A poignant first-hand account of life for a young Afghani woman under the
Taliban. Born into an educated, middle-class family in Kabul, Latifa's world
changed from the moment the Taliban seized power there in 1996. She reveals her
helplessness and despair, and her own defiance under the regime.Latifa was born into an educated middle-class Afghan family in Kabul in
1980. She dreamed of one day becoming a journalist, she was interested in
fashion, movies and friends. Her father was in the import/export business and
her mother was a doctor. Then in September 1996, Taliban soldiers seized power
in Kabul.; From that moment, Latifa, just 16 years old, became a prisoner in her own
home. Her school was closed. Her mother was banned from working. The simplest
and most basic freedoms - walking down the street, looking out of a window -
were no longer hers. Having never worn even a veil before, she now was forced
to wear a chadri. Latifa struggled against an overwhelming sense of
helplessness and despair. In a step of defiance, she set up a clandestine
school in her home for a small number of young girls. To avoid arousing
suspicion, the children were not allowed to attend every day, nor could they
keep regular hours. Latifa knew that she was risking her life for something
that could change little. But the teaching gave her a reason to get up in the
morning.; This is Latifa's poignant and highly personal account of life under the
Taliban regime. With painful honesty and clarity, she describes the way she
watched her world falling apart, in the name of a fanatical expression of faith
that she could not comprehend. Her voice captures a lost innocence, but also
echoes her determination to live in freedom and hope. Earlier in 2001, Latifa
and her parents escaped Afghanistan with the help of a French-based Afghan
resistance group.
