Nadia Hashimi — City of Widows - with Liza Mundy — at Conn Ave

Novelist Nadia Hashimi visits Politics and Prose’s Connecticut Avenue location to present her new novel “City of Widows,” joined in conversation by journalist and author Liza Mundy. The book is set against the backdrop of the U.S. military withdrawal from Afghanistan in February 2020, following Afghan women who had grown up during the era of relative peace and opportunity, and who now face the Taliban’s return to power. Set in Kabul, the novel tells the intertwined stories of women at risk, including Marjan, a former Afghan army soldier who once lived as a bacha posh (a girl raised as a boy) and who is determined to protect her daughter Hawa; Soraya, who led an all-female combat unit and is now a wanted woman; and Mina, a journalist and broadcaster recognizable to the new regime. Their experiences raise questions of fighting, fleeing, or finding a third path forward, and the novel is described as an epic saga of fear, resistance, change, and reinvention.

Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and the daughter of Afghan immigrants. Her earlier adult novels include “The Pearl that Broke Its Shell,” “A House Without Windows,” “When the Moon Is Low,” and “Sparks Like Stars,” and she has also written the middle grade novels “One Half from the East” and “The Sky at Our Feet.” She lives in the Washington, D.C. suburbs. Liza Mundy is an award-winning journalist, a former staff writer for The Washington Post, and a contributor to publications including The Atlantic, Politico, and Smithsonian Magazine; she is also the New York Times bestselling author of books such as “Code Girls.” The evening includes a discussion of the novel and its themes, and the related book “City of Widows: A Novel” is available for purchase.

When: Thursday, August 27, 2026, at 7:00pm.

Venue: Politics and Prose at 5015 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008.

Admission: Free, with first come, first served seating.

Participants: Nadia Hashimi in conversation with Liza Mundy.

About the Book: “City of Widows: A Novel” by Nadia Hashimi, a hardcover released on July 28, 2026, priced at $32.00, with ISBN 9780063423541; the bookstore lists it as in stock.

Accessibility: To request accommodations or ask about accessibility, email events@politics-prose.com, ideally one week before the event date; the bookstore will try to accommodate all requests up until the event time.

Note: The event is presented in the Non Fiction section of the bookstore’s listings.