The Sheikh's No. 4 Wife and Her Youngest Son

This is a story about family life in a tribal Iraqi community during the second half of the twentieth century. Wife no. 4 or Yumma is my mother and this story narrates her and my turbulent lives with my father or Boya. By telling this story, I am breaking an honored traditional norm in my community. Local customs forbid me from revealing personal information about our private affairs to anyone other than close members of our families. Some of these traditions are responsible for our misery. My mother was a victim of these cruel traditions and so was I. Since the injustices suffered could no longer be rectified, I wanted to expose them and point an accusing finger at the responsible institutions, traditions, and persons.