Description: "The first time Sonita was put up for sale, she was 10 years old and she thought that she was participating in a dress-up game. She quickly realized that, in her culture, a wedding is a kind of funeral for the bride. Sonita says, "It represents the loss of a future. The loss of a voice." After the marriage fell through, she was placed on sale again. She was expected to form a family, sleep with a man she never met, and then repeat the terrible cycle with her own children. But Sonita wanted more. In Sonita, the Afghan rap artist and activist shares the story of how she fled Afghanistan to pursue her dreams and evolved into a woman who is changing the world. She shares incredible highs, like winning the song writing contest that gave her the opportunity of a lifetime, and unimaginable lows, like when the cruel Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, and how some of her family escaped, and how some were left behind. Sonita also shares photos and access to exclusive music"--
Brief description:
Sonita Alizada is an Afghan rapper and activist who escaped child marriage in 2015, when her viral music video, "Daughters for Sale," helped her secure a scholarship to study in the United States. Through her music and advocacy work, Sonita has campaigned for women's rights and against child marriage, partnering with organizations like the Malala Fund, Global Partnership for Education, and Girls Not Brides. She has received the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, the MTV Europe Music Generation Change Award, and was included in BBC's 100 Women in 2015. Sonita, who learned English upon coming to the U.S., graduated from Bard College in 2023; she is currently pursuing a master's degree at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.
Review Quotes:
"Her buoyant voice lends her difficult life story a sense of lightness, optimism, and hope. The memoir's clean narrative arc reveals Sonita's talent not only as a lyricist, but as a writer of prose. An uplifting and bighearted memoir from Afghanistan's most famous female rapper." - Kirkus Reviews
"Alizada's straightforward prose effectively conveys her loss of innocence as she comes to understand the burdens placed on women.....this inspires." - Publishers Weekly
"Over the last decade, Alizada has given much of herself to the world as an activist. Now, on her own terms, she shares her story and all that she sacrificed and gained by continuing to write it, honoring her family throughout its pages." - Booklist
Sonita Alizada's remarkable journey, beautifully captured in her upcoming book, is a testament to resilience and optimism. Her story inspires courage and hope, reminding us of the power of the human spirit."
- Hillary Rodham Clinton
"This story is a source of inspiration for young people."
- Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights