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Voices of Hope
Scribner
March 2016
On Sale: March 8, 2016
352 pages ISBN: 1501120506 EAN: 9781501120503 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction History | Non-Fiction Political
Here are Afghan women in their own words. Words that are by
turns inspiring, moving, courageous, and heartbreaking.
Their powerful stories create a compelling portrait of the
lives, struggles, and successes of this extraordinary nation
and its extraordinarily resilient women. With an
introduction by Laura Bush, honorary founding co-chair of
the U.S.-Afghan Women’s Council. Afghanistan has been described as “the worst nation in the
world to be a woman.” More than fifty percent of girls who
are forced into marriage are sixteen or younger. Too many
women live in fear and in many areas, education and
employment for women are still condemned. The women featured
in We Are Afghan Women are fighting to change all that. From
rug weavers to domestic violence counselors to business
owners, educators, and activists, these courageous women are
charting a new path for themselves, their families, their
communities, and their nation. Told in their own voices,
their stories vividly capture a country undone by decades of
war and now struggling to build a lasting peace. Meet Dr. Sakena Yacoobi, who ran underground schools for
girls until the Taliban fell, and today has established
educational centers across Afghanistan to teach women and
girls basic literacy. Or Freshta Hazeq, who as a female
business owner, has faced death threats, sabotage, and even
kidnapping threats against her children. Naheed Farid is the
youngest female member of Afghanistan’s parliament. During
her campaign, opponents cut Naheed’s face out of campaign
posters and her family risked complete ruin, but her husband
and father-in-law never wavered, encouraging her to
persevere. Here, too are compassionate women such as Masooma
Jafari, who started a national midwives association. Her own
mother was forced into marriage at age twelve and gave birth
to her first child at age thirteen. With an introduction by former First Lady Laura Bush, We Are
Afghan Women chronicles the lives of young and old,
daughters and mothers, educated, and those who are still
learning. These determined women are defying the odds to
lead Afghanistan to a better future. Their stories are a
stark reminder that in some corners of the world the
struggle continues and that women’s progress in society,
business, and politics cannot be taken for granted. Their
eloquent words challenge all of us to answer: What does it
truly mean to be a woman in the twenty-first century?
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