Gallery: The Subversive Women Who Self-Publish Novels Amid Jihadist War

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    Glenna Gordon
    01

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    27-year-old novelist Farida Ado gazes out a window in her home. Authors like Farida are able to earn a decent living, and are well respected in their communities.
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    Glenna Gordon
    02

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    Books bundled at the market in Kano. They sell for about a dollar a piece.
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    Glenna Gordon
    03

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    Using her phone as a flashlight, a Hausa woman reads a romance novel on a train from Lago to Kano.
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    Glenna Gordon
    04

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    Women wearing their best clothes for a wedding.
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    Glenna Gordon
    05

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    A diagram of a heart on a school wall outside of Kano.
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    Glenna Gordon
    06

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    Sitting in her bedroom, Firdausy El-yakub reads a romance novel. She dreams of one day becoming an author.
  • Diagram of the Heart
    Glenna Gordon
    07

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    Novelist Rabi Talle heads to her day job at the Ministry of Information.
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    Glenna Gordon
    08

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    Outdoors at a wedding in the Old City. The women stand across from men in the street.
  • Diagram of the Heart
    Glenna Gordon
    09

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    Novelist Khadija Gudaji composes a book on her bed in Kano.
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    Glenna Gordon
    10

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    A computer in the home of a novelist in Kaduna. Some women write on computers, while others work longhand.
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    Glenna Gordon
    11

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    Assembling chapbooks by hand.
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    Glenna Gordon
    12

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    A family dispute being settled by the morality police in Kano.
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    Glenna Gordon
    13

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    A young girl at Friday prayers.
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    Glenna Gordon
    14

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    Novelist Balaraba Ramat Yakubu, whose book *Sin Is a Puppy That Follows You Home* was made into a film and translated to English.
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    Glenna Gordon
    15

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    A pile of assembled books. Authors usually pay printers to make a few thousand copies of a novel.
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    Glenna Gordon
    16

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    A view from the top of Dala Hill, the highest point in Kano.
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