Seduced by an Afghan: An Unlikely Love Story

An Afghan student and an American risk everything for love in this emotional and unforgettable story that takes place during the 1940s. In this compelling and passionate memoir, Joan Kayeum tells the story of her journey from a Greek neighborhood in Chicago to Afghanistan, a Muslim country mired in the past. With affection and humor, she paints a colorful picture of growing up Greek in Chicago. Encouraged by her father, who taught his children if they worked and studied hard the sky was the limit, and expected her to marry a Greek American, Joan went on to study at the University of Chicago where she is exposed to a new and exciting world of intellectual stimulation, freedom, and a veritable United Nations of foreign students. It was there she met the love of her life, the dashing, swarthy Afghan student Abdul Kayeum. Multilingual, knowledgeable, and worldly, Abdul’s charismatic personality was a magnet to all who met him. He regaled Joan and her friends with stories of his beloved home country and a childhood where he grew up, cared for by three mothers—his birth mother and his father’s other two wives. Seduced by an Afghan, An Unlikely Love Story, tells of a clash of two cultures and a love that bridged the differences—a love so strong that Abdul challenges his country’s laws prohibiting marriage to foreign women, and Joan defies the strictures of her upbringing to follow her heart. All net proceeds from the sale of this book will be donated to Joan Kayeum’s foundation, FEDA (Foundation for Educational Development of Afghans) and other charities designed to promote the education of young girls and boys who live in the provinces of Afghanistan.