What do you think?
Rate this book
Radio Free Afghanistan: A Twenty-Year Odyssey for an Independent Voice in Kabul – A Time 100 Honoree's Story of Hope Amidst Despair
From Time 100 honoree Saad Mohseni, the deeply moving and surprising story of the attempt to build a truly independent media company in contemporary Afghanistan.
Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Group, Afghanistan’s largest media company, charts a twenty-year effort to bring a free press to his country after years of Taliban rule, and how that effort persists even after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
In the heady early days of the American occupation, Mohseni returns to Kabul which he had last seen as a child before the Soviet invasion. Casting about for ways to be involved in the dawn of a new Afghanistan, Mohseni makes what seems like a quixotic decision to leave the comforts of a career in international banking to start a Kabul radio station with his three siblings. This unlikely venture quickly blossoms into a burgeoning television empire, bringing Mohseni and his family and employees into sometimes uncomfortable contact with everyone who has a stake in the country—from the government of Hamid Karzai to White House officials. Moreover, their radio and television networks soon become a necessary beacon for millions of Afghans, who rely on them not just for independent news but for joyful pleasures like soap operas and Afghan Star, a beloved national singing competition in a country whose previous rulers had banned (and would again ban) music.
Mohseni’s position at Moby affords him unique insights into this extraordinary yet troubled country, the youngest in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and his powerful account captures the spirit and resilience of the Afghan people—notably the hundreds of men and women still working in Moby's Kabul office today, who, once again under Taliban rule, create programs, report the news, and educate the public.
Radio Free Afghanistan is a stunning, vibrant portrait of a nation in turmoil, poised between despair and hope.
Saad Mohseni, chairman and CEO of Moby Group, Afghanistan’s largest media company, charts a twenty-year effort to bring a free press to his country after years of Taliban rule, and how that effort persists even after the Taliban’s return to power in 2021.
In the heady early days of the American occupation, Mohseni returns to Kabul which he had last seen as a child before the Soviet invasion. Casting about for ways to be involved in the dawn of a new Afghanistan, Mohseni makes what seems like a quixotic decision to leave the comforts of a career in international banking to start a Kabul radio station with his three siblings. This unlikely venture quickly blossoms into a burgeoning television empire, bringing Mohseni and his family and employees into sometimes uncomfortable contact with everyone who has a stake in the country—from the government of Hamid Karzai to White House officials. Moreover, their radio and television networks soon become a necessary beacon for millions of Afghans, who rely on them not just for independent news but for joyful pleasures like soap operas and Afghan Star, a beloved national singing competition in a country whose previous rulers had banned (and would again ban) music.
Mohseni’s position at Moby affords him unique insights into this extraordinary yet troubled country, the youngest in the world outside of Sub-Saharan Africa, and his powerful account captures the spirit and resilience of the Afghan people—notably the hundreds of men and women still working in Moby's Kabul office today, who, once again under Taliban rule, create programs, report the news, and educate the public.
Radio Free Afghanistan is a stunning, vibrant portrait of a nation in turmoil, poised between despair and hope.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published September 24, 2024
25 people are currently reading
2850 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 25, 2025
4.5 stars
I’ve read a handful of nonfiction books about Afghanistan but it’s been a few years since I last picked one up. My motivation for reading RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN was the coverage of what happened after US forces left. At the time Western media reported the transition as a debacle but the story faded from the headlines. And now it’s a country that rarely gets a mention in the news.
Saad Mohseni has lived all over the world and came back to Afghanistan after the removal of the Taliban government in the early 2000s. Along with his siblings, he launched the largest media company in Afghanistan called Moby Group. Setting up a free press in a place that was recovering from Taliban rule was a challenge. It’s fascinating how listeners and viewers flocked to things like talk radio, soap operas, and singing competitions just like they do in other parts of the world. After the Taliban came back into power Moby Group was forced to adapt to ever changing rules while their own lives were put at risk.
An interesting read that gave great insight into the politics, media, and people of Afghanistan.
