The Dancer from Khiva: One Muslim Woman's Quest for Freedom

By Bibish

An unflinchingly honest memoir, The Dancer from Khiva is a true story that offers remarkable insights into Central Asian culture through the harrowing experiences of a young girl. In a narrative that flows like a late-night confession, Bibish recounts her story. Born to an impoverished family in a deeply religious village in Uzbekistan, Bibish was named "Hadjarbibi" in honor of her grandfather's hadj, or pilgrimage to Mecca. But the holy name did not protect her from being gang-raped at the age of eight and left for dead in the desert. Bibish's tenacity helped her survive, but in the coming years, that same tough-spiritedness caused her to be beaten, victimized, and ostracized from her family and community. Despite the seeming hopelessness of being a woman in such a cruelly patriarchal society, Bibish secretly cultivated her own dreams--of dancing, of raising a family, and of telling her story to the world. The product of incredible resilience and spirit, The Dancer from Khiva is a harrowing, clear-eyed dispatch from a land where thousands of such stories have been silenced. It is a testament to Bibish's fierce will and courage: the searing, fast-paced tale of a woman who risked everything.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B006QS99HK
• ISBN13: 9780802170507
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Grove Press, Black Cat
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.2"

Customer Reviews

Touchingly sad, funny and worthwhile

This is a different sort of book. It's not fiction, but it doesn't really read like a memoir either. It's the true story of Bibish, an Uzbeki woman who grows up in a tiny village. Bibish is sexually assaulted on more than one occasion, but never tells anyone because in her culture, she would be punished for the assaults. She endures numerous hardships but somehow maintains hope and a desire to escape her difficult life. She loves to dance but is punished for doing so by her family. She makes her escape, which leads to a whole new series of pitfalls. Although many of the things that happen to her are horrific, there are other, more light hearted aspects of the novel too. When Bibish moves to Russia and sets up a stall in the marketplace, she hasn't quite got the hang of the Russian language and makes some fairly inappropriate, and hilarious, gaffes while trying to talk to customers. The tone of the book is very conversational, almost a cross between a journal and a long talk with a close friend. It's both sad and uplifting, and a clear and personal portrait of one woman's struggle to survive oppression and poverty with her spirit intact.

A great book!

I really liked this book. I like that she wrote it as though she were just talking to you and telling her story face to face. I'm still not sure why it says "one muslim woman's quest for freedom" in the description though. Maybe the publisher thought it would make for a good sale? At some points in this book I wanted to cry, and then at some points I was laughing so hard I did cry. She is a very spirited woman, but I just wish that she would stand up for herself a little more. She doesn't dwell on the bad things. She tells it like it is and then moves on. I'm left with the impression that she plans to write a sequal and thats why the ending was a bit abrupt.