Skip to product information
1 of 1

Bookish Wonderland

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi

Regular price Tk 249.00 BDT
Regular price Sale price Tk 249.00 BDT
Sale Sold out
Book cover type
Quantity

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi follows Sitara Zamani, a ten-year-old girl growing up in Kabul in 1978. Her privileged childhood ends violently when a communist coup destroys Afghanistan’s government and her family is killed inside the presidential palace. A guard named Shair helps Sitara escape, and she eventually reaches the United States, where she is adopted, takes the name Aryana Shepherd, and builds a successful career as a surgeon. For decades, Aryana avoids confronting the memories of her childhood and the unanswered questions surrounding her family’s deaths. In 2008, her carefully controlled life changes when Shair unexpectedly appears as one of her patients. His return forces Aryana to reconsider what happened during the coup and whether the man who saved her also played a role in her loss. Seeking truth and closure, she returns to Afghanistan, confronting grief, identity, memory, displacement, and the meaning of home after thirty years. Read More

View full details

About Sparks of Phoenix by Najwa Zebian: A Powerful Poetry Journey from Pain to Healing and New Hope

Sparks of Phoenix by Najwa Zebian is a poetry collection about falling, surviving, healing, and rising again. It speaks to people who have been hurt, blamed, silenced, or made to feel small. Through emotional words, Zebian follows the path of a person who begins in pain but learns to reclaim her voice, worth, and future.

The phoenix is the heart of the book. In stories, this bird burns and then rises from its ashes. Zebian uses that image to show that a painful end does not have to be the end of a life. A person can feel broken, face the truth, gather strength, and begin again. The scars may remain, but they do not have to control your tomorrow.

This is Najwa Zebian’s third book of poetry. It is divided into six parts that form six stages of healing: Falling, Burning to Ashes, Sparks of Phoenix, Rising, Soaring, and A New Chapter. The order gives the collection a clear emotional path, making it easy to read from start to finish or revisit one part when you need its message.

When pain leaves you without the right words

Deep hurt can be hard to explain. You may know that something feels wrong, yet you cannot find words for the fear, shame, anger, or loss inside you. Friends may ask you to move on before you are ready. You may even blame yourself for harm that was never your fault.

This collection offers language for those hidden feelings. Zebian writes with softness, but she does not hide the pain. Her poems and reflections help readers name what happened, see why silence can feel heavy, and understand the wish to become whole again. The book cannot do the work of a doctor or therapist, but it can make a lonely reader feel seen.

Instead of asking you to forget, it shows healing as a journey. Some days may feel strong, while other days may bring the past back. The goal is not to pretend that nothing happened. It is to stop giving old pain the power to write every part of your future.

What is Sparks of Phoenix about?

The book follows an emotional movement from harm toward renewal. It begins with falling, when trust, safety, or love has been damaged. It then enters the ashes, where a person faces loss and the hard truth of what has happened. From there, small sparks appear. Voice, self-respect, choice, and hope begin to return.

As the collection rises, its focus grows wider. Surviving is no longer the only aim. The speaker learns to stand, protect her peace, and imagine a life that is not ruled by fear. By the final part, A New Chapter, healing has made room for healthier love and a different future.

The poems speak about abuse, shame, silence, courage, self-worth, boundaries, love, and freedom. Some pieces feel like a direct talk with the reader. Others feel like private truths placed on the page. Together, they create a book that can be read as both a personal story and a hand held out to another survivor.

Falling begins with truth

The first stage does not rush toward hope. It looks at the moment when life feels unstable and the heart cannot keep carrying the same weight. Falling may mean losing trust in another person, losing a safe picture of the world, or seeing that a harmful bond cannot continue.

This stage matters because healing cannot begin with a lie. A person needs space to say, “This hurt me.” Zebian gives value to that truth. She does not treat sadness or fear as weakness. She shows that naming pain can be the first brave act.

Burning to Ashes faces what was lost

The second stage carries the heat of grief and anger. When an old life burns away, there may be no quick way to rebuild it. Plans, trust, and the person you thought you were can all feel changed. This part stays near that difficult space.

