Zarifa

October 24, 2022
Afghanistan’s youngest female mayor details her odds-defying ascent in this inspirational memoir. Ghafari notes how “trauma has been passed down with my DNA,” with her maternal grandfather having been killed by a mujahideen militia, and, more recently, her father murdered by the Taliban. After attending Panjab University in India, 26-year-old Ghafari was elected mayor of Maidan Shahr, the capital of a central Afghanistan province, and she details how she brought change to the city during her three-year tenure that ended in June 2021. Having campaigned on the idea that “cities have to be governed from the bottom up,” she developed green spaces for city residents, and her administration funded the building of a waste and recycling facility to combat the city’s sewage problems. She also fired officials who had been taking bribes and survived multiple assassination attempts, but after the Taliban overtook Kabul in August 2021, she fled the country. Frank (“Surviving a terror attack—even two—did not make me special”) and impassioned (“I will keep reminding women that they have a voice, and can raise it”), Ghafari’s narrative spotlights the power of activism. This is a remarkable story of perseverance and resilience. Agent: Kelly Falconer, Asia Literary Agency.

Starred review from August 15, 2022
A politician and activist recounts the personal and political effects of the rise and fall of the Taliban in her native country of Afghanistan. Born in 1994, Ghafari was "raised during the Taliban's first regime" and "came of age in the era following 2001, as a supposedly democratic government was being propped up by Western armies, aid organisations, and billions of dollars." Although she loved going to school, the Taliban's increasing presence in Paktia, the province in the Tora Bora mountains where her father was working, made it dangerous for girls to receive an education. It was so dangerous, in fact, that her father forbade her from attending school, a directive she ignored until she found herself in the path of a suicide bomber while sneaking to school against her father's orders. Despite this traumatizing experience, which also included a skull injury caused by shrapnel from the explosion, she continued to secretly attend school. She was only able to finish her schooling through a scholarship to Chandigarh, India, where, after intense study, she learned enough to return to Afghanistan and pass a rigorous examination process that resulted in her appointment as the mayor of Wardak. In that role, Ghafari diligently battled corruption until her father's murder made her fear for her family's safety and forced her to transfer to the defense ministry in Kabul. Soon after, the Taliban invaded, forcing Ghafari and her loved ones to flee the country. This harrowing journey plunged her into depression but also spurred her into activism. The author tells her inspiring life story with sincerity and passion, providing a nuanced and, at times, horrifying glimpse into Afghanistan's devastating history. The last two chapters are particularly gripping, as Ghafari chronicles the physical and emotional chaos that enveloped the country after the withdrawal of American troops in 2021. A searingly honest, profoundly courageous memoir of one fearless woman's fight for her homeland.

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