Sanam Maher, a Pakistani journalist, has written a book comprising the early days of Qandeel Baloch, the way she spent her life, the videos which stirred controversy and the causes behind her horrific murder. The entire book is on the journey of this girl Fauzia Azeem and her transformation into Qandeel Baloch.
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Albeit not being a part of Pakistan’s mainstream media, Qandeel has accumulated an abundance of fame quite instantly. Qandeel’s death, by the hands of her brother, has shaken the entire country from its roots, leaving a huge vacuum behind.
Read Also: ‘The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch’
Sanam Maher, very subtly, not only observed Qandeel’s life, she has also noticed every story, every post related to the social media celebrity in her life and after she was murdered. Sanam has also met all the officials working on Qandeel’s case and has tried to grab everything Qandeel said in various public gatherings.
Bumper week for work announcements from me: So hello! She’s here – coverreveal! A story that has taken over my life for the last 2 years — a story not just about #QandeelBaloch, but about the place that created her and ultimately found that it had very little room for her. pic.twitter.com/dob8rwXfwQ
— Sanam Maher (@SanamMKhi) April 24, 2018
Sanam’s ‘The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch’ happens to revolve around the circumstances that made Qandeel in the first place. The cover of this book delineates artwork by Rahema Zaheer Alam which was shared online after when the news of her atrocious murder came out. Being one of the highly anticipated books of the year, The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch has arrived at the shelves on the 10th of May 2018.
The Sensational Life and Death of Qandeel Baloch has been selected for India’s prestigious Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize. Taking to Twitter, Maher excitingly shares the news and writes, “Some fantastic news to start the day off – The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch is shortlisted for the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize this year!”
Some fantastic news to start the day off – The Sensational Life & Death of Qandeel Baloch (@AlephBookCo) is shortlisted for the Shakti Bhatt First Book Prize this year! https://t.co/N9xtAsVyHa
— Sanam Maher (@SanamMKhi) August 9, 2018
The winner of this book prize will be awarded INR200,000 along with a trophy. The winner is scheduled to be announced in November. As per the Shakti Bhatt Foundation’s social media account, the genres of the books to be selected for the price include, fiction, poetry, creative non-fiction(autobiography, travel writing, and narrative journalism), drama and graphic novels.
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