Girl With A Gun by Diana Ammi and Karen Attwood

Girl With A Gun by Diana Ammi and Karen Attwood.
Published 5th March 2020 by Unbound.
Read May 2020.

Diana Nammi, also known as Galavezh, grew up in the Kurdish region of Iran in the 1960s and 70s. The daughter of parents who fortunately believed that girls were to be cherished and educated as much as boys.

But the area in which Galavezh lived has never been destined for peace, and its people have had to struggle with discrimination and persecution for much of their history, in pursuit of their own independent homeland of Kurdistan.

Galavezh became involved in politics when she was student and was very active in the campaign for social change, especially the rights of women, playing a part in the Iranian Revolution of 1979.

But the hard-line Islamic regime that took its place was even more strict than that under the Shah, and when Kurdistan was brutally attacked, she knew it was her destiny to become a fighter and protect her homeland as a member of the Peshmerga, the famed Kurdish military force.

Galavezh spent twelve years on the front line as a member of the Peshmerga, as one of the very first women fighters in its ranks, leading the struggle for equality and women's rights for the Kurdish people, and becoming one of the Iranian regime's most wanted in the process.

This is the amazing story of a Girl With A Gun, determined to make the lives of her people better, but it is also a tale of love, family and great resilience in the face of terrible danger.

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Girl With A Gun is a most fascinating and humbling story of a girl compelled to take up arms in the fight against discrimination and violence - and it is the first-ever account of its kind from a woman Peshmerga fighter. 

I am of an age to vaguely remember the Iranian Revolution which deposed the Shah and the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran, which ushered in an era of religious extremism and more years of war and persecution.

Although I don't remember much being made of the plight of the Kurdish people at the time, their struggle for a place to call home in an area that spans the borders of Iran, Iraq and Turkey has certainly been in the news in the following years. most memorably in relation to the horrific gassing of civilians by Saddam Hussein, and in terms of the bravery of the Kurdish fighters battling against ISIS - but there was so much I did not know about these people and especially the Peshmerga, until reading Galavezh's amazing account of her life among their ranks.

What really impresses me about this book is the utmost conviction of Galavezh and her young comrades to take up the fight against injustice, especially at such a young age, even in the face of enormous danger. This really sparked the Revolution that Iranians had been working towards in their aim for equality for all.

Unfortunately, the hoped for Revolution also led to a power vacuum that meant it was hijacked by those bent on bringing in an era of religious extremism, rather than the longed for social changes Galavezh and her friends had campaigned for. Instead of freedom, what came was harder times for the Kurdish people, violence and full-on war.

The downturn in conditions for her people, and the burning conviction inside, led Galavezh to take the decision to become a member of the Peshmerga and take up arms in the battle for freedom - and this was certainly not an easy task, as the overwhelmingly male membership of the fighting force were reluctant to allow women on the frontlines. 

But Galavezh has never been afraid of confronting the powers that be, and her bravery and belief in herself and her fellow women meant she took up the fight for equality within the ranks of the Peshmerga with as much determination as she approaches everything in her life. She did not rest until she proved to her male comrades that she was just as able to be a soldier as they were, and she actually brought about significant changes in the make up of the Peshmerga that have left a great legacy. In fact, there are currently a thousand women in active frontline duty with the Peshmerga against ISIS in northern Iraq, and much of this is down to the drive led by Galavezh.

The twelve years Galavezh spent on the frontline were hard indeed and she found herself in near-death situations countless times, but she never shied from danger, even though many of her fellow fighters fell along the way. All through these years, she continued to campaign for women's rights and tried to help the women of the villages she found herself stationed in as much as possible - educating them about their rights and encouraging them to stand up for themselves. 

As her bravery led to recognition and promotion among the Pershmerga, Galavezh became a target for the Iranian authorities and eventually she was left with no choice but to flee her homeland and seek political asylum in the UK, although she left her mark.

Part of her great belief in positive change has always been demonstrated by her work surrounding women's rights and she continues in this vein to this very day. In 2002, she set up her own charity, the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation, and she has been tireless in her campaigning, receiving much deserved recognition for her work from organisations such as the UNHCR.

But this is not just a story about campaigning and military action. There is so much here about the bonds of friendship, the ties of family and even romantic love that show the reader that this is the story of a woman with a great capacity to feel, as well as fight. There are some very touching moments in these pages - a lot of sadness and grief for what has been lost, but also happiness and the fulfillment of the wishes of the heart too.

Girl With A Gun is a most incredible, inspiring book. It leads me to think that we can all do a little more to help the lives of others, working towards positive change that can make a real difference - and I am sure that I will not be alone in feeling this after reading this book. Highly recommended!

Girl With A Gun is available to buy now from your favourite book retailer in hardback and ebook formats.

Thank you to Diana Nammi, Karen Attwood and Unbound for providing me with a copy of this book in return for an honest review, and to Anne Cater of Random Things Tours for inviting me to be part of this blog tour.

From the cover of the book:

Diana Nammi became a fighter with the Peshmerga when she was only seventeen. 

Originally known as Galavezh, she grew up in the Kurdish region of Iran in the 1960s and 70s. 

She became involved in politics as a teenager and, like many students, 

played a part in the Iranian Revolution of 1979. 

But the new Islamic regime tolerated no opposition, and after Kurdistan was brutally attacked, Galavezh found that she had no choice but to become a soldier in the famed military force. 

She spent twelve years on the front line, and helped lead the struggle for women's rights 

and equality for the Kurdish people, 

becoming one of the Iranian regime's most wanted in the process. 

As well as being the startling account of Galavezh's time as a fighter, Girl with a Gun is also a narrative about family and resilience, with a powerful love story at its heart.

This is the first-ever account of its kind from a woman Peshmerga fighter: there are currently a thousand women in active frontline duty with the Peshmerga against ISIS in northern Iraq. 

About the authors:

Diana Nammi

Diana Nammi spent twelve years on the front line as a Peshmerga before moving to the UK as a political refugee, founding the Iranian and Kurdish Women's Rights Organisation in 2002. 

Karen Attwood

In 2014 she received the Special Jury Women on the Move Award from UNHCR and was recognised as one of the BBC's '100 Women'. In 2015 she won the Voices of Courage Award from the Women's Refugee Commission in New York.

In a twenty-year career as a journalist, Karen Attwood's work has been published in all UK national newspapers as well as several international publications.

She is a former staff writer at the Independent and the Press Association, and was on the launch team for Abu Dhabi's first English-language newspaper, the National.