Before The Taliban: Living with War, Hoping for Peace

The women of Afghanistan, living in a country long plagued by war and displacement, have also had to struggle with a form of cultural and religious oppression, which makes life immeasurably more difficult.
Mary Smith offers a unique insight into the lives of Afghan women before and immediately after Taliban's rise to power. The reader is granted an opportunity to share these women's lives, their fears and hopes.

Reviews:
‘…is a welcome addition to the volumes on Afghanistan because it concentrates on the
stories of women…Smith portrays women as actors, not re-actors within their culture…’
Joy Hendry in Chapman

…is a book both for and about the women of Afghanistan…describes the array of
different roles and margins of freedom women held in this society …
displays how real women in Afghanistan viewed their predicament...’
Middle East Journal

‘…without a single doubt, one of the best books I’ve ever read on Afghanistan,
community based aid work and the lives of rural women…engaging and stimulating.’
http://clevergirl.ca/journal

Before The Taliban: Living with War, Hoping for Peace can be ordered here:

‘…an intriguing memoir…she found these women willing to learn and to put forward strong opinions and arguments, and she helps to dissolve any stereotypes of passive,
ignorant Afghan women…’

M E Yapp in Times Literary Supplement