The ash image makes room for more than sadness. Fire can destroy, but it can also reveal what can no longer be hidden. A harmful story may end. A false belief may lose its hold. The reader begins to see that pain is part of the past, not proof that the future is empty.

Small sparks become a reason to continue

The middle stage carries the title of the book. A spark is small, but it has light and heat. It can be the first honest word, the first firm boundary, the first safe choice, or the first morning when hope feels possible again.

Zebian’s message is that strength does not always arrive as one great moment. It may begin quietly. A person can choose herself in one small way, then make that choice again. Over time, those sparks can grow into a new sense of power.

This idea makes the collection useful during slow healing. It does not demand a perfect change. It reminds readers that small steps still count. Even when progress is hard to see, the wish for a better life can be proof that something inside is still alive.

Rising means reclaiming your voice

Rising is not about becoming the person you were before the pain. It can mean meeting a new version of yourself. That person may know more about limits, trust, and the need to listen to her own mind. She may still feel fear, yet fear no longer makes every choice.

Voice is important throughout the collection. People who have been silenced may learn to doubt their own story. Zebian encourages them to speak, even when the voice begins softly. Saying no, asking for respect, leaving harm, and telling the truth can all be ways of rising.

The poems also connect self-worth with freedom. Worth does not depend on whether a cruel person understands it. It does not need to be earned through endless giving. The reader is invited to see dignity as something already present, waiting to be claimed.

Soaring opens a wider future

Once the phoenix rises, it does not stay beside the ashes. Soaring suggests movement, choice, and a view beyond the old wound. The past still belongs to the story, but it is no longer the only part that can be seen.

This stage can speak to readers who are ready to build rather than only survive. They may want new work, kinder friendships, stronger limits, or a life that feels like their own. Zebian’s words support the belief that joy is not a betrayal of what happened. Peace can be part of justice for the self.

Soaring does not mean that hard memories vanish. It means the reader can carry them without living inside them every hour. The image offers hope without asking anyone to erase the truth.

A New Chapter makes room for healthy love

The final stage looks toward love after real healing. New love can feel frightening when trust has been harmed. A person may worry about repeating the past or losing herself inside another bond. The book presents a healthier response built on awareness, choice, and self-respect.

This part does not say that romance is the prize for surviving. Its deeper point is that healing changes what a person will accept. Love should not demand silence, shame, or the loss of identity. A new chapter can include another person, but it must also include the self.

The ending gives the collection a sense of movement rather than a simple happy answer. Healing continues. The reader turns the page with more knowledge, stronger limits, and the right to choose what comes next.

What makes this poetry collection special

Six named stages give the healing journey a clear shape, while short poems and reflections make the book easy to read slowly. Direct language helps readers understand deep feelings without hard words, and the phoenix image joins pain, courage, change, and hope. Personal truth gives the collection an honest and close voice, while its messages about boundaries support respect and personal choice. The final stage explores healthier love after genuine inner work, and standalone poems can be revisited whenever a reader needs comfort.

The collection offers more than lines to admire. It can give readers language for a journal, a quiet moment, or a talk with someone they trust. A marked page may become a reminder that one painful chapter does not own the whole story.

Know the emotional themes before ordering

This collection discusses abuse, emotional pain, shame, fear, silence, heartbreak, and the work of healing. Some pages may bring back difficult memories. Readers can pause, skip a piece, or seek support from a trusted person when needed.

Sparks of Phoenix is poetry, not a clinical guide or a replacement for mental health care. It offers personal reflection and encouragement. People facing abuse or a crisis should seek safe, qualified help suited to their situation.

The book’s overall direction is hopeful. It respects the fall and the ashes before moving toward strength. Readers who want a light book with no heavy themes should choose something gentler. Those seeking honest words about survival may find this collection meaningful.

A comfortable copy for quiet reading

Bookish Wonderland offers a reader-friendly edition designed for reflection and later rereading, featuring premium eye-soothing cream paper for a soft page appearance, crystal-clear printing for easy reading, high-quality stitched and glue binding for lasting durability, and a durable finish that helps protect the copy in a bag or on a shelf.

