Customer Reviews

My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story

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This book provides a first-hand account of daily life in Afghanistan under the Taliban. Latifa (a pseudonym made necessary by death threats to the author and her family members) lived with her family in a middle-class area of Kabul. Her country had been at war her entire life. Over the years, Latifa and her family members struggled to be apolitical just so they could survive the frequent regime changes. One of her brothers served in the army under the Soviets, only to become a political prisoner under the regime; another was sent to university in Dushanbe, Tajikistan on a Soviet scholarship. When the Taliban took over Kabul, Latifa found herself virtually imprisoned in her apartment, forbidden by the Taliban from attending the university where she had just passed her entrance exams. Her sister had been an airline stewardess and her mother a doctor, but both were forbidden from continuing their professions. Her father was a businessman, whose Kabul warehouses were being continually destroyed in battle.

In this book, Latifa describes daily life for her family after the Taliban took control. She describes listening to edicts on the radio, forbidding women from working and girls from going to school. Women and girls were also not allowed to be treated by male doctors, and since women doctors were forbidden from practicing, this effectively shut half the population out from being able to receive any kind of health care. Women had to be covered from head to toe if they were to go out in public, and they had to be escorted by a male relative. On one of the few times Latifa dared go out of her apartment for a walk, she witnessed a horrific beating of women whose feet were covered but who had committed the apparently reprehensible crime of wearing the wrong color shoes.

At the beginning of her story, Latifa is an ordinary teenager, excited with fancy dresses and movie stars. But as the years go by, and she finds herself and all other women that she knows forbidden from participating in society in any, Latifa becomes more and more concerned with women's issues-indeed she becomes a feminist, although she had most likely never heard the term before. It's fascinating to read in her descriptions of childhood in Kabul of what a relatively normal life her family had been able to lead, despite the wars and political upheavals. This contrasts sharply with the changes brought in by the Taliban, when marriages could no longer be celebrated, and teachers could be beaten for providing lessons to little girls.

Latifa's occasional references to Dubai kept bringing back my own memories of the young Emirati women I taught there at about the same time Latifa was stuck in her apartment. In class one day at the height of Taliban power, I asked the students to construct an argument for why women should be educated. "But why?" they asked in shock. "Everyone knows women should be educated. No one would say otherwise-it's in the Q'uran." When I tried to tell them that the Taliban had forbidden women or girls from getting any kind of education in the Islamic republic of Afghanistan, they vociferously denied that this could be so. If only this book had been available then-perhaps the students might have believed Latifa's word, coming from a fellow Muslim girl, if they wouldn't believe mine. (Has it been translated into Arabic? Is it on the list of banned books for the Emirates?) This is a very-well written, gripping account of Afghani life from the point of view of an ordinary citizen, and highly recommended to anyone who wants to further their understanding of the Afghan society and attitudes towards the Taliban.

The publication of MY HIDDEN FACE: GROWING UP UNDER THE TALIBAN is timely due to the recent interest in Middle East issues. The treatment of women in this region of the world is astounding to some and horrifying to others [I put myself in the last category]. Women living under Taliban rule are the worldwide epitome of individuals stripped of all their humanitarian rights. Forced to remain in their homes unless escorted by a husband, brother, or father outside Afghani women were virtually cut off from society and forced to withdraw themselves for their own safety and survival. If they do venture outside they are banned from revealing their face in public women must wear the hooded garment often known as a burqa or chadri. The cover of this book sends shivers down my spine each time I view at it as a representation of society gone wrong. To add insult to injury this is done in the name of religion. Indeed this issue is fascinating and deserves much attention even after the Taliban was defeated.

I looked forward to reading Latifa's account of growing up female under Taliban rule (as the subtitle revealed). However, I felt a little disappointed when most of her recollections dealt with her life in Kabul *before* Taliban rule. Her observations of how her life has changed since she was banned from education and work were excellent but short. Rather, she delves into her past and recounts how she lived under Soviet rule and subsequent tribal leaders. To read about the earlier sections of her life was good but I feel that the title of this book is misleading. In addition, chapters toward the conclusion of the book were confusing and convoluted as she jumped from one time period to another without any context or explanation. It appeared that she was hurrying to finish the remaining chapters in a mad dash.

Regardless, MY FORBIDDEN FACE is a worthwhile read and suggested to all those who are interested. Latifa succeeds in putting a [human] perspective to this horrifying phenomenon. Hopefully history will not repeat.

