My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban: A Young Woman's Story

by Latifa Latifa

A young Afghanistan woman describes the stark contrast in her life before and after Taliban rule, her witness to its oppressive and terrifying regime, and her eventual escape with her parents to freedom. First serial, Talk. 75,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Middle East, History, Autobiography, Biography Memoir

210 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2001

Reviews

[Xxxbabyxxx · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I find it disgusting that people want more from this girl. I’m sorry but did you miss the people being raped and killed? Have people become so selfish that they can only see but their own suffering. Anyone that says this book is a bore is a pathetic excuse for a human being. Latifa didn’t write this book for you to come on here and say it’s boring or it needs something more. She wrote what she wanted people to hear about her life. She wasn’t thinking to herself,” How many books can I sell today.” She risked her life to tell people what is going on in her country to help her people. So if you can’t see this and find it boring or a bore to teach then maybe you shouldn’t be a teacher or even think, because obviously you don’t have the capacity to obtain information such as this and to see the significance of this book.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Started reading this when my daughter had to buy it for a high school class. Actually, she told me that she was reading a book by Queen Latifa in her Geography class. After some time, we sorted out that this was NOT written by Queen Latifa, who, despite being the size of a planet, is not a proper subject of study for AP Geography.
Anyhoo, picked it up and had a hard time putting it down. It's not a great book...the structure falls apart several times and even at 200 pages it can drag a bit...but it is a compelling look at the effects of the various regimes in Afghanistan on one family. Sort of the Anne Frank of Afghanistan.
What I really find interesting is that when she looks back on the pre-Taliban "good old days," those suck out loud, too. Makes you appreciate that in the U.S., our religious nuts usually just wear polyester and get goofy haircuts. With a few notable exceptions, they are pretty harmless. The Taliban, on the other hand, was/is some scary stuff.

[esmat zarei · Rating 3 out of 5]

چهره ممنوعه من» را چندین سال پیش خواندم. حالا بعد از دیدن فیلم مزارشریف و آن صحنه‌های دلخراش، یاد این کتاب افتادم. کتابی به غایت سنگین برای خواندن. سنگین به معنای وزنی که بر روح و روان آدمی وارد می‌
.این کتاب، روایت زندگی در دوره طالبان را از زبان دختری افغان -گویا خبرنگار- بیان می‌کند.
و البته از آنجایی که راوی زن است، و صد البته‌تر اینکه هر وقت جهل و قساوت، از دری وارد می‌شود، بیشترین ظلم و ستمها را به مظلوم‌ترین اقشار وارد می‌کند، خفقان طالبانی در این کتاب در حوزه زنان، نمود آشکارتر و بارزتری دارد. هر چند ممکن است در معرض سواستفاده هم قرار بگیرد. چنانکه در انتها، چیزی شبیه ملاله هم اتفاق می‌افتد؛ البته نه با آن بازتاب و تنها در حد یک مصاحبه با روزنامه غربی. هرچند روح کلی کتاب تا جایی که یادم می‌آید،خیلی هم بریده از فرهنگ شرقی نبود، اگرچه اگر بود هم بر آنها چندان حرجی نبود...
در ریویوهایی که دیدم، تا جایی که زبان نابلد من اجازه فهمیدن می داد، جز یکی که به نقش آمریکا در وجود طالبان هم اشاره کرده بود،همه طالبان را نماد اسلام دانسته بودند و مسأله حجاب و ...و به اینکه در جامعه‌ای آزاد! هستند بالیده بودند و ... در حالی که همین دختر، که آنها در حمایت از او این چیزها را نوشته بودند، پیش از طالبان هم در خانواده‌ای مقید بود ظاهرا و نباید فراموش کنیم در ابتدای همین کتاب می‌خواندیم که آن دختر و خانواده‌اش، اخبار رویدادها را از خبرهای ایران دریافت می‌کردند و می دیدیم که در آن برهه، تنها ایران مخالف و دشمن طالبان بود و مطمئن ترین خبرها برای این خانواده هم از رادیو ایران دریافت می‌شد، که بعد از پیروزی طالبان، طالبان دسترسی به این شبکه‌های ایرانی را از بین برد..
نمی دانم کسانی که این کتاب را خوانده‌اند و آن ریویوها را نوشته‌اند، پس با این بخشهای کتاب چه می‌کنند؟.

