1989-2001

Suraya Sadeed chronicles her efforts to bring hope and relief to the refugees, women, and orphans of Afghanistan, describing how she has risked her own life to help the war-torn country and create the organization Help the Afghan Children.

British reporter Christina Lamb examines the history and culture of Afghanistan and describes the differences between the Afghanistan she knew in the late 1980s and the one to which she returned after the September 11 attacks.

Explains how the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan and what life was like for men, women, and children under Taliban rule, and discusses related topics including terrorism and poverty.

A young Afghani woman who grew up during the wars of the 1980s and 1990s and the rise of the Taliban describes the terror she has witnessed in her homeland and the work she has done to change other women's fates through the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA).

Reveals the CIA's and other foreign intelligence agencies' covert operations in Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion in 1979 through the summer of 2001, discussing how their efforts helped bin Laden build his global organization of terrorists.

Traces the history of Afghanistan from its origins through the twentieth century, highlighting the major events and conflicts that have marked the country and its people.

Saira Shah reflects on how being the English-born daughter of an Afghan aristocrat impacted her life and led her to rediscover the history of her people.

Presents thirteen primary and secondary documents on the history of instability in Afghanistan, covering its war with the Soviet Union, the rise and fall of the Taliban, and post-Taliban reconstruction, and includes a list of important people, a glossary, a chronology, and a further reading list.

Nelofer Pazira recounts the experiences she had during her childhood in Afghanistan during the Russian occupation.

An account of the author's transition from being an Afghan refugee to becoming a devout Muslim and resistance fighter struggling against the Soviet occupation in the late 1980s and eventually a Harvard University student as he found a path away from extremism.