"WINDOWS OF THE SOUL"

AZG Armenian Daily
11/06/2009

Culture

Alexandra Avakian is a photojournalist and a member of the prestigious
Contact Press Images photo agency in New York. She is a contract
photographer with National Geographic and frequently publishes in Time,
The New York Times Magazine, and many other publications.

Her new book "Windows of the Soul" is about her journey in the Muslim
world. She lived and worked for two years in the Gaza strip, often
in Islamic dress, once beaten bloody by Hamas. For several terrifying
days in Somalia she was pinned down by sniper fire on the way to her
hotel. She careened across the snowy Tien-Shen Mountains with Islamic
fundamentalists in an ancient Lada, only to be detained and tossed
out by the Uzbek KGB. All the while, she captured some of the most
important stories of our time-the famine in Sudan, the violence in Gaza
and Somalia, the daily life of Hezbollah. She traveled extensively
with Yasser Arafat as one of the only non-Arab photographers given
such access. She studied her Armenian roots in Iran and the Muslim
culture in America.

Recounted in gripping words and unforgettable images, Avakian’s
remarkable experiences will draw readers into the Muslim world
to meet friends and terrorists, leaders and thieves and everyday
people. Her style is always probing, yet compassionate. Given the
interest in Muslim culture since the events of 9/11, Avakian’s
fascinating photographs and rich personal story will captivate,
educate, and linger with us forever.