I know Nadia Ghulam since more than ten years ago and she is one of the best people I have met. She was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, where she spent her childhood and adolescence, which were pretty rough given that she made herself pass as her brother, who had died, in order to save her family, until 2006 when she left the country and started living like a refugee in Catalonia. She works as a social educator and is an activist for human rights and peace. She has never stop fighting for her country and her Afghan family. Nadia founded the Ponts per la Pau association (Bridges for the Peace Association) which helps children from Kabul to have an opportunity, the one Nadia did not have, by means of education, despite de situation of the country, the one who, unfortunately, has fallen behind and Nadia vindicates now more than ever that we must do something. Her book THE SECRET OF MY TURBAN, published by Columna and Planeta, which has been in the market for more than ten years and has been translated to eleven languages, is about her real story, the one we should all read to know how they used to live in Afghanistan and because after the latest news of the country, seas of people have wanted to leave and become refugees in any other part of the world where there pain and abuse do not exist. Many of us can not imagine this sensation but when Nadia talks about it make your hairs stand on end while stirs the fighting spirit she had and that she keeps alive now more than ever.

This week goes on sale Nadia’s first children’s book, illustrated by Mona Brunet, THE LAND OF THE WINGLESS BIRDS, published by La Galera in Catalan and Spanish, where Nadia has tried to write about the people that escape for having a home and a place to shelter. She dedicates this book to the refugees, her country, the most vulnerable children and to all the people that time after time must fight for their wings to grow, to fly and to find a nest. A book that was started in 2019 and that sees the light just in this moment so convulsive for her native country but so necessary for those of us who live in a world with commodities and can choose when and how do the things we want, gain necessary awareness since little. A book all parents should read to their children to get to know little Bibí and her family who live happyly in the land of wingless birds. One day hundreds of different birds appear in the sky, birds with wings, who see themselves superior to the others and have no respect for anything. Life will change for all those birds that until then have lived peacefully. The fire and horror start to destroy everything, the winged birds run away without helping others. How will the wingless birds avoid the fire? They must run away to survive. Bibí decides to run without looking back, builds a pair of wings with stems and leaves that help to lift her a little but the rain and the wind destroy them. Alone will get nowhere. Who will help little Bibí to get past her fears and set out on this long journey? There is always someone good, I need to believe that, who gives you a helping hand, in this case, wings to help you fly.

Nadia is a born fighter, and with this book we can not only learn about friendship, courage and to worry about others, we can also think about a country that yet again is in the wrong hands and needs our help to no go back.

Buying this book is a first big step because reading always makes us better.