Thank you Harper for sending me a free copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
I’ve read a handful of nonfiction books about Afghanistan but it’s been a few years since I last picked one up. My motivation for reading RADIO FREE AFGHANISTAN was the coverage of what happened after US forces left. At the time Western media reported the transition as a debacle but the story faded from the headlines. And now it’s a country that rarely gets a mention in the news.
Saad Mohseni has lived all over the world and came back to Afghanistan after the removal of the Taliban government in the early 2000s. Along with his siblings, he launched the largest media company in Afghanistan called Moby Group. Setting up a free press in a place that was recovering from Taliban rule was a challenge. It’s fascinating how listeners and viewers flocked to things like talk radio, soap operas, and singing competitions just like they do in other parts of the world. After the Taliban came back into power Moby Group was forced to adapt to ever changing rules while their own lives were put at risk.
An interesting read that gave great insight into the politics, media, and people of Afghanistan.
Thank you Harper for sending me a free copy! All thoughts expressed are my honest opinion.
April 5, 2025
I know shamefully little about Afghanistan besides US-centric headlines and I always hesitate from recommending political non-fiction on situations I know nothing about, but regardless of all of that, this book reads as an unpretentious, empathetic account of someone doing his best in an impossible scenario. The story is non-chronological but easy to follow, centered around a state-independent, Afghan-lead radio channel turned media group. It explains political and cultural situations simply, just enough to comprehend the meat of the story, which is focused on a family and group of people dedicating themselves to helping their fellow Afghan’s voices be heard over corrupt government and heavy-handed international intervention. Some of the most touching parts were about fighting against real danger to provide music, soap operas, and light-hearted reality TV to a country that’s been at war for decades. It was enlightening and moving, I really recommend
July 5, 2025
4.5/5 🌟
An intriguing history of the last 20 years in beautiful Afghanistan told through a family's successes, battles, and losses of founding the only independent media company in the country. While this memoir was a bit repetitive and I actually wish there was more historical background at times, I learned so much from this. Mohseni tells not only his story of founding and keeping Moby afloat, but the stories of everyday Afghans and what they went through to survive during each of the jarring political changes in the last 20+ years. Highly recommend!!!
An intriguing history of the last 20 years in beautiful Afghanistan told through a family's successes, battles, and losses of founding the only independent media company in the country. While this memoir was a bit repetitive and I actually wish there was more historical background at times, I learned so much from this. Mohseni tells not only his story of founding and keeping Moby afloat, but the stories of everyday Afghans and what they went through to survive during each of the jarring political changes in the last 20+ years. Highly recommend!!!
February 22, 2025
You’d have to be really interested in Afghanistan to read this book. To be honest, I don’t think many of you who are my Gr friends will find this book that interesting.
For me, North Korea and books about it are much more interesting.
Basically the guy comes back in 2002, starts a media company, writes a lot about their broadcasts during the years of Afghan freedom, and still broadcast after 2021 when Taliban came back into power.
Taliban make them stop broadcasting things like Turkish soap operas.
They are still adapting to the new ways things are done in Afghanistan, but, unfortunately, to be honest, I just realized that, maybe it is because of language or just because have never been there or some other reason, but Afghanistan is just not interesting me.
I suppose the only really interesting question for me still is what sort of future will women have?
For me, North Korea and books about it are much more interesting.
Basically the guy comes back in 2002, starts a media company, writes a lot about their broadcasts during the years of Afghan freedom, and still broadcast after 2021 when Taliban came back into power.
Taliban make them stop broadcasting things like Turkish soap operas.
They are still adapting to the new ways things are done in Afghanistan, but, unfortunately, to be honest, I just realized that, maybe it is because of language or just because have never been there or some other reason, but Afghanistan is just not interesting me.
I suppose the only really interesting question for me still is what sort of future will women have?
