Yemen in the 1960s was a country where loyalty, blood ties and honour meant everything, yet murder, forced marriages, family feuds and public beheadings were common. The Tears of Sheba is the inspiring story of Khadija al– Salami, whose personal struggle for survival shows a deep–rooted love for her country and its people. Khadija tells of a childhood devastated by the impact of civil war, in a culture that allowed her to be married off at the age of 11 to a much older stranger. After a failed suicide attempt Khadija became determined to escape the poverty, death and destruction that permeated her life by working and studying hard. She asked the local TV station to let her host a programme for children and later used the money she earned to complete her education in the United States. Through her own industry Khadija secured a future that has lead her to a happy and successful life in Paris. The Tears of Sheba is a magnificent tour de force, passionately told,...