The Dressmaker of Khair Khana: Five Sisters, One Remarkable Family, and the Woman Who Risked Everything to Keep Them Safe

When the Taliban took control of Kabul, Kamila Sidiqi's life changed drastically. Despite earning a teaching degree during the civil war—an uncommon accomplishment for Afghan women—she was banned from school and confined to her home. After her father and brother fled the city, Kamila became the sole provider for her five siblings. She began sewing, building a successful dressmaking business to support her family. This book tells the true story of Kamila's entrepreneurship and how she mobilized her community under Taliban rule. Author Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, a former ABC News reporter, spent years researching Kamila's account. The result is an intimate portrait of women's daily lives in Afghanistan during this period. Rather than depicting them as victims, the narrative presents these women as essential to holding families and their nation together.