The gun tree - B. K. Zahrah Nasir

This is the remarkable story of a woman who, having lost the most precious thing in life - her children - dived headlong into a furiously whirling maelstrom of war. Running from a broken life in the serene highlands of Scotland, to be made whole in the much abused mountains of Afghanistan, seems to be an extraordinary thing to do. But Banafsha-Khomar Zahrah Nasir is an unusual woman, who saw scenes that many a journalist would have exchanged a kingdom to have witnessed but few wouldventure into. Her violent experiences notwithstanding, he flair for harmony is apparent from the idyllic life she now leads, tucked away among the mountains of northern Pakistan.