[Gary · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating and horrifying expose of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban (1996-2001), and the life of Latifa's family during and before this.
We also read, as some of her family fought against the Soviet Occupation (1979-1989) of that horrifying period in the history of Afghanistan.

In a sense then Afghanistan has had a similar history to Poland before her. A proud nation subjected first to genocidal Nazi occupation and the to Soviet backed Communist tyranny. Afghanistan went first through Communist rule (1978-1992) and then rule by the Islamo-Fascist Taliban. As the Taliban were backed by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, and as many of the Taliban were Pakistanis, Arabs and Chechens, and not all Afghans, this was also partially a foreign influenced occupation.

The book describes life under Taliban rule, in the same way that holocaust testimonies tell of the horrors of the genocide of the Jews by the Nazis.
Just reading the restriction placed by the Taliban on the people of Afghanistan, is harrowing enough. The people under Taliban rule were effectively deprived of everything that makes life worth living, and forced into a nightmarish existence of terror and melancholic gloom.
Girls and women were not allowed to work outside their home or even leave their home without being accompanied by a male relative.
Women and girls had to wear the burqa and were forbidden to wear colourful clothes beneath their burqa. Nail polish, lipstick and make-up were forbidden. And the penalties for breaking these rules were not just a fine, it was flogging and torture on the public square, sometimes death.

No male doctor was permitted to touch the body of a female, "under the pretext of consultation". No women were allowed to engage in conversation with a young man. Families were forbidden from taking photos or making videos even during a wedding. People were forbidden to own pets. It brought a lump to my throat to read how Latifa's family had to give up their beloved Afghan hound. All non-Muslims, that is Hindus and Jews, had to wear yellow garments or some yellow cloth. Their houses had to bear a yellow flag so that they were recognizable.

Hundreds of thousands of women were brutally raped and their genitals deliberately and hideously mutilated. And several little girls (aged seven to ten) were killed by the Taliban after it had been discovered they were attending classed as females were forbidden from any type of education whatsoever.Furthermore the Taliban engaged in ethnic cleansing. Thousands of the minority Hazara group were massacred by Taliban terrorists. The Taliban massacred thousands of people because of their ethnic or religious affiliation. Then there was the cultural genocide, the destruction of the ancient giant Buddhas in northern Afghanistan by the Taliban

Latifa and her secretly taught classes for young girls at the risk of her own lives, and later went to Strasbourg to address the European parliament on the plight of the Afghan people. The truth is that Afghanistan was almost completely ignored by the world before being freed by American and allied forces at the end of 2001.
It makes me sick to think that those who opposed the liberation of Afghanistan, never spoke up against the Taliban's unspeakable tyranny or the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Groups like the Workers World Party in the USA and George Galloway's RESPECT Party in the UK have even praised the Taliban as 'brave soldiers fighting against imperialism'
Left Wing radicals don't want people to be free

[Sanz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Why do I get to live a privileged life and these women are beaten, tortured, banned from receiving medical/healthcare and not allowed to leave their homes without a male family member? This is the story of a young woman growing up in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in the mid nineties. According to the author (who wrote this book under a false name) Pakistan supported the Taliban and yet the rest of the world (including the U.S.) was supporting Pakistan. I didn't realize the influence Pakistan had/has on Afghanistan. Reading books like this is hard, yet it makes me more appreciative and live better. It's important to remember that women and children are still treated as they were in the Dark Ages in many parts of the world....TODAY!

