Set in war-torn Kabul, a harrowing yet tender novel—Bend It Like Beckham in a burka—about one woman’s courage and guile in the face of terror and tyranny