April 23, 2025
Radio Free Afghanistan is an informative book that outlines both the beauties and difficulties of Afghanistan. Saad Mohseni is from a well-off Afghan family who went back to Afghanistan to found a media company: the largest in Afghanistan. The book shows obstacles to media during the various regimes in Afghanistan. You get a small sense of the violence. The author had access to high level leaders in both Afghanistan and the United States. He gives great insight into faults and strengths of the Afghan leaders, particularly the Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani. He also helps us understand the appeal and despair of life in Afghanistan. This was an important book for me to read as I have been helping a friend try to leave Afghanistan for 4 years now as his home was burned down by Afghanistan because he was teaching English. He remains unemployed and in constant danger.
Some passages i enjoyed from the book:
Those in power, whether or foreigners, have exploited this diversity as a way to maintain control over the population. They have inflamed tensions and distrust between communities, highlighted the differences, and then nurtured those differences with their policies or acts of violence.
(Side note: this sounds like the United States under Trump.)
(I have learned from my Afghan friend that Afghanistan is extremely mountainous, and recently realized they have some extremely high mountains. This next passage illustrates this well.)
He had heard about the difficulties the people living in Pamir faced. Still, he wept, seeing it for himself. Most of them had never seen a doctor. Their encampments had never been visited, they told him, by the international aid organizations that had been present in the country for nearly two decades. "You go up one mountain, you go down that mountain, and another comes. After that, there is another mountain. You go up, then you go down. After that there is another mountain. You go up, then you go down."
...daily survival in an otherworldly landscape, at such high altitude, where nothing grows. The people barter for bread and rice, surviving mainly on the meat and milk from their livestock, and use cow dung for fires in place of wood. "The bliss of this generosity will be gone if I ask the guests to give money," an old man told him, describing the tradition of hospitality among his people.
Some passages i enjoyed from the book:
Those in power, whether or foreigners, have exploited this diversity as a way to maintain control over the population. They have inflamed tensions and distrust between communities, highlighted the differences, and then nurtured those differences with their policies or acts of violence.
(Side note: this sounds like the United States under Trump.)
(I have learned from my Afghan friend that Afghanistan is extremely mountainous, and recently realized they have some extremely high mountains. This next passage illustrates this well.)
He had heard about the difficulties the people living in Pamir faced. Still, he wept, seeing it for himself. Most of them had never seen a doctor. Their encampments had never been visited, they told him, by the international aid organizations that had been present in the country for nearly two decades. "You go up one mountain, you go down that mountain, and another comes. After that, there is another mountain. You go up, then you go down. After that there is another mountain. You go up, then you go down."
...daily survival in an otherworldly landscape, at such high altitude, where nothing grows. The people barter for bread and rice, surviving mainly on the meat and milk from their livestock, and use cow dung for fires in place of wood. "The bliss of this generosity will be gone if I ask the guests to give money," an old man told him, describing the tradition of hospitality among his people.
February 5, 2025
Radio-Free Afghanistan is an intimate and multi-faceted reflection on the last twenty years in Afghanistan, from the American Invasion in 2001 to their withdrawal in 2021, leading to the second Taliban regime. Told through the experiences and relationships of Saad Mohseni and his family’s media company, Moby, this book highlights the integral, yet often missing piece of the Afghan experience overlooked by the western world: the ability of Afghans not just to endure, but to dream, and then moreover; make those dreams realities.
Radio-Free Afghanistan iterates the importance of a free media company in the country, not only currently (where it is probably needed more than ever), but throughout the past two decades as well. A free media should not be beholden to the current government but seek accountability in everyone who holds power over everyday citizens, whether they be government officials, foreign entities and NGOs, enemies of the state, or soldiers (both defendants and opposition).
Mohseni with the help of his co-author, Jenna Krajeski, paints a diverse and complicated picture of Afghanistan with scenes of pure elation to pure horror. Delicately balanced and cleverly nuanced, Radio-Free Afghanistan is one of my favourite non-fiction reads so far.
For those wanting more information on Afghanistan and the American Invasion of 2002, look for Ahmed Rashid’s book, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia.
5/5 stars.
