Letters to my daughters
Subtitle: a memoir
By: Fawzia Koofi
Publisher: Douglas & McIntyre
Published: 2012
Place of publication: Vancouver, British Columbia
Language: eng
Number of pages: 275
ISBN-13: 9781926812823
Copyright date: 2011
Subjects: Women politicians; Biography; Women; Social conditions; Politicians; Politics and government; Femmes politiques; Biographies; Femmes; Conditions sociales; Hommes politiques; Politique et gouvernement
Description: In this courageous memoir, Fawzia Koofi, Afghanistan's most popular female politician, gives us her first-hand account of Afghan history through the rule of the Mujahedeen and Taliban, her experiences of the Afghanistan War, and the effects of these events on the lives of women in Afghanistan. In writing Letters to My Daughters, Fawzia has created a fresh take on Afghan society and Islam, and a gripping account of a life lived under the most harrowing of circumstances. Fawzia is the nineteenth child of twenty-three in a family with seven wives. Her father was an incorruptible politician strongly attached to Afghan tradition. When he was murdered by the Mujahedeen, Fawzia's illiterate mother escaped with her children and decided to send the ten-year-old Fawzia to school. As the civil war raged, Fawzia dodged bullets and snipers to attend class, determined to be the first person in her family to receive an education. Fawzia went on to marry a man she loved, and they had two cherished daughters, Shohra and Shaharzad. Sadly, the arrival of the Taliban spelled an end to Fawzia's freedom. Outraged and deeply saddened by the injustice she saw around her, and by the tainting of her Islamic faith, she discovered politics for herself, following in her father's footsteps. Tragically, this choice has lead to security threats to her life by Islamic extremists. Thus, Letters to My Daughters is not only a record of her life, but also acts as a literal letter through which Fawzia can pass on her wisdom about justice and dignity to her daughters, not knowing for how long she will survive such attacks.