by Amy Waldman
Reviewed by Janet:
The author, a former New York Times reporter covering Afghanistan, immerses us in a small village in northern Afghanistan. Inspired by a book recounting another American’s work to build a women’s clinic, naively well intentioned Parveen comes to the village to observe the impact of the clinic on maternal health and outcomes. Yet the events relayed in the book don’t match the villagers’ stories, and Parveen is forced to confront the consequences of American interventions.