The edition is suitable for personal reading, a poetry shelf, journal time, classroom discussion, or a thoughtful gift. Its clear pages make it easy to slow down, return to a poem, and sit with the words.

Easy ordering from Bookish Wonderland

When comparing the Book price in Bangladesh for Sparks of Phoenix by Najwa Zebian, consider paper comfort, print clarity, binding strength, and delivery support along with cost. Poetry often invites rereading, so a comfortable copy can stay useful long after the first journey through its pages.

Cash on Delivery is available nationwide, with delivery inside and outside Dhaka. Fast or urgent delivery is available in Dhaka when the book is needed soon. Contact Bookish Wonderland through Facebook or Instagram for the current price, stock, edition, delivery time, or customization support.

Let one small spark begin a new chapter

This collection begins near the fall, walks through the fire, and looks up from the ashes. It does not deny how deeply people can be hurt. It shows that pain can be named, silence can end, and a voice can return one brave word at a time.

Read it when you need language for a feeling. Keep it for the days when your strength feels far away. Share it with an adult or older teen who values honest poetry about survival, boundaries, self-worth, and hope.

Order Sparks of Phoenix by Najwa Zebian from Bookish Wonderland today. Bring home a moving poetry collection that can remind you that the ashes are not the final page and even one small spark may be the start of rising.

If you require any customization or have any questions, please inbox us via FB or Insta.

Primary Specification
AuthorNadia Hashimi
NarratorMozhan Marno
EditorKyle O'Brien
GenreHistorical Fiction, Literary Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Cultural Fiction
ISBN-13/ISSN978-0063008298
ISBN-100063008297
PublisherWilliam Morrow Paperbacks
Publishing DateFebruary 8, 2022
LanguageEnglish
Reading Age18+
FormatPrinted Book
Physical Specification & Quality
Paper QualityPremium eye-soothing cream paper
Binding QualityHigh quality stitched and glue binding (for longevity)
Print QualityCrystal-clear print
Pages480 pages
CountryUSA
Logistics Information
Weight500 gm
Length8.5 inches
Width5.6 inches
Height1.08 inch
What is Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi about?

Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi follows Sitara Zamani, a ten-year-old girl growing up in Kabul in 1978. Her father works closely with Afghan president Mohammad Daoud Khan, giving Sitara an unusual childhood around the presidential palace. Her life changes completely when a communist coup erupts and her family is killed. A palace guard named Shair helps her escape, and she eventually reaches the United States under a new identity, Aryana Shepherd. Thirty years later, Aryana is a successful surgeon in New York, but the trauma of her childhood remains unresolved. An unexpected encounter forces her to reconsider what happened that night and eventually return to Afghanistan searching for truth, closure, and a connection to the family she lost.

How many books are in the Sparks Like Stars series by Nadia Hashimi, and what are they?

There are no books in a series for Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi. It is a standalone novel.

Is Sparks Like Stars based on a true story?

Sparks Like Stars is historical fiction rather than a true autobiography. Sitara Zamani and many elements of her personal story are fictional, but Nadia Hashimi places her within real Afghan history. The novel begins around the April 1978 Saur Revolution, when President Mohammad Daoud Khan and members of his family were killed during a communist coup. Hashimi uses these historical events as the background for Sitara’s fictional experience of loss and escape. This combination allows readers to learn about an important period in Afghanistan’s modern history while following a deeply personal fictional story.

Does Sparks Like Stars have two timelines?

Yes. The novel is structured around two major periods in Sitara’s life. The first follows her as a ten-year-old in Kabul in 1978, showing her family life, the presidential palace, the coup, and the events surrounding her escape from Afghanistan. The later part moves roughly thirty years forward to 2008, when she is living in New York as Aryana Shepherd. The second timeline explores how childhood trauma continues shaping her adult relationships, career, identity, and feelings toward Afghanistan. The contrast between these periods helps show how one violent night can influence a person for decades.

Why does Sitara change her name to Aryana Shepherd?

Sitara takes on the name Aryana Shepherd as part of the complicated process of leaving Afghanistan and beginning a new life in the United States. Her new identity eventually becomes much more than a practical name change. It represents survival, exile, adaptation, and the separation between the child she once was and the adult she becomes. As Aryana builds a successful life in America, much of Sitara’s past remains hidden even from people close to her. The novel uses these two identities to explore whether someone can truly leave a traumatic past behind or whether memory continues shaping who they become.

