Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl

Adiba’s extraordinary memoir as a young woman growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, is as powerful as it is relatable, even to young Western women fighting for their own place in the world. Adiba tells the story, with the help of Chaon, of how she became a conductor for the first all-women orchestra in Afghanistan. That journey was inspired in part by her overwhelming desire to meet her role model, Michelle Obama, as well as the trials and tribulations she faced in wanting to pursue her dream of going to the United States to study at Harvard. Throughout the memoir, Adiba passionately supports education for all girls, which runs counter to the ultra-conservative restrictions that govern women in Afghanistan, due in part to the occupation by the Taliban. Her unpretentious, earnest style as she recounts her life story with a matter-of-fact tone is as endearing as it is engaging.