“As we drove around town I felt like the queen of Afghanistan. People were waving at me and the joy felt by the few women we came across radiated through their burkas. Everyone understood this meant more than just the departure of the Taliban from Afghanistan.”

“Grandpa, what do you think, who’s a better creation of Allah’s, woman or man?" Mad winked at me, suggesting he knew the answer and was just testing the old man."Woman, my boy. He managed to make woman much more accomplished and better-looking than man. After all, He created Adam first. And whenever you do something for the first time,my boy, you’re bound to make mistakes. You end up with some bits that hang out, some that are protruding, superfluous or missing…You’re bound to do a better job the second time around, especially if you’re God. So it’s obvious that Eve, as His second attempt at creating a human being, has turned out a much better specimen.”

“Kabul was fairly peaceful now and Grandpa seemed to have started wasting away since the bombing stopped. For the past twenty-three years the excitement of war had kept him really fit. Now he was giving up.”

“I'm pulled, pushed and then I find my back against a wall. Eagan's taut frame is bent toward mine, and my body is arched toward his. We create a peculiar sculpture of opposite forces. He cups my face in his palms and makes me look up at him. His lips are so close to mine, that I feel the whisper of his breath against my mouth; I smell mint and a hint of beer. I desire a kiss so desperately, my body is humming with longing. I curl my fingers around his wrists.“I hate fighting with you,” he admits huskily.“I know. Me too.”“I need to hold you.”I nod and let him fold his arms around me. I bury my face against his chest and utter soft sounds of contentment as his warmth leaks into my skin.I glance at our shadows painted on the gravel by darkness and streetlights; we're not opposite forces any longer, we're one single being.("A Veil of Glass and Rain")”

“Regresar resulta un tanto raro. Si uno viaja a alguna parte, no piensa ya en el estado de la gente y de los lugares que se dejan atrás. Pero cuando regresas después de un largo periodo de ausencia, es como un golpe en la cabeza o un terremoto en toda regla. De pronto, todo tiene un aspecto distinto. Las montañas son más bajas, el agua mucho menos profunda, los largos caminos terminan abruptamente, personas que hasta hace poco decían: "Eso tú no lo entiendes. No te entremezcles", te escuchan y asienten amablemente, el póster en la pared, que te ha costado todo tu dinero, ha perdido toda importancia y los ojos de mamá están a la misma altura que los de una misma.”

“being normal is unnormal but being imperfect is PERFECT! I know I was different and perfect :)”

“Women in my country take their rights for granted and completely dissociate themselves from the women's rights movement and feminism. But I think anything's possible. If I don't help the women in Afghanistan, they won't be around to help me.”