In the Land of a Thousand Springs, by Nesreen Barwari

Born in Baghdad in 1967, Nesreen’s memoir unfolds the journey of a Kurdish woman forging her identity in the shadow of war, loss, and resilience. From childhood, her mother’s vivid tales and her family’s legacy of endurance taught her that survival and selfhood are woven from the threads of memory.

Her life unfolds against Iraq’s turbulent decades: the Iran-Iraq War, the Anfal Campaign, her father’s forced military service, and her family’s flight during the Gulf War. These experiences revealed both the brutality of oppression and the unbreakable bonds of family. Through it all, education became her path forward—first in Baghdad, and later at Harvard University, where she navigated life as a Kurdish woman in a foreign world.

When Nesreen returned to Kurdistan, she became a force for renewal—uplifting displaced families, igniting community initiatives, and championing her people’s cause on the world stage through the government, United Nations, and NGOs. Her memoir is both an intimate reflection and a rallying cry: a tribute to endurance, the transformative power of stories, and the relentless Kurdish quest for identity and recognition.