Inspiration

Libby Gleeson explains:
'Mahtab's Story grew from an idea I had in 2001 in the atmosphere of Sydney post September 11. I wanted to explore some aspect of being a Muslim girl in the west.'

Libby consulted a high school principal in Western Sydney who arranged for her to meet with girls in Year 11. She talked with a group over a twelve-month period and subsequently met with one girl, Nahid, and her family over the following two years.

'The story I wanted to tell was of what had happened to any one of these young women as they escaped a particular form of tyranny in the Middle East … I gradually developed a friendship with Nahid, and really she and her family have been instrumental in this book being written. It's not their particular story but there's nothing in it that didn't happen to either them or someone they knew … details of home life, of the terror of the escaping stage, of the fear and the loneliness … and then of course the horror of the boat trip … that period of being in detention.

'The more people that know about that story, the better.'

Nahid says: 'Seeing Libby Gleeson at High School was a great opportunity for me to express my ideas, my hopes and my way of life.'

View a video of Libby and Nahid discussing the background to the book; plot, setting and character development; the cover image and more.

Click here if this video doesn't play properly.