A River Is Made: From South Waziristan to Kabul, Dubai, and Des Moines, Iowa — An Afghan Refugee’s Journey from War to Belonging in America

by Fazal Moneer Adil

A River is Made is a true story of a life carried across borders, wars, and generations, told through the eyes of its author, Fazal Moneer Adil. From Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the UAE to the United States, it traces the journey of an Afghan refugee from war to belonging in America.

It is a powerful story spanning five decades of modern Afghan history, and personal sacrifice. Inspired by an Afghan proverb, "Qatra Qatra Darya Mesha"—drop by drop, a river is made, this book culminates in a father’s final, definitive act of generational securing for his children, especially his daughter, the priceless American gift of education, freedom, and a voice of their own. From his years as a child born in exile to his service as an interpreter for U.S. Special Operatives in Afghanistan, Fazal weaves a deeply human story of displacement, endurance, and hope.

The book also shares the deeply personal account of his son’s medical trauma, illuminating the universal struggle of families facing unimaginable choices while raising a child with special needs. Both intimate and sweeping, this story bridges the immense weight of historical conflict and the geopolitics of powerful nations with the personal struggle of one Afghan family.

A River Is Made is uniquely positioned for a broad and impact-driven readership seeking a powerful story of resilience, identity, and hope.

240 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 11, 2025

Reviews

[Emily Dacho · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easy to locate Afghanistan on the map, all thanks to the sharp focus it has received over the years. Is it as we see in the media and watch in the movies? Fazal Moneer Adil's memoir, A River Is Made, delivers answers. To have risen to a point where he's able to give his family a peaceful home in America, he battled a lot, all of which he shares in this memoir. He remembers the dusty roads he and the family took, the hills they climbed, all to escape death in their motherland, and while in a foreign country, just as he began to settle, they’d move again. He remembers his struggles when back to Afghanistan, how corruption curtailed growth, and how his own fellow countrymen were suspicious of him. In a nutshell, there’s so much to unpack here, not just religion, culture, war, one man’s fight for a better tomorrow, and the pain of losing a loved one. But more.

Adil redefines what it means to be a refugee. He dwells on what a refugee leaves behind and carries with them, what awaits them ahead, and the journey itself. Religion and cultural practices shape society, and Adil begins here, reaffirming that culture and faith were at the heart of the society that raised him: I was relieved to learn Dearborn, Michigan, was home to one of the largest Middle Eastern Muslim communities in America, with beautiful mosques like the Islamic Center of America.”

His achievements were small, but he soldiered on, going from a mere refugee to an interpreter for U.S Special Operatives and to finally living the American dream. Adil's life journey confirms that “drop by drop, a river is made.”

I haven’t read many books about Afghanistan, but I’m certain this book opens up enough. Its pages revealed to me the good and the bad of the land. There are well-wishers who held Adil's hand when he needed help. When the truck that carried the body of their loved one stopped moving, some locals came with a tractor and helped them. “Their kindness was like a divine intervention, saved us all from freezing to death,” writes Adil. When he writes a will to his family, it’s because bad times had ganged up on him, convincing him he’d reached his end.

Memoir readers should get involved in Adil’s journey, as best in this in-depth, wonderfully written memoir. Because there’s much to learn.

[Tej Dhawan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had the honor of meeting Fazal as he told his story of serving alongside US forces in Afghanistan and his work now as a US permanent resident in Des Moines. His moving story, told ever so briefly during a Rotary Club luncheon moved me to ordering his book.

The book chronicles his life which began in a refugee camp for Afghans in Pakistan. His family had left their home and land behind to avoid the ravages of war in the 1980s. Growing up as an outsider even among those who appeared culturally, religiously, physically, and economically similar posed circumstances that forced him to adapt and learn self-reliance. His mother's insistence for him to study the Qur'an, his desire to learn English, a passion for computers and a loving caring family all clearly shaped the man he'd become.

The story, as the masthead for the book exposes, takes the reader back and forth between Afghanistan and Pakistan, over to Dubai and ultimately to Des Moines. The human story, the toll of the predicament created by political forces thousands of miles from their homes, and the personal loss and gain are laid bare through the book.

If you saw the images of the final airlifts of US forces and friends from Afghanistan, people clinging to airplane wheels, thousands at the gates and the loss of life that followed, you have probably felt the heartbreak. Fazal was one of the interpreters inside those gates and chronicles that experience as vividly as his work selling plastic bags in Kabul, manning a parking lot in Dubai, and suffering corporal punishment when being forced to rote learn verses.

An incredibly worthy read

[DEBORAH HANSEN]

Fazal Moneer Adil’s memoir offers a compelling firsthand account of the challenges faced by refugees and immigrants and the complex geopolitical realities shaping life in both Pakistan and Afghanistan. Drawing on his own experiences, he sheds light on the political, social, and historical forces that have defined the lives of the Afghan people.
Told through a series of vivid, interwoven stories, the book follows his journey across borders as he seeks education, work, and stability for his family. Themes of identity, belonging, resilience, faith, and hope anchor the narrative. Fazal’s reflections on family values, hard‑won schooling, and the problem‑solving skills forged through years of displacement reveal the foundations of his commitment to serving refugee and Afghan communities today.
Among the memoir’s most moving passages are his tender accounts of his son Salman, whose complex disabilities, illness, and early death are portrayed with profound sensitivity and grace.
Accessible and engaging, the writing immerses readers in both the world, Fazal left behind and the one he continues to build. His thoughtful use of flashbacks enriches the narrative, weaving personal history into a broader emotional truth.
As an advocate for refugees and immigrants, I found this book to be inspiring and an important addition to literature that draws attention to the experiences of displaced people, human rights, and the need for refugee protection.

[Fred Darbonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A River Is Made, by Fazal Moneer Adil, is a powerful memoir that joins war, displacement, and a father’s devotion to his child into a single, steady narrative. Fazal writes with clarity and a strong moral center. He traces his journey from Afghanistan through years of uncertainty, the collapse of Kabul, and the evacuation during Operation Allies Refuge. His account of service as an interpreter, and the risks carried by his family, gives readers access to a history often discussed but rarely told with this level of lived detail.

What distinguishes this memoir is its blend of historical witness and private struggle. Fazal writes honestly about rebuilding a life in the United States while navigating the healthcare system for a child with complex medical needs. The result is both personal and deeply public. It widens our understanding of Kabul’s fall, refugee resettlement, and the quiet persistence required to begin again.

This book matters for Des Moines and Iowa because Afghan families have become part of the state’s civic life, and their stories shape how communities understand resettlement, belonging, and responsibility. It matters for the country because it preserves an essential firsthand account of the Afghan war’s human consequences and the long work of rebuilding that follows.

[Graham Gillette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fazal Moneer Adil does something remarkable in A River Is Made: he writes with complete honesty. He lays bare America’s failings while maintaining an unabashed belief that its ideals remain a beacon to the world. The chapters detailing his family’s search for care for a child with special needs expose both the best and the most shameful shortcomings of the U.S. healthcare system. The book is, in equal measure, deeply moving, historically grounded, cautiously optimistic, and instructive. Above all, Adil proves himself a gifted storyteller, presenting hard truths with clarity and restraint, unclouded by politics.

[Joyce Hoffman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author tells a captivating true story of his life in Afghanistan and the struggles he and his family have had on their journey to the United States. I totally enjoyed this read and recommend it.