A Girl From Kabul

Saliha Sultan was born and raised in northern Afghanistan, under the mujahideen regime. Her childhood there was marred by war and abuse, but she managed to escape.

When the Taliban returned to power in August of 2021, she had already been living in Italy for twenty years. Watching the repressive regime eliminate women’s rights and limit their education strengthened her resolve to fight it.

With her daughter by her side, she courageously shares the story of her oppression, her flight, and her struggle for freedom as a proud Afghani. It is a story spanning two worlds: Afghanistan, a land of brutal conflict, and Italy, where as a foreigner and an outsider, she has to fight to hold onto her identity. She carries the courage of her father, Sultan, and the strength of her grandmother, Adee, and eventually carves out a space for herself and her daughter. This is a call to never bow one’s head or accept the imposition of silence.

For readers of Kaled Hosseini and Antonia Arslan.