About the Book: Vanishing Girl of Kabul: Betrayal, Hope and an Extraordinary
Fight for Womens Rights
When the Taliban first ruled Afghanistan in the 1990s, Zahra Joya disguised
herself as a boy simply to attend school. After the US-led invasion, her world
transformed. Education, opportunity and freedom flourished. Like many Afghans,
Zahra dared to believe in a future. She became a journalist and established her
own media company to tell the stories of Afghan women.
Then, in 2021, the Taliban returned. Decades of hard-won progress vanished
overnight. Women were erased from public life once again, and the promises made
by the West collapsed into silence.