Latifa's nonfictional My Forbidden Face is absolutely DEVASTATING -- to defenders of the Taliban's rule and those who somehow still insist that women weren't systematically mentally and physically brutalized under their thankfully vanished rule. This is a TRUE motivational book: thoughtful -- and compassionate -- people of ALL religions will want to ensure that human beings are never EVER treated like this again. Are there REALLY people who consider human life as cheap as a crow's feather (or considerably cheaper)? The events of the past year aside, just Read My Forbidden Face. Your answer (y-e-s) is HERE.

This book is written by Latifa (a pen name), a 22-year-old woman who details how her life was "confiscated" from her by the Taliban in Kabul when she was 16. This compelling and super fast-read (and no, the fact it's a translation does not diminish its impact one iota) raises several issues: the way women were treated under Taliban rule, the low value placed on human life, how countries become pawns of other countries -- and how books are so much more effective than film. t.v. or cable in communicating a real life horror story through the eyes...and thoughts...of a young dismayed woman.

Bit by bit she recounts how, as a teen indeed influenced by Western culture's music and cultural figures (she had a poster of Brook Shields on her wall.) her world was turned upside down when the Taliban, taking advantage of warring factions and supported by Pakistani intelligence and the United States, hijacked her country.

Banks closed. Radios and t.v.s were literally shattered to smithereens by the new fundamentalist rulers. Tangles of once-innocent cassette tape became bittersweet symbols, she writes, "hanging in the trees, swaying in the autumn breeze like sinister wreaths." Spies were everywhere. A Taliban-supporting mother went crazy after her son was brutally was beaten to death by the new regime's thugs for his heinous crime -- playing a VCR. Teenage boys were forced to slap other teen boys as punishment or face their own, even more brutal punishment.

Talifa recounts this systematically and you get a sinking feeling as she goes on about women being beaten for wearing white. Women being executed in the soccer stadium for going out without a man or not dressing in "chandra" (covering her arms and face) clothing, the wearing of which she likens to a mobile "jail cell." Official mutilations of the disobedient, for even tiny infractions, were routine.

A highly poignant scene recounts how she released her beloved canary, figuring it would be outlawed -- as it indeed was, along with tea kettles and any form of whistling. Even kids playthings were taboo:"Poor little boys, and poor Afghanistan!" she writes. " Those kites once looks so lovely in our skies.''

A key triumph is how she describes her sense of loss and grief over the fact that under the Taliban the only future she faced was being a virtual house prisoner. As a girl, she
dreamed of being journalist, but the regime banned careers or education for women. A highly effective passage recounts precisely what it was like for a young woman to stay
home, supremely bored, looking at every nook and cranny, and having to "wander around my home like a convict taking a tour of her cell...This time they're really killing us, killing
all girls and women. They're killing us stealthily, in silence..''

In the end, the gang rapes of women, the executions, the daily horrors manifested by the draconian Taliban decrees did not terrorize her as much as spark courageous defiance, so she got involved in an underground school to give youngster a chance at a non-Taliban education. When this book was published she was living in exile in France. More gripping than any cable or television special, more dramatic than any movie, this quick-but-vital read is a MUST. Read it, gift it, pass it along...and never forget it as more daily events unfold.

I first read this book when I arrived in Afghanistan in 2002. When I went to Kabul a month later, I was astounded at how the book resonated with the battered and bombed out Kabul I saw. 9 out of 10 building were bombed out, cars rusted and overturned in the streets, filthy children begging. That was Kabul in 2002. During my 2 years in Kabul, I had the opportunity to talk to many Afghans, and hear their stories of the Taliban. While each had their own story, the truth of Latifa's tale was borne out again and again. After reading the book, I asked questions on why birds and dogs were banned, why little boys could not fly kites and the ruling against any pictures. So I was able to get more indepth answer of the whys that I didn't completely understand in the book. Today, it is much better. Many of the buildings have been repaired, schools are open for both boys and girls, and the Afghans are working incredibly hard to rebuild their country and restore their culture. And today, kites again fly over Kabul.

