair, but instead the author leaves the strand of hope for the future.Anyone who is interested in understanding Afghanistan or simply understanding other cultures will find some insight in this wonderfully written book.

Ok. It's hard to dis someone that has even an ounce of sympathy for the mess that is going on in Afghanistan. But that's what I'm going to do. I kept expecting there to be some kind of progression in this autobiography. There really wasn't. If I could put it most kindly, there was perhaps a "full circle" or sorts where she resolved on the same things she'd known from the beginning. It's a journal of various realizations about herself, I suppose, more of a line of rolling hills than any huge revelation at the end. There is a lot to learn about the history and situation in Afghanistan - and it's very depressing. Sorry to say, though, I was not a fan of the author herself. I found her excuses lame and her motivations selfish. Both of which I suppose she might admit herself so nothing too horrible there.

Saira Shah, raised in Britain far from her ancestoral homeland, Afghanistan, attempts to rediscover the Afghanistan of her father's stories. At a young age, she becomes a journalist, and heads to Afghanistan to cover the war against the Soviets. Traveling secretly with the mujahidin, she enters Afghanistan and gives us a view of the war from the point of view of the people living through the war. The adventures that she relates in this book are quite exciting. It provides an excellent idea of what the situation in Afghanistan is like. It's interesting and the writing style is easy to read. I really recommend this book.

The story has much more potential but the parts that interested me went unexplored while the author goes on in detail about hiking over mountains and sleeping rough. I guess I expected her historical background (which she set off to explore) to be filled in more, but its like she forgets what she started out to do or something...

This book is one of the best books I have read. It was touching and made me realise what an amazing life Saira Shah has led. After I closed the book, I could not pick up annother book for a couple of days - I did not want to spoil the feeling it had left me with. This book will move you, make you think and touch you.I loved it!

Didn't finish it, but maybe that's because I'd read several books on a similar theme recently