1989-2001

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.

Examines politics in Afghanistan from the 1980s through the first years of the twenty-first century, placing the country in its historical context and discussing its civil war, the rise of the Taliban, and the country's relations with its neighbors and the rest of the world.

Examines acts of genocide, crimes against humanity, and other instances of extreme persecution, with an emphasis on events taking place in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries in Afghanistan.

Presents thirteen essays on the history of the Taliban, how it gained strength in the Muslim world, the suffering of women under Taliban rule, and the United States attack on the Taliban in Afghanistan.

A collection of essays that provide varying perspectives on issues related to the Taliban, a fundamentalist Islamic militia, discussing who they are, how they are funded, how the United States should respond to the group, and the relationship between the Taliban and other nations.

Latifa, a young woman who was sixteen in 1996 when the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, tells about her family's experiences under the repressive regime, focusing on the lives of women and girls who were abruptly denied the freedom to work, go to school, or even leave their homes without a male escort.