unveiled

I'm not one to post all the books I read. But this book, my latest read, made such an impression on me. I highly recommend it...

The author, a British photographer, visits Afghanistan undercover in 1997, one year after the Taliban have gained power. She secretly visits different women, unveiling their world through their personal stories and her photography. Under Taliban rule, these women and girls are practically imprisoned in their own homes--banned from their jobs outside the home, and any form of education. They have become faceless women, without identity and rights, forced to cover their entire body and face. 

Five years later, in 2001, after U.S forces helped to overthow the Taliban regime, the author returns to visit these same women. These are their stories of pain and suffering, and their hope for the future; the hope in their country-a better nation-and a future for their children and Afghani women and their rights. 

In 1996, I was a sophomore in high school, gaining an education without fear; a girl free to live, dress, laugh, and express... In 2001 I was furthering my education in college, fulfilling my dream to be a nurse. We have so much to be thankful for... Yet at the time I don't remember being aware of the Taliban coming into power and their strict regulations, or even when they were later overthrown. I don't want to be culturally ignorant. I want to be a person of awareness, culturally and globally sensitive to life outside the comforts and security of our homes; outside the safe borders of our country. Shouldn't we all, really? And support those who are fighting for the rights of others, such as freedom in Afghanistan, Iraq, and others.  

"To women across the world: Please help us Afghan women. We have just come from a dark period into the sunshine. Please do not forget that we are here. Learn from us so that what we have suffered will never happen again."  Latifa 2001