How Samra Zafar, author of "A Good Wife", escaped her abusive marriage

The Second Generation

This episode is an exclusive interview with Samra Zafar, author of A Good Wife, which has been a bestseller since the week it launched, receiving accolades from around the world. In this special hour-long interview, Samra and I talk about how she left her abusive marriage, and discuss the difficult but cathartic process of writing A Good Wife. We spend a considerable amount of time discussing cultural stigma against divorce in the Pakistani community, Samra's current work in speaking up against abuse, and what’s next on the horizon for her. Samra also tells me how she chose the title and cover photo on the book...there's a touching and emotional story behind the cover photo in particular. For those who haven't come across the book yet, A Good Wife is about Samra’s personal experience escaping a 10+ year abusive marriage, which began when she was forced into the marriage as a child bride. Samra has courageously shared her story with the world through this memoir which launched March 5, 2019, and has quickly became an inspirational figure of hope for those facing gender-based violence. Along with starting a non-profit called Brave Beginnings for survivors of abuse, Samra now speaks to audiences around the world about this issue. Samra is the winner of countless awards for her tireless work on this issue, including the 2017 RBC Global Citizen Award, the CPACT Malala Yousafzai Women Empowerment Award, the Ascend Canada Mentor of The Year Award, and the John H Moss Scholarship at the University of Toronto (among many others!). TRIGGER WARNING: The episode covers topics related to domestic and sexual abuse.