[Iris Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is astonishing in many ways. Latifa's writing is beautiful, even if it's translated. This book has transformed what I thought I knew about the Afghani culture...I was absolutely shocked while reading it. My heart aches for Latifa and her family while reading about their struggles. I can't imagine living that way for so long. Now I really want to know what has happened to them in the past decade! Latifa is so full of hope and sounds like an amazing woman. Her entire family sounds like they'd be people I would like to know. I'm so, so glad I read this book...EVERYONE should read it.

[Marga Galocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Historia real de una mujer afgana. En ella nos cuenta como era su vida antes de llegar los talibanes en 1996 y como todo cambió de repente.

[Jennifer Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most powerful memoir by a woman I have ever read!
This is a great book,it's a story of Latifa,her life in Afghanistan in 'good ol days' before Taliban took over their lives in 1996,during Taliban rule and a little after the US liberated them!
How sinister this radical transformation can get for a woman can be seen in cases like Malala too,well this book describes it too well!
I got this book for very cheap from a used book shop in India(roadside!) and I was totally captivated by this story.
As the world watched in horror,Latifa and women like her in Afghanistan were forced to wear oppressive Chador which was the Islamic dress code imposed upon them by the sinister Taliban terrorists.It was a slow poison which crept in as Taliban took hold of all nation in 96.
It was so heartening to read about how she felt about my own India,how they used to watch bootlegged tapes of Indian Bollywood movies and how she wanted to come to India one day,she was 19 when this unfolded and she has been through so much in her young life.
Pakistan was absolutely responsible for erecting Taliban regime and it's survival,it still is responsible today for their relevance and should be held accountable as state sponsor of terrorism rightfully.This 1st person account of effects of religious fundamentalism on a young woman's life will be an eye opening experience esp for apologists and those Pakistani govt/army people who believe in good Taliban vs Bad Taliban paradigm!
I absolutely loved this book back then and so glad I found it again(I had forgtten the name of the book and paperback is in my Indian home,didn't bring it here) I bought it on Kindle and will re-read and write a bigger review!
5 stars

[Rebecca · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is not a good example of the whole women/fundamentalist Islam genre which had its heyday in the early years of the new millennium. There are far more stirring tales of such woes on the market. While the plight of Latifa is not to be sneered at, the book is not one of the best mediums to convey the real difficulties of women under the Taliban. Readers should try other books for a deeper understanding and to gain more empathy.

[Bridget Belyeu · Rating 4 out of 5]

the content is so interesting. so little i know as an american. her writing is simple.. not particularly great, but very readable. she is a journalist at heart, and her book is writtne much in this way.

[Babsmu · Rating 2 out of 5]

an important book, but it moves sooooo slow. I feel bad that I have to teach it.

[Rhuddem Gwelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Det är omöjligt att betygsätta en individs livserfarenhet, än mindre en som är så förtryckt. Detta är ett viktigt dokument om extremt kvinnoförtryck men som bok betraktad är den inte så gripande som den kunde ha varit. Den är fragmentarisk, ibland förvirrade, och dåligt redigerad. Men för den som inte är insatt i situationen i Afghanistan ger den än bra inblick.


It's impossible to rate an individual's experience in life, especially one in oppression. This is an important document of extreme oppression of women but as a book it's not as gripping as it might have been. It's fragmented, confusing at times and badly edited. But for those who don't know much about the situation in Afghanistan, it provides insight.

[Evelyn Chen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the testimony of Latifa, a 16-year-old girl, who lived in Kabul when the Taliban turned it upside down. Writing under a pseudonym, her story enlightens the dark reality of how this oppressive regime shut the voices of women. Female faces were to be unseen, concealed behind a burka, they were banned from leaving their homes without a male relative, and they were also banned them from work, schools, and public life. Latifa had planned on pursuing journalism, bt when the Taliban took over, she was forced to observe and make sense of what was happening to women within her four walls.

Since this book accounts the events from 1997-2002, I found myself consistently reflecting on what I was doing in 1997, 1998, and so forth. I was only twelve then, not that much young than Latifa, and at the time, politics didn't seem relevant to my life. But Latifa's family gathered around a small radio at night, their ears glued to the speakers, in fear that their neighbors may overhear and report them.

