Zainab Salbi

Zainab Salbi was 11 when her father became Saddam Hussein's personal pilot and her family's happy home life abruptly ended. The family was forced into close companionship with the dictator, accompanying him on trips and often dining at his table. "Being close to the devil is not a good thing," Salbi said. "It makes you that much closer to danger.

PLOMIA remembers the day her Dinka village was attacked by a militia loyal to the Sudanese government. The troops put all the men inside a cattle barn and set it on fire. "My husband was inside -- he was burning alive, I could smell the flesh," she said. "We were not allowed to cry -- if you cried, they would shoot you. Instead, they made us dance." When Nybel was fleeing her village in civil-war-racked Sudan, she put on all the clothes she owned.

PLOMIA remembers the day her Dinka village was attacked by a militia loyal to the Sudanese government. The troops put all the men inside a cattle barn and set it on fire. "My husband was inside -- he was burning alive, I could smell the flesh," she said. "We were not allowed to cry -- if you cried, they would shoot you. Instead, they made us dance." When Nybel was fleeing her village in civil-war-racked Sudan, she put on all the clothes she owned.

Zainab Salbi was 11 when her father became Saddam Hussein's personal pilot and her family's happy home life abruptly ended. The family was forced into close companionship with the dictator, accompanying him on trips and often dining at his table. "Being close to the devil is not a good thing," Salbi said. "It makes you that much closer to danger.

Rankings are based on a Times poll of Southland bookstores. *--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction 1 The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards (Penguin: $14) A father hides the birth of a twin from his wife. 2 The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy (Mysterious Press: $13.99) Two cops investigate the brutal slaying of a young woman. 3 The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead: $14) A writer returns to Kabul to rescue the son of a childhood friend.

Customized TV Listings are available here: www.latimes.com/tvtimes Click here to download TV listings for the week of March 31 - April 5, 2013 in PDF format This week's TV Movies     SERIES Fashion Star The contestants must work together to create separate garments with one cohesive look in this new episode. 8 p.m. NBC Nikita Nikita and Michael (Maggie Q, Shane West) discover the existence of a new prosthetic hand that could make Michael his old self again, but the cost may be more than they're willing or able to pay. Lyndsy Fonseca, Dillon Casey and Aaron Stanford also star in this new episode.

*--* SO. CAL. RATING Fiction LAST WEEK WEEKS ON LIST 1 Predator by Patricia -- 1 Cornwell (Putnam: $26.95) Kay Scarpetta is called to investigate the torture and murder of a woman in Boston and the disappearance of a Florida family. 2 The Lincoln Lawyer by 1 4 Michael Connelly (Little, Brown: $26.95) An L.A. attorney hired to defend a rich woman's son fears for his own safety after the murder of his private investigator. 3 Saving Fish From Drowning 2 2 by Amy Tan (Putnam: $26.

When Azadeh Moaveni traveled to Iran as an adult in 1998, a policewoman stopped her and her relatives at the door of a movie theater and ordered the women to wipe off their lipstick. They obeyed, but immediately reapplied their lipstick inside.