The Vine Basket

Things aren’t looking good for fourteen-year-old Mehrigul.

She yearns to be in school, but she’s needed on the family farm. The longer she’s out of school, the more likely it is that she’ll be sent off to a Chinese factory . . . perhaps never to return.

Her only hope is an American woman who buys one of her decorative vine baskets for a staggering sum and says she will return in three weeks for more.

Mehrigul must brave terrible storms, torn-up hands from working the fields, and her father’s scorn to get the baskets done. The stakes are high, and time is passing.

A powerful intergenerational story of a strong, creative young artist in a cruelly oppressive society.

With her father against her and the threat of the factory looming, can one girl’s creativity be her only hope?

A Strong Female Protagonist: Meet Mehrigul, a fourteen-year-old artist whose skill with weaving vine baskets is her only chance to escape a future she doesn’t want. Rich Cultural Heritage: A moving story set in the unique world of the Uyghur people of East Turkestan, fighting to preserve their traditions against an oppressive regime. An Unforgettable Family Saga: Explore the complex bonds between a girl and her disapproving father, her withdrawn mother, and the loving grandfather who passes on his craft. A Story of Hope and Resilience: Faced with impossible odds, Mehrigul discovers the strength in her art and her spirit, proving that creativity can be a powerful form of resistance.