BOOK REVIEW - Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl - Zarifa Adiba - Audiobook - 4*

BOOK REVIEW

Playing for Freedom - Zarifa Adiba

Wow. Just, wow!

This book was an accidental listen, which I had downloaded to my Kindle to read but was also included and automatically added to my Audible library. The audiobook is around 7 hours and I listen at 1.7x speed so when I had to do a little travelling for one of my volunteer roles, this fitted perfectly to my Monday. It's non-fiction, which can sometimes be a little hit or miss for me, but the premise seemed interesting and I was intrigued to learn more about the challenges of being a woman in a culture where the perceptions and expectations are very different from my own.

The audiobook is narrated by Zarifa, the author, which adds a sense of authenticity to the memoir. She's telling her story in her own words, and the impact is significant and poignant.

Zarifa takes us on her journey as a girl, growing into a woman, in Afghanistan. She is torn between her family's (and culture's) expectations and her passion for music and education. It's a beautifully written exploration of feminism, drive, and a need to go against the grain to achieve. Zarifa describes her inner turmoil and conflicts as she navigates an increasingly patriarchal society, trying to respect the traditions and values of her culture (and family, possibly an even bigger challenge at times) while forging her own path toward success. Her integrity, moral compass, and sense of what's right shine through every decision, every experience, every chapter. I found myself completely drawn to her, rooting for her, crying for her, cheering for her. 

I learned so much about Afghanistan's recent history and culture, separate from the journalistic, often sensationalist news reports. I found it intriguing and a mesmerising depiction of the struggle to find identity within a culture that appears to suppress it (particularly with women and girls) at every opportunity. While the subject can appear on the surface to be one of challenge and adversity, Zarifa finds hope, love, and inspiration throughout her life and shares that with her readers beautifully, never afraid of the negative but equally keen to share the positive. 

Zarifa's journey is captivating and I found myself going down the rabbit hole, finding the articles and videos that she refers to, delving further, and exploring in more depth, her story. Her TED talk is linked below, it's well worth a watch but really only scratches the surface. 

Memoirs can sometimes be quite dry but this was not the case here. The pacing was slow but purposeful, and before I knew it, the book was over. An important read for all, especially young women who may sometimes feel that the world is against them. This is a book that I will recommend time and time again to anyone looking for an inspirational memoir.

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