What historical period of Afghanistan does Sparks Like Stars explore?

The novel begins during a crucial turning point in Afghanistan’s history: the overthrow of President Mohammad Daoud Khan in April 1978. Nadia Hashimi also gives readers a picture of Kabul before the decades of warfare that later came to dominate international perceptions of Afghanistan. Sitara remembers a cosmopolitan city, family gatherings, education, culture, and everyday life alongside political tension. The later sections return to Afghanistan in 2008, allowing readers to see the contrast between the country Sitara remembers and the one she encounters as an adult. This historical range is one of the novel’s most frequently praised features.

What are the main themes of Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi?
The book explores trauma, grief, survival, exile, identity, family, memory, belonging, forgiveness, and the meaning of home. Sitara survives an event that destroys almost everything familiar to her, but physical survival does not automatically bring emotional recovery. As Aryana, she builds a career and a new life while carrying unanswered questions about her family and the people involved in her escape. The novel also examines immigrant identity and the experience of belonging to both America and Afghanistan while feeling completely at home in neither. Ultimately, it asks how people rebuild themselves without erasing where they came from.
Is Sparks Like Stars a fast-paced historical thriller or a slow emotional novel?
It contains suspenseful moments, especially during Sitara’s childhood and escape, but the novel is primarily character-driven historical fiction rather than a nonstop thriller. Many readers find the 1978 sections gripping because of the political violence and immediate danger, while the adult timeline becomes more reflective as Aryana processes memory, relationships, and unanswered questions. Reader reactions to the pacing vary. Some appreciate the slower sections because they give the character’s trauma and identity room to develop, while others feel the middle portion takes longer to move forward. It is best suited to readers who enjoy emotional depth alongside historical events.
Who should read Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi?

Sparks Like Stars is a strong choice for readers who enjoy historical fiction, family stories, immigrant experiences, Afghan history, female-centered narratives, stories about exile, and characters rebuilding their lives after trauma. It may particularly appeal to readers who want to understand Afghanistan through the lives of Afghan characters rather than seeing the country only through war reporting. Readers should be prepared for emotionally difficult material involving political violence, murder, childhood trauma, grief, displacement, and loss. Despite these themes, the novel also emphasizes survival, resilience, memory, and the possibility of finding peace with the past.

Is Sparks Like Stars available as a premium edition from Bookish Wonderland?

Yes. Bookish Wonderland offers Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi in a premium reader-friendly edition. The book uses premium eye-soothing cream paper, which provides a softer background for its long historical and emotional passages and makes extended reading more comfortable. Crystal-clear printing keeps dialogue, place names, historical details, and continuous text sharp and easy to follow. The physical presentation makes the edition suitable for regular reading, gifting, annotation, or keeping as part of a historical-fiction collection.

How durable are the paper, print, and binding of Sparks Like Stars from Bookish Wonderland?

The Bookish Wonderland edition is designed for readers who want a book that can remain in their collection after the first read. High-quality stitched and glue binding helps keep the pages firmly secured during regular opening and handling. Premium durable cream paper provides comfortable page texture, while crystal-clear printing maintains clean and readable text throughout the novel. This stronger construction is especially practical for a substantial historical novel that readers may want to revisit for its Afghan history, emotional passages, family story, or memorable scenes.

Why should I buy Sparks Like Stars by Nadia Hashimi from Bookish Wonderland in Bangladesh?

Bookish Wonderland makes it convenient for readers across Bangladesh to order Sparks Like Stars while receiving a comfortable and durable physical edition. The book combines premium eye-soothing cream paper, crystal-clear printing, and strong stitched-and-glue binding for an improved reading experience and better longevity. Cash on Delivery is available nationwide, with delivery both inside and outside Dhaka. Customers in Dhaka can also request fast or urgent delivery when available. Bookish Wonderland’s large premium English book collection makes it convenient to shop for historical fiction, literary fiction, contemporary novels, and other popular English books from one place.