I would not consider this book to be an introduction to the Taliban conflict, because Latifa references a lot of names of leaders and events that current high-school students may not be familiar with. Students may not initially understand how Russia played a role. However, with proper guidance, this book would be an excellent resource to any humanities.

[Aliyah Abdullah · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this story Latifa, a sixteen year old girl born and raised in Afghanistan, has her rights stripped from her under Taliban tyranny. Latifa has to go from being free and allowed an education and able to follow her dreams as a journalist, to basically becoming a canary in a cage. The Taliban decree laws that are sexist and demoralizing to women. Latifa brings us through the years of suffering endured by her family and other Afghans. This Story gave me a very heartfelt understanding to Latifa, in Islam women are seen as the womb of life and the Taliban disrespect gods' words. The connection given in this story reaches out to all those under oppression, all women who have been wronged and treated like nothing. This story connects to the world because of the attack the Taliban made on America in 2001, from Afghanistan. I think this book connects to many stories but it can be related to 'Incidents of a slave girl'. I'd definitely recommend this book to anyone who is interested in true stories, and to those who like a good read every now and again. But mainly because this books reveals more of the truth, in what was happening in Afghanistan.

[Marta ౨ৎ˚ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Autobiographies are usually hard to read but this one was even harder.
This is a novelized autobiography in which the author tell's her experience as a young woman in Afghanistan under the taliban gouvernement. It's very sad to read this knowing what's going on there at the moment and knowing how this woman's experience must resemble what others lived and are currently living.
It's a very sad novel with a lot of violence and historical facts from which you can learn and on which one must reflect.
I overall really enjoyed, I feel like I've gained quite a good background knowledge about the current situation and how important it is to empathise with what's going on at the moment.
I'd really recommend it if you're not triggered by topics like rape, blood... The story might be sad, cruel and raw but it's important to remember that this happened and sadly, it's happening again so it's important to read these type of texts that, even though they are sad, they share a message of hope for a better future.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This read is one of three that I have selected for an independent study I am conducting with a student. In my opinion, this book did for Afghani life during the Taliban takeover what Schindler's List did for broadening the understanding of the small details of the Jewish Holocaust.

Imagine being a teenage girl, one moment living in freedom having just finished your first exam for entrance into journalism school, the next moment rights are stripped away. Written under pseudonym, this true account was compelling and the single best depiction of the brutality women suffered under Taliban reign I have read so far.

[Marnie Lansdown · Rating 5 out of 5]

We have all heard the horrors of life in Afghanistan under the Taliban, especially for women--a literal hell on earth. This book is a first-person account written in fairly plain style, but it packs a punch. The rule of the Taliban sounds like something made up in a dark fairy tale. This book is a good reminder of why the U.S. can't just lock our borders and bury our heads when such a horrific human rights crisis is happening elsewhere.

[beti_czyta · Rating 4 out of 5]

W 1996 roku gdy Latifa miała 16 lat do jej kraju wkroczyli Talibowie i wolność kobiet się skończyła.Wstrząsająca historia ,tego co się działo,kobiety które do tej pory mogły pracować ,podróżować ,ubierać się po europejsku ,zostały wręcz uwięzione. Straszne opisy,a książka mimo że niepozornych rozmiarów to przekaz jest emocjonujący i wstrząsający.
Tego się nie da opisać,tę książkę trzeba przeczytać .

[♥ Marlene♥ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book took me 3 days to read and this is such a thin little book. I did think it was interesting, the life of the people of Afghanistan, but it wasn't like, i want to know more, I cannot stop reading. To be honest this book was a bit of a bore. There are much better accounts like this one. I do think it was okay though. Glad that I was able to read. 7.5 out of 10

[Sophie Zapoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

A stunning and brutal tale told through the eyes of the innocent girl trapped inside of it. I would recomend this book to anyone and everyone interested in learning about how the Taliban have affected the daily lives of those living under their control.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing and thought provoking read!

