The Women of Afghanistan Under the Taliban

March 15, 2002
Skaine's book is a good introduction for readers looking for a comprehensive book about women in Afghanistan. She begins by dispelling the notion that historically women in Afghanistan were passive and repressed. Before they were forbidden to work by the Taliban, women labored as teachers, government committee members, and doctors. RAWA was formed not during the reign of the Mujahideen or the Taliban but back in 1977 to fight for women's rights and then, later, to oppose the Russian invaders and eventually the Taliban. Skaine also includes a chapter with interviews of Afghan refugees gathered by RAWA that detail the radical changes life in Afghanistan underwent under the rule of the Taliban. Another chapter offers an analysis of groups and countries that are offering aid to Afghanistan. Skaine's book will appeal to readers curious about the conditions for women in Afghanistan prior to the overthrow of the Taliban. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)