Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
The bitter struggle of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) against the Turkish state has endured for decades in the face of major setbacks and violence. This memoir tells that story through the experience of one person, Sakine Cansiz--codenamed "Sara"--a cofounder of the PKK who dedicated her life to its cause--until she was assassinated in 2013.
This memoir, available for the first time in English, tells the story of the first chapter of Cansiz's life, from the founding of the PKK in 1974 through her arrest in 1979. She writes here about the excitement of entering the movement as a young woman--and discovering quickly that she would have to challenge traditional gender roles as she rose among its ranks. And she succeeded: total gender equality is now one of the central tenets of the PKK.
Today, Sara lives on, an inspiration to women fighting for liberation around the world. Her story, told in her own words, is by turns shocking, violent, and groundbreaking.
Synopsis
The bitter struggle of the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, against the Turkish state has delivered inspirational but often tragic stories. This memoir by Kurdish revolutionary Sakine Cansiz is one of them. Sakine, whose code name was 'Sara', co-founded the PKK in 1974 and dedicated her life to its cause. On the 9 January 2013 she was assassinated in Paris in circumstances that remain officially unresolved. This is the first chapter of her iconic life, leading up to her arrest in 1979, penned as dramatic events unfolded against the backdrop of the Turkish revolutionary left. She writes about the excitement of entering the movement as a young woman, discovering she would have to challenge traditional gender roles as she rose amongst its ranks. She was one of the first to demand the recruitment and education of female revolutionaries, and demanded total gender equality within the PKK, which is now one of its central tenets. Today, 'Sara' is an inspiration to women fighting for liberation across the world. This is her story in her own words, and is in turns shocking, violent and path-breaking.Translated by Janet Biehl.