[Bookdragon · Rating 3 out of 5]

i won't give this book a 5 or 4 star which i generally do when I read a book about Afghanistan. I have gone so much curious about this country after reading mariam story( ykkiykk). here is a thing i like reading history connecting dots and remembering years too but I really felt the book was so much of history and I was depressed at first reading the book but then I felt so inspired when they were opening schools secretly for kids to study. for latifa mother i think she will be only happy when she see Afghanistan becoming the country of people's dream where people can study and get happiness. The book ofc makes me grateful that. I have the privilege to learn to wear makeup and I should be grateful to my life. May Afghanistan becomes a country of it's people dream!!
i will give it a 3 rating!!!

[Emily Baker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reminded me in many ways of diary of Anne Frank as it was both immature and candid as only the writings of a teenager can be. I found some of the timeline difficult to follow throughout the book but found it clarified in the back of the book. Overall I thought it was a helpful book describing the plight of women in Afghanistan in the late 90s.

[Stef Rozitis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Even though I have called it a YA book, it would take a gutsy young person to grapple with even reading what Latifa experiences. This is a coming of age story that makes most of the ones we read seem very soft and makes authors like John Green seem trivial by comparison (to be fair Latifa has the advantage of a true story which is always going to be more urgent). It is not that the protagonist wouldn;t like the self-indulgence of angst about a boy or of spoiling herself to make up for how hard life is, it is just that she lives in such horrifyingly repressive circumstances (even though surrounded by a loving and supportive family) that just mentally surviving is her biggest challenge (and there is physical danger too).

There is horrifically graphic violence and a lot of references to rape in the book and I hate that sort of thing, I would prefer not to read it. The fact that it is a real experience of a 16-20 year old woman made me feel I needed to face it. The horror is ever-present but does not dominate. What dominates is the courage, love and shining humanity of Latifa's family and friend. I found the story of the teacher inspirational (though horrifying) and could not believe these teenaged girls took on that very dangerous work for themselves! There are heroic characters in the book, both male and female and the way Latifa's family look after each other through this and respect each other's differences, needs and strengths was also remarkable.

Latifa is honest about beginning as a somewhat spoiled girl, who has not been particularly political or heroic. She has run an underground newspaper but largely to talk about film stars and makeup, she is interested in weddings and dresses. She hopes to one day have a husband who will protect and look after her. This said she is intelligent and responsive to the kindness of her family which surrounds her. She is a survivor already, one of the hardest things to get my head around in the book was that living with the constant danger of rockets falling on their city was the SAFE period of their lives compared to what came next when the Taliban came in.

As life gets awful Latifa's very natural instinct is retreat and depression. She makes the point that she has no wish to be a hero or to resist, she just wants not to suffer. As the reality of her situation hits home, Latifa sees the horrifying plight of others even less fortunate than herself. Her family are full of compassion, intelligence and the need to respond to the suffering of others and she gets infected with this way of viewing the world. She is calmly courageous even though she would still like an ordinary teenage life with movies and lipstick and weddings.

I could not conceive of the courage of this family again and again!

I wish all Islamophobes could read this book and see that the Taliban is not Islam, that there are families full of compassion and courage also within that religion. I think anyone who is able to deal with the horrifying constant fear and violence in the book (it's confronting enough just to read about it) ought to read it to gain some perspective.

It is hard to get 5 stars out of me these days, but this book was so vital and grittily brave that I could not give it less.

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I rate this book at a 4 star count.

After the Taliban showed up to Kabul Latifa's whole life change from being able to go to school, be outside when she wanted to be, to having to be inside her house 24/7. The women/girls had no rights as soon as the Taliban took over their town; they had everything under their control. All the men had to do what the Taliban men said they had to do and the women had to stay home while their husbands, fathers, brother, etc., were out being control under what they so called, the bad people.

