Beyond the Sand Storm

Beyond the Sandstorm is a story of human destiny, defiance, and history. It is part biography, a narration of an Iraqi doctor who flees her country in the wake of the 2003 war. It is also a unique historical and social perspective on Iraq and its culture. The novel traces the life of Dr. Malka Al Saadi, a gifted physician, humanitarian, scientist, mother, and war victim who rises from humble beginnings to head one of the most prestigious medical departments in Iraq. 

Through the eyes of this amazing and courageous woman, a detailed and moving description unfolds, recounting daily life experiences, characters, and challenges faced over three historical eras. Her distinctive perspectives intersect and present the reader with a truly remarkable picture of what it was like to live in Iraq during the last half century. The account also offers insight into the cultural, social, and political arenas in Iraq from the 1930s onward. The book describes, in thought-provoking and challenging ways, the obstacles, pain, fear, and hope that accompany this evolution. 

The saga of Professor Al Saadi begins with her childhood in Iraq, and continues over the course of her advanced medical studies in the United Kingdom, a triumphant return to Iraq, and later the experiences in the 1980, 1991, and 2003 wars. Through a firsthand account, the book takes the reader on a trip through the medical and wider social developments in Iraq, and the challenges and losses of three wars. It is a detailed, emotional, and sometimes daring account, but above all, it is a story of human resilience, humility, humanity, and perseverance summarizing over seventy years of personal and geopolitical events that shaped not only the author’s life but today’s Middle East. 

The book concludes with a warm portrait of life in the city of Philadelphia, in the United States, where the author currently resides happily with her family. She shares the positive impact this city has had on her and her family’s life. In an East-meets-West biography, the book uses simple language written from the heart to describe an astonishing forty-five-year-career.