On one of the most important nights of my career, the night of the WNBA draft, I wasn't able to have your mom standing by my side. I called her when I was in the green room, when I finally got a moment to sneak away, and she was so excited for me. She's screaming on the phone, like, 'LET'S GOOOOO!!!' She had already been a part of so many highs and lows. She understood how much this meant to me.
I can still remember my first flight, in 2002. It was magical. I was working as a tour guide in Myanmar. I met a British balloon pilot called Phil, who had a spare place on a flight. He offered to take me, too.
"Anyone who's ever fallen in love with someone others didn't approve of-whether it was your parents, your friends, or society itself-will feel something when they hear this story."
Pears weaves Salmina's recollections and Haskell's diaries into a seamless narrative, depicting a profound love story set against the backdrop of a complex Europe.
"I just remember being rushed from room to room, and I was just like, 'I have no idea what's going on,' and then just flashes of waking up and a bunch of people surrounding me."