Tears of the Desert

Born into the Zaghawa tribe in the Sudanese desert, Halima was doted on by her

father, a cattle herder, and kept in line by her formidable grandmother. A

politically astute man, Halimas father saw to it that his daughter received a

good education away from their rural surroundings. Halima excelled in her

studies and exams, surpassing even the privileged Arab girls who looked down

their noses at the black Africans. With her love of learning and her fathers

support, Halima went on to study medicine, and at twenty-four she became her

villages first formal doctor.

Yet not even the symbol of good luck that dotted her eye could protect her

from the encroaching conflict that would consume her land. Janjaweed Arab

militias started savagely assaulting the Zaghawa, often with the backing of

the Sudanese military. Then, in early 2004, the Janjaweed attacked Bashirs

village and surrounding areas, raping forty-two schoolgirls and their

teachers. Bashir, who treated the traumatized victims, some as young as eight

years old, could no longer remain quiet. But breaking her silence ignited a

horrifying turn of events.

In this harrowing and heartbreaking account, Halima Bashir sheds light on the

hundreds of thousands of innocent lives being eradicated in what has surely

become the most terrifying genocide of the twenty-first century. Raw and

riveting, Tears of the Desert is more than just a memoir--it is Halima Bashirs

global call to action.