Radio-Free Afghanistan iterates the importance of a free media company in the country, not only currently (where it is probably needed more than ever), but throughout the past two decades as well. A free media should not be beholden to the current government but seek accountability in everyone who holds power over everyday citizens, whether they be government officials, foreign entities and NGOs, enemies of the state, or soldiers (both defendants and opposition).
Mohseni with the help of his co-author, Jenna Krajeski, paints a diverse and complicated picture of Afghanistan with scenes of pure elation to pure horror. Delicately balanced and cleverly nuanced, Radio-Free Afghanistan is one of my favourite non-fiction reads so far.
For those wanting more information on Afghanistan and the American Invasion of 2002, look for Ahmed Rashid’s book, Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia.
5/5 stars.
November 21, 2024
3.5 rounded up. Heartbreaking story of the media company creation in Afghanistan in 2002 after the Taliban left — and what happened after the US left in 2021. Author gives history of Afghanistan, including Russian & American occupations, and the tumult of the Taliban and 2021 return.
He was lucky and that his parents had connections, and he and his family (younger brother) were able to migrate to Australia.
When the Taliban first left, nobody wanted to admit they missed music (via surveys) which evidenced how scared people were of not providing the “correct “answer and being punished. Author eventually branched out to TV — reality shows and talent shows etc.
Insights such as when the Americans were in Afghanistan, they built lots of schools, particularly for girls. Instead of touting the value of education, they used the schools to thumb their noses at the Taliban, as in I know better. I’m not so sure I agree with such a simplistic explanation, but too often, reasons come down to simple ego.
Author talks about trillion against the media company and how employees died from a suicide bombing in addition to the dangerous environment of Afghanistan. Foreign journalists had security and nice hotels; much different from the locals (as it always is!)
Corruption, false promises, and ineffectual NGO. V sad.
He was lucky and that his parents had connections, and he and his family (younger brother) were able to migrate to Australia.
When the Taliban first left, nobody wanted to admit they missed music (via surveys) which evidenced how scared people were of not providing the “correct “answer and being punished. Author eventually branched out to TV — reality shows and talent shows etc.
Insights such as when the Americans were in Afghanistan, they built lots of schools, particularly for girls. Instead of touting the value of education, they used the schools to thumb their noses at the Taliban, as in I know better. I’m not so sure I agree with such a simplistic explanation, but too often, reasons come down to simple ego.
Author talks about trillion against the media company and how employees died from a suicide bombing in addition to the dangerous environment of Afghanistan. Foreign journalists had security and nice hotels; much different from the locals (as it always is!)
Corruption, false promises, and ineffectual NGO. V sad.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2025
I knew a scant little about Afghanistan, but for a couple of books that I read. I appreciate another look at this country and am amazed at the resiliency of its oppressed people.
I listened to this book, and I'm not sure I would get through it in a book. Optimism (for the most part) rules Mr Mosheni's perspective. That and being a member of a privileged class.
it gives the journalists perspective of the most recent fall of Kabul .
I'd like to meet his mother. she sounds like a breath of fresh air.
I listened to this book, and I'm not sure I would get through it in a book. Optimism (for the most part) rules Mr Mosheni's perspective. That and being a member of a privileged class.
it gives the journalists perspective of the most recent fall of Kabul .
I'd like to meet his mother. she sounds like a breath of fresh air.
November 29, 2024
Author provides an interesting account of starting a media company after the US intervention and how ordinary afghans coped with the violence, social unrest and eventually taliban takeover. Without hearing other perspectives, not sure what author says is the reality, however the experience of ordinary afghans is captured really well.
March 4, 2025
Quick thoughts: This is the story of Saad Mohseni’s efforts to build an independent media company in Afghanistan. Powerful. Stunning. Hopeful. One of my favorites this year.
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
I received a gifted copy.
Many of my reviews can also be found on my blog: www.jennifertarheelreader.com and instagram: www.instagram.com/tarheelreader
August 16, 2025
Good tidbits here and there, but it's not encompassing enough to be a history, too wide-lensed to be a memoir, and too scattered to tell a story.
Tons of potential here for a very compelling story, but feels like the co-author really just put her name on the cover and didn't help craft a narrative at all.
