Freedom is not a luxury for the few

The opening four chapter of Half a Cup of Sand and Sky gave me all the feels. The author does a nice job developing the characters. Amineh's apprehension is totally understandable, and helps the reader get up to speed on conflicting ideologies. Ana. I'm afraid to lover her because I think something bad might happen to her. :). The author also does a nice job of not innundating the text with political themes. She gives just enough, before alternating timelines and experiences.