This anthology was published two decades ago, but it’s more relevant now that the Taliban are back in control of Afghanistan. It’s a collaborative attempt to write history, to bring greater awareness to the issues of Afghanistan and Afghan women, and to promote the agency of Afghan women in issues that impact their lives. The book includes a variety of female voices, highlighting a unifying desire to come together as women and share, network, and strategize for change. This desire is focused on Afghan women but is also about global sisterhood and about the importance of feminist activism on an international level. “Women for Afghan Women,” a group comprised of both Afghan and non-Afghan women, was formed in April 2001 and is committed to the struggle for Afghan women’s human rights.

“The chapter I wrote in this book was immediately after I witnessed the smoke billowing from the Twin Towers across the river on the roof of my home in New York on September 11. That moment I knew my two countries would go to war against each other – it was a pivotal day that shaped the rest of my future.” Fariba Nawa