Women of Courage: Intimate Stories from Afghanistan

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"Scott and Katherine have given a voice to the girls and women of Afghanistan while providing the reader with a glimpse into an unknown world? ?I would recommend this book as a visually stunning and inspiring first step for all of us on the journey to better understand the courageous women of Afghanistan." -Debbie Rodriguez, Author, The Kabul Beauty School
"Kiviat and Heidler take you on a journey through the lives of Afghan policewomen, paratroopers, artists, actresses, and scores of others who for too long have remained hidden under the burqa. The ghosts have emerged and at this moment, they are triumphant. This is a beautiful book." -Marie Brenner, Author, Great Dames: What I Learned From Older Women
"In this stunning book, Katherine Kiviat and Scott Heidler reveal a reality of Afghanistan's women that is little-known in the West: that they are both incredibly diverse and deeply determined. These portraits show Afghan women as I have come to know them: capable, confident, and endlessly resilient. So often, Afghan women have been presented to the world through someone's political lens. But in this book, Kiviat and Heidler do their subjects-and the rest of us-a great service by letting the women tell their stories directly to the world." -Nancy Lindborg, President, Mercy Corps

Reviews

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School Library Journal (01/01/2008)
Adult/High School-This moving tribute profiles 40 Afghan women who have tried to transform their lives since the fall of the Taliban in 2001. Among those interviewed are an Olympic athlete, a TV journalist, a fortune-teller, and an abused wife. Whether urban or rural, the women all reveal a determination and courage that was hidden for years under full-length burkas and gender repression. Each interview is accompanied by a stunning full-page photograph that captures the pride each individual feels in her new life. The women's words mirror this pride and hope for a future that they know is still tenuous. Certain themes emerge again and again-the right to an education, the right to work. The book was first conceived in 2003, and an earlier version, Parwana, was published in Afghanistan's two main languages, Dari and Pashtu, and distributed to all-girls' high schools and women's centers in the country. Three of the women interviewed for the book have died-one in childbirth and two murdered. For Western teens who may not fully comprehend the courage it takes for a woman to step outside her house, go to school, or get a job, the book shines a light on a special breed of heroines.-Pat Bangs, Fairfax County Public Library, VA

Library Journal (09/01/2007)
Journalists Kiviat and Heidler have produced a sympathetic coffee-table book on exemplary Afghan women. Each of 40 women is represented by a one-page interview excerpt and a full- or two-page photographic portrait. The women's professions range from paratrooper to mullah, with some merely described as "abused wife" or "divorcee." Their social, regional, and linguistic backgrounds are not provided. Readers seeking more than a superficial sketch will wonder how the interviews were conducted (in what languages, how translated) and how the excerpts were selected for the book. The excerpts, harping on courage and aspiration, do not have enough context to convey any actual intimacy or even ease with the unnamed interviewer. The authors' intent to promote education and women's rights sometimes seems to eclipse the subtler shades of the women's own stories. Perhaps as a result, some of the women's comments seem formulaic. The photographs themselves are expressive but are not works of art. An optional selection for large public libraries or journalism collections.-Lisa Klopfer, Eastern Michigan Univ., Ypsilanti

ISBN: 1423602536 | EAN: 9781423602538
Publisher: Gibbs Smith Publishers  | Publication Date: August, 2007

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