I was surprised by how strong Latifa and her family where, they all had a lot of support to be able to get through everything that was happening in Kabul. Latifa was just a young lady, middle teen, when everything started getting tragic in their home town. Everything was being taken over and they couldn’t do anything to stop it. Latifa and she sister had to stop going to school, stop going outside to get fresh air, and stop doing really anything they wanted to do. For example: Latifa and her sister one day decided that they wanted to go do something. They had to wear a chadri which cover their whole body from head to toe. They had been walking down side roads and the Taliban guards had say that there was a women in the chadri and they took her to the street and wiped her, Latifa saw it all. She had seen a lot of things happen throughout the whole tragedy that happened in her town. But she made it through by herself and with her family and friends.

When someone is reading this book they might want to think about what they would react to with all the beating that is happening throughout the whole entire book. If someone thought that they wouldn't be able to read about all different women being beat/slashed with whips then this isn't the kind of book that person would want to read. Now if there is someone that wants to know things about what Latifa's life was like when she was a little girl then this would be a book that someone would totally definitely want to read because it tell how her life as a child was a life a long period of time.

[Milan/zzz · Rating 2 out of 5]

"So, since men as well as women are forbidden by law to laugh in the streets and children are forbidden to play ..."

Can you imagine living under law that forbids laughter? And why on earth someone would force that law? We all know (I suppose) that Talibans are utter fanatics but I’m sure Islam doesn’t forbids laughter. I mean every religion should bring joy to its believer so how come this paradox? And that’s not the only one of course.
To anyone who is familiar with Taliban regime this book will not be surprising. I saw so many documentaries about Afghanistan so I didn’t find this book hard read. And somehow I didn't find it emotional enough; as if compassion is something which is expected. And of course it is but perhaps because I'm very familiar with the topic I wasn't moved as I expected I'd be. However since its personal story of a young girl it’s just can’t be ignored.

Accent is on the position of women in this extremely oppressive regime and parallels on time before Talibans, years of war as well. It was so incredibly horrible that in spite the fact that you know this is true you just have to wonder.

[Lindsey Martin · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Forbidden Face by Latifa was a great tale I found worthy of 4 out of 5 stars.
This story takes place in Latifa’s hometown of Kabul where she grows up. When Latifa is 14 the Taliban takes control of her city and begins forcing their strict rules on to the people who live there. Latifa’s memoir follows her life and her family’s as she grows up under the Taliban’s rein.
The main strength of this book is the passion that Latifa carries throughout the story. Through her words you see her exact feelings and the pain and sadness that she can’t shake from her imprisonment. I found her thoughts on the struggles she faced to be powerful and full of emotion.
I would consider avoiding this book if you do not feel comfortable with violence (such as murder, rape, and other types of graphic violence), and or sexism.
I would however recommend this book to anyone interested in world events and the struggles that those in 3rd world countries face. I would recommend this to anyone interested in the feminist movement.

[Grada (BoekenTrol) · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/8...

I bought this book out of curiosity. All the discussions about burqa's, voiles, women covering their head. I wanted t know more about the country that is, for me, symbolic for the burqa. It was in a report on Afghanistan that I first saw these blue things that women were hiding in.
Once again I am happy that I grew up and live in a free country... To have to fight for your human (let alone female) rights, have to hide yourself and your ideas... I stil cannot imagine what that must be like.
But, I admire on the other hand the spirit of the women: to never give up, find ways to be themselves, be it under the cover of a burqa, trying to find ways to bend the rules, or even break them.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book about a young girl who grew up in Soviet occupied Afghanistan and was 16 years old when the Taliban came. The most profound thing I learned is how the change that women experienced under the Taliban was literally overnight - at least for those who lived in Kabul. One day this girl was going to school and applying for college. Her sister worked for the airlines. The next day all businesses were closed, the radio and television stations were off the air, and women could not leave the house unaccompanied. The book also provides good insight about how the Afgahnis viewed the worlds' response and how the women defied the Taliban.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fascinating with how Afghanistan
changed under the Taliban. At first,
simple laws were passed that restricted
activities the Taliban considered evil.
Slowly, more and more laws were passed,
making more and more activities declared
evil. Finally, the laws were so stringent
that no one, not even the Taliban, was
following them.