Tons of potential here for a very compelling story, but feels like the co-author really just put her name on the cover and didn't help craft a narrative at all.
January 25, 2025
This memoir was not only interesting from the perspective of an entrepreneur and journalist, but also the recent history of a country so central to one of our most complex geopolitical issues. I learned a lot and enjoyed the adventure along the way!
January 6, 2026
Enjoyed the 2nd half a bit more with the political impact and changes that Afghanistan underwent with Trump / Biden and the leadership clashes with Ahsraf Ghani / Karzai. First half a bit long winded in trying to make it a memoir.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 11, 2024
Can’t recommend this more.
April 26, 2025
very conflicted four
read as a piece of fiction/personal biography and not political analysis. but great storytelling
read as a piece of fiction/personal biography and not political analysis. but great storytelling
June 19, 2025
solid read. super informative. i especially enjoyed all the character we got to meet and the chapter on the significance of afghan star.
June 22, 2025
An amazing story providing a fascinating lens into Afghanistan's recent history and politics.
June 27, 2025
Words pale. The best of all the books read this year.
November 23, 2024
A rare insight into Afghan culture and the resilience of the Afghan people.
November 20, 2024
A richly vivid story of the lives of the people trying to shine light through the dark.
November 16, 2024
deeply moving
November 5, 2024
This is helpful to understanding current Afghanistan from an Afghani perspective, but ultimately woefully incomplete. He offers a hypothesis that Afghanistan received too much money and too quickly which undermined nation building efforts because it invited corruption, but fails to prove it. The chapters that deal with corruption, false promises, ineffectual NGOs, are captivating. I would welcome a more in-depth follow-up.
June 8, 2025
20 years of engaging the Afghan public between two eras of Taliban rule. I'm surprised that this book has less than 100 ratings as I am writing this. I thought people would be more interested in Afghanistan.
The obvious appeal of this book is an Afghan perspective on the return of the Taliban to power. The very popular soap operas from Turkey and India (if I remember correctly) were no longer allowed and the TV team was told to show some beautiful Afghan scenery and religious programmes instead. The new leaders were caught between promises of a less harsh rule and pressure from conservative families that have lost their sons fighting for the Taliban.
The much longer and maybe more interesting is that of gradually building a media company and experimenting with many formats that were totally unknown until then in Afghanistan. They often resulted in a combination of complaints, often very high viewer numbers and enthusiastic contributions.
An interesting example is Afghan Star, a music show. At the beginning, the producers were unsure whether there would even be enough people still singing after it was outlawed under the first Taliban regime. Had musical talents declined? No, people were enthusiastic about singing and displayed a lot of creativity and traditional music in the show. The government received many complaints, leading them to believe that pretty much everybody hated this show. But viewer numbers were only going up - a common pattern.
Afghan Star can be viewed on YouTube and I thought the intro to one of them was quite nice.
I recommend this book and encourage you not to forget about this country.
The obvious appeal of this book is an Afghan perspective on the return of the Taliban to power. The very popular soap operas from Turkey and India (if I remember correctly) were no longer allowed and the TV team was told to show some beautiful Afghan scenery and religious programmes instead. The new leaders were caught between promises of a less harsh rule and pressure from conservative families that have lost their sons fighting for the Taliban.
The much longer and maybe more interesting is that of gradually building a media company and experimenting with many formats that were totally unknown until then in Afghanistan. They often resulted in a combination of complaints, often very high viewer numbers and enthusiastic contributions.
An interesting example is Afghan Star, a music show. At the beginning, the producers were unsure whether there would even be enough people still singing after it was outlawed under the first Taliban regime. Had musical talents declined? No, people were enthusiastic about singing and displayed a lot of creativity and traditional music in the show. The government received many complaints, leading them to believe that pretty much everybody hated this show. But viewer numbers were only going up - a common pattern.
Afghan Star can be viewed on YouTube and I thought the intro to one of them was quite nice.
I recommend this book and encourage you not to forget about this country.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews