When We Were Twins

From their privileged childhood in Egypt, the paths of once-inseparable twins Taher and Aisha diverge early: When the USSR invades Afghanistan, Taher abandons their shared plans to study medicine in Europe, instead joining their cousin, Ahmed, as a medic for the mujahideen fighting the Soviets. As Aisha's Western perspective grows, so does her fear for her brother, who is becoming increasingly radicalized during the civil war between the Taliban and the Northern Alliance. With powerful imagery, Danuta Hinc's When We Were Twins shows how innocence and loyalty to those we love can be twisted by political forces, leading a young man to choose a fateful path that changes the course of history.


About the Author

Danuta Hinc is a Polish American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She holds an MA in Philology from the University of Gdańsk, where she won Poland's National Competition for Best Dissertation in the Humanities, and she received an MFA in Writing and Literature from Bennington College, where she was awarded the Barry Hannah Merit Scholarship in Fiction. She teaches writing at the University of Maryland.