Underground Girls of Kabul

An Afghan woman's life expectancy is just 44 years, and her life cycle often begins and ends in disappointment: being born a girl and finally, having a daughter of her own. For some, disguising themselves as boys is the only way to get ahead.

Nordberg follows women such as Azita Rafaat, a parliamentarian who once lived as a Bacha Posh, the mother of seven-year-old Mehran, who she is raising as a Bacha Posh as well, but for different reasons than in the past. There's Zahra, a teenage student living as a boy who is about to display signs of womanhood as she enters puberty. And Skukria, a hospital nurse who remained in a bacha posh disguise until she was 20, and who now has three children of her own.

Exploring the historical and religious roots of this tradition, THE UNDERGROUND GIRLS OF KABUL is a fascinating and moving narrative that speaks to the roots of gender.

“Nordberg's subtle, sympathetic reportage makes this one of the most convincing portraits of Afghan culture in print - Publishers WeeklyFive years of research, and an almost novelistic approach to her findings, has produced a book full of fresh stories - IndependentNordberg's hopeful yet heart-breaking account offers a dazzling picture of Afghan life . . . She is refreshingly non-judgmental . . . Thanks to this book, a little more light has been shone on a country and society so often misunderstood - Independent on SundayPartly a reflection on the politics of sex and gender . . . but it is also a tale of discovery - Sunday Telegraph”

Nordberg's subtle, sympathetic reportage makes this one of the most convincing portraits of Afghan culture in print - Publishers Weekly

Five years of research, and an almost novelistic approach to her findings, has produced a book full of fresh stories - Independent

Nordberg's hopeful yet heart-breaking account offers a dazzling picture of Afghan life . . . She is refreshingly non-judgmental . . . Thanks to this book, a little more light has been shone on a country and society so often misunderstood - Independent on Sunday

Partly a reflection on the politics of sex and gender . . . but it is also a tale of discovery - Sunday Telegraph

Jenny Nordberg is a writer and producer of long-form television who lives in New York City. She currently is the U.S. and Foreign Affairs Columnist for Swedish national newspaper Svenska Dagbladet, and has written for The New York Times. As a producer, she has reported on a wide range of domestic and international topics - from Iraqi refugees and Pakistan's nuclear proliferation, to global economics and effects of the financial crisis throughout Eastern Europe. She holds a B.A. in Law and Journalism from Stockholm University, and an M.S. from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism.

'Through extensive interviews with former bacha posh , observation of present ones and conversations with doctors and teachers, Nordberg unearths details of a dynamic that one suspects will be news to the armies of aid workers and gender experts in post-invasion Afghanistan' New York Times Book Review Meaning 'dressed up like a boy' in Dari, bacha posh are girls raised and presented to the world as boys. Jenny Nordberg writes a moving and unforgettable account about those secretly living on the other side of a society where women have almost no rights. Following the bacha posh through childhood, puberty, married life and childbirth, The Underground Girls of Kabul examines the profound effects the practice has had on generations of Afghan women and what it means for girls everywhere. 'Fascinating . . . This powerful account of powerlessness resonates with the most silenced voices in society' Observer 'Striking and nuanced . . . [A] finely written book' Washington Post

An Afghan woman's life expectancy is just 44 years, and her life cycle often begins and ends in disappointment: being born a girl and finally, having a daughter of her own. For some, disguising themselves as boys is the only way to get ahead.Nordberg follows women such as Azita Rafaat, a parliamentarian who once lived as a Bacha Posh, the mother of seven-year-old Mehran, who she is raising as a Bacha Posh as well, but for different reasons than in the past. There's Zahra, a teenage student living as a boy who is about to display signs of womanhood as she enters puberty. And Skukria, a hospital nurse who remained in a bacha posh disguise until she was 20, and who now has three children of her own. Exploring the historical and religious roots of this tradition, THE UNDERGROUND GIRLS OF KABUL is a fascinating and moving narrative that speaks to the roots of gender.

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