For the Love of a Son

This is the story of a young girl growing up in pre-Soviet, pre-Taliban Afghanistan. Young Maryam is able to escape from this land of brutal reigning tribes to the United States where she marries, at her father's insistence, a brutal Afghan who beats her yet gives her her heart's desire, a darling son. When she divorces her husband, he pays her back in the worst way possible by kidnapping their three year old boy. With unrelenting mother love, Maryam pursues her sweet child. When at last, 14 years later she finds him, she discovers that something far worse and more insurmountable than physical mileage now separates them. This is a book I will read again.If you liked Not Without My Daughter, or if you would like to learn more about a land that has been much in the news for the past 20 years, you will appreciate this book.

I have read all of Ms. Sassoon's books and they are very compelling and engrossing. I like finding out about what it is like in the situations the women she writes about live in. It is pretty appalling and sad but it demonstrates the difficulties of being a woman living in a totally male dominated Muslim environment/country and even here in the United States within the same culture. I found it amazing that the family would continue to be conned by this husband whose intentions were totally dishonorable and basically evil. I wish the woman well and hope her life is going well despite all this sadness and disappointment. I would love to read more stories by Ms. Sassoon and hope she writes many personal stories about other women in these cultures in the future.

This story is as real as it gets on the subject of motherly love.Through all the abuse and heartbreak Maryam suffered, she never let go of her son. She probably would have let him kill her if she thought it would save him. Culture in itself can be brainwashing, but living with a criminally insane, psycho for a father would destroy the fragile mentality of anyone. Hard to read at times, but like all Jean's books, beautifully and artistically written.

My heart goes out to these Afghanistan women, what they learn, grow up with, become accustom to and live with is just TRUE heroism! I am so glad that these books are being published and brought to light. My hope is that women there will gain courage and freedoms with the World awareness and support.

Oh my goodness my heart ached for this woman and her family. I wished that I could help somehow. I felt like I was there seeing it all. That's how clear it was.

This is a heart breaking story of an Afgan women living in the US whose family, so steeped in their own customs made her marry a man who raped and beat her from day one. Her story brought me to tears.

I have read & greatly enjoyed all of Jean Sasson's books about women's struggles in the Middle East. I find them authentic & fascinating..a great author! This one was excellent.

I like all of Jean Sasson's books. They all give very believable and sometimes shocking insights into the Muslim world.

The story was very touching. The mother was obsessed with finding her son and in the end was disappointed how he turned out to be. The boy was brainwashed from the time he was a toddler by his father. Very sad.

I enjoyed the read some places were a bit too descriptive for me I just like getting to the story

Loved reading it. Excellent story.

Sitting in the comfort of the Western world, it was unbelievable reading to know that women and families are treated in a way alien to most of us. Could not put the book down and it has remained with me. It has joyous moments and terribly sad moments. You can visualise the deadness of their eyes from the fear and torment. For the Love of a Son: One Afghan Woman's Quest for her Stolen ChildFor the Love of a Son: One Afghan Woman's Quest for her Stolen Child

Very enjoyable and I have passed it on for friends to read. It opens your eyes to how some women are treated in other cultures. Well worth reading as are all this author's books.