"Odessa Stories" is a collection of short stories set in the bustling city of Odessa, Ukraine, during the early 20th century. Through vivid and colorful characters, the book explores the vibrant and diverse Jewish community of Odessa, capturing their struggles, dreams, and everyday lives. With a blend of humor, tragedy, and satire, the stories paint a rich portrait of a city and its people, offering a unique glimpse into a bygone era.

This novel explores the lives of two Afghan women, Mariam and Laila, who are brought together by war and fate. Mariam, an illegitimate child, suffers from the stigma surrounding her birth and the abuse she faces from her bitter mother. When she is married off to Rasheed, her life becomes a nightmare. Later, she becomes a co-wife to Laila, a beautiful and educated girl who also ends up as Rasheed's wife due to a series of tragic events. Despite their initial rivalry, the two women form a bond and become sources of support for each other in the face of their husband's brutalities and the war-torn world of Kabul.

This memoir recounts the harrowing experiences of a young boy forcibly recruited into the Sierra Leonean army during the country's brutal civil war. The narrative follows his journey from an innocent child fascinated with rap music to a hardened child soldier, who is eventually rescued by UNICEF and rehabilitated. The book provides a stark, firsthand account of the horrors of war and the resilience of the human spirit.