Beyond the Fields, Paperback

Beyond the Fields is a gripping tale of rape, resilience, and reclaiming honor set in the volatile years of martial law and social turmoil that brings up-close the fears and hopes of women in Pakistan. It is a riveting, timely look at profound inequality, traditions that disempower women in our world, and survival as a dance to the beat of a different future. Born to a poor, landless farmer in the month of the monsoon rains, twins Zara and Tara grow up amongst the fields of wheat and cotton in a remote village in Pakistan. During an afternoon spree of games, Tara is kidnapped from the fields and raped. All seems to be resolved after her parents accept an unexpected marriage proposal for their "dishonored" daughter. But the nightmare resurfaces when a newspaper clipping emerges, calling the union into question. Determined to rescue her twin, Zara embarks on a harrowing quest for justice, battling keepers of a culture that upholds propriety above all else and braving the unknown dangers of an urban centre.

Growing up in Pakistan, valedictorian Aysha Baqir attended Mount Holyoke College on scholarship to study International Relations. A passionate advocate of economic development, she founded the not-for-profit Kaarvan Crafts Foundation in 1998 to provide business development and market-focused training for women in Pakistan. She currently resides in Singapore.