Now available in paperback, in this courageous memoir, Fawzia Koofi, Afghanistan's most popular female politician, gives us her first-hand account of Afghan history through the rule of the Mujahedeen and Taliban, her experiences of the Afghanistan War, and the effects of these events on the lives of women in Afghanistan. In writing Letters to My Daughters, Fawzia has created a fresh take on Afghan society and Islam, and a gripping account of a life lived under the most harrowing of circumstances.

Fawzia is the nineteenth child of twenty-three in a family with seven wives. Her father was an incorruptible politician strongly attached to Afghan tradition. When he was murdered by the Mujahedeen, Fawzia's illiterate mother escaped with her children and decided to send the ten-year-old Fawzia to school. As the civil war raged, Fawzia dodged bullets and snipers to attend class, determined to be the first person in her family to receive an education.

 

Fawzia went on to marry a man she loved, and they had two cherished daughters, Shohra and Shaharzad. Sadly, the arrival of the Taliban spelled an end to Fawzia's freedom. Outraged and deeply saddened by the injustice she saw around her, and by the tainting of her Islamic faith, she discovered politics for herself, following in her father's footsteps. Tragically, this choice has lead to security threats to her life by Islamic extremists. Thus, Letters to My Daughters is not only a record of her life, but also acts as a literal letter through which Fawzia can pass on her wisdom about justice and dignity to her daughters, not knowing for how long she will survive such attacks.

Fawzia Koofi is a member of parliament in Afghanistan’s northern Badakhshan province. Prior to this she worked with UNICEF and various NGOs as a women’s and children’s advocate. In 2009 she was chosen as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She will run as a presidential candidate in 2014. Koofi is writing the book with Nadene Ghouri, an award-winning journalist and former Al Jazeera reporter who specializes in the Middle East.

 

Fawzia Koofi's profile page

"Letters to my Daughters, is an amazing and heartbreaking story of one woman's journey through her life in Afghanistan, the home country she loves."

Fast Forward Weekly

"Fawzia Koofi's memoir, Letters to My Daughters reads like a novel...her words ring with the passion and purpose of a life lived far beyond her age...not just the story of her life, but a story of love and hope for her daughters and her country."

Geist Magazine

"In her memoir, written with journalist Nadene Ghouri, Koofi chronicles her life from the time she was put out in the sun to die after her birth to her current place as one of the most respected people in Afghan politics. The narrative, simple but poetic at times, shows readers the long struggle against brutalities and injustice that she -- and most Afghan women of her generation -- have endured."

Ms. Magazine

"Fawzia Koofi...tells the remarkable story of her life, and what she has learned about faith, family, justice and dignity."

Sudbury Star

"While the reader requires something of an appetite for statistics and should be vaguely numerate, he or she need not be a student of economics to enjoy and digest the arguments that Moyo lays out with perceptiveness and often brutal honesty."

Business Live

"Letters To My Daughters is a piece of history that all Afghan daughters can look to when Koofi is gone...This story is not just about one amazing woman. It's a succinct and moving account of Afghanistan and its people. It addresses stereotypes, definitions and facts that may be misunderstood by the average North American reader...that she makes such a potentially alien view so much more understandable is a credit to her storytelling. "

Vancouver Sun

"This is precisely what it's like to be a girl and then a woman in Afghanistan. Fawzia Koofi is feisty, outspoken, popular and progressive but as this heart-wrenching autobiography shows she is the recipient of all the brickbats her country throws at those who dare to be different. Letters to My Daughters is a page turner as it teases the reader to find out how Fawzia Koofi not only survived but is poised to beat the system."

Sally Armstrong, author of "Come from the Shadows"

"Koofi's story illustrates what lies beneath the chaos of this multi-factional, multilingual, complex nation caught in the current struggle between foreign nations...and the vicious religious zealots known as the Taliban. "

Ottawa Citizen

"If you want to know what life has been like for women in Afghanistan, and what it could be like, Letters to My Daughter is a must-read...A powerful and moving book, not just for Koofi's daughters, but for all the daughters of the world. And it wouldn't hurt the sons to have a look, either."

Globe & Mail

"This poignant, inspiring life story makes it hard to ignore the force for change Koofi represents, and it gives one hope in spite of the ongoing challenges facing Afghanistan. She is the face of what her country is struggling to be -- a place where a woman who was once banned from school can now run for president."

Herizons

"[A] spellbinding memoir."

Toronto Star

"Fawzia Koofi's voice comes to us as a powerful and moving reminder that in the midst of Afghanistan's decades of struggle, hope and humanity prevail. Letters to my Daughters is a compulsively good read."

Samantha Nutt, founder of War Child North America

"Fawzia Koofi's testament of love for her mother, her daughters, her husband and her country is a book you will not be able to put down until you're finished the final page."

Terry Glavin, author of "Come from the Shadows"

"There is much that is remarkable in this memoir...Letters to My Daughters is heart-wrenching, and Koofi's courage in the face of continued violent opposition to a woman in her role of authority is inspiring."

Winnipeg Free Press

"Letters to my Daughters is one of those books that deserves its own section in the bookstore."

Maclean's