This is an excellent read. It's the story of Latifa, a 15-year old Afghan who has always dreamed of becoming a journalist. She's intelligent, perceptive and so full of life. But she has already witnessed so many coups and invasions. Yet the worst is yet to come with the arrival of the Taliban. Latifa finds herself and her family virtually imprisioned in their own home. Women cannot go outside unaccompanied by a male and they are obliged by decree to wear a huge heavy black garb that covers the body entirely. There are slits in the material where women can just barely see through. Education for women is banned. Women can't work outside the home. Professional women who have worked at top levels in the old Afghanistan are now treated as little better than animals. Atrocities occur on a daily basis - public executions and amputations, torture, rape, beatings and whippings in the streets.
Latifa and her family are finally forced to flee their homeland. It's only then that she gets the chance to put her experiences onto paper and to let the world know what the Taliban is doing to a people who are left broken, friendless and desperately alone.
For anyone interested in history, war, politics or simply in true life stories this is a wonderful piece of work which should be read and highly publicised.

As a supporter of women's rights all over the world, when I saw an ad about this book I bought the book straight away. It is a heart-wrenching account in so many ways--letting the reader witness a monstrous environment through the tiny slit of the burqa. I read the book in one sitting (very brief book) and while I do not regret buying the book, and recommend that the world support these women in whatever they can do to further their fight for basic freedom, I was slightly disappointed. Why? The book was very obviously hastily written and without the detail I felt I needed. Compelling accounts ARE revealed about other women but the author only devotes a couple of pages to stories that absolutely require a chapter. The book ended without details of life in that country after the Taliban were defeated. Although the young author could not return to the country (for fear of personal safety) surely she could have gotten information from inside the country to answer the many questions that are in all our minds. I felt the book was choppy and that the publisher and the editor had not guided this young writer to write a full account. I felt as though I left a potential banquet without being fulfilled! Still, as said above, I recommend the book, and think that everyone should support this endeavor. I believe that it will be necessary to go to other books to get the detail necessary to fully understand what life is like for women behind the veil or burqa. I STRONGLY recommend: Price Of Honor; Nine Parts of Desire, and Princess: A True Story of Life Behind the veil in Saudi Arabia. These books are much more detailed and mind-expanding. The richness and narrowness of women's lives in that part of the world are fully revealed in these books, and in particular the book about Princess Sultana in Princess. But read all three along with My Forbidden Face,and you will have detailed, yet haunting information that I believe will certainly propel many people to action.

Even if you thought you knew how terrible life is for women in Afghanistan, reading this book will bring it home to you. It's the story of a 16 year old girl who comes of age during the time of the Taliban. It's hard to believe the horrors she witnessed. It was also interesting to discover the small things people did to protest, like listening to contraband music or taping wedding ceremonies. It will give you a slightly different look at this troubled area and how it got to be where it is today. Latifa seems to feel that the Taliban were more a means of Pakistan keeping Afghanistan in a state of turmoil and impotency than a heartfelt religious movement. This is a very engaging story and anyone interested in women's issues, Afghanistan, Islam or just a really good read will enjoy this book.

There are plenty of horrible incidents related in young Latifa's account of her life as a girl becoming a young woman under the rule of the Taliban. But Latifa's book is more than just a catalog of Tablian atrocities. For me, three things made her book especially interesting. First, Latifa is a devout, modern Muslim. Throughout the book, she presents her thesis that the version of Islam espoused by the Taliban had little to do with real religion. The Taliban dictatorship was essentially about men wanting to control and humiliate women. Her reflections
about being religious and living in the modern world will interest readers of all faiths who are thinking about these issues. The second feature of her book that I found intersting was how strongly her father supported her and her sisters in wanting to become education and have careers. Also of interest was her account of how the French fashion magazine Elle first broke the story about the mistreatment of women in Afghanistan. It was Elle that arranged for Latifa and other Afghan women to fly to Paris to tell their
story. The popular press takes a lot of criticism for being shallow and sensational. Elle deserves a lot of credit for taking the leadership in focusing world attention on what was happening to the women of Afghanistan.

no matter how many women or groups write or put out books or readings on afghanistan and the talibans rule, every story is compelling and mind blowing, as well as individual and important to read and be enlightened to. this is personal story of one girls situation living under the taliban. the stories of what she has gone through will plague you long after reading and will make you want to help. for those who are not aware of what has happened in afhganistan to women under taliban regime, pick this up and read it. id be surprised if it did not enlighten you in a major way

After 9-11, I was left with the impression that the women of Afghanistan had always worn Burqhas, they had always lived in a strict manner, and were inclined to dreary surroundings. "My Forbidden Face" brought me whirling back to reality. These were an oppressed people and gender. The book was amazing, and very effective in teaching about a people and a situation that I was completely ignorant of. I would reccommend this book to anyone who wants to expand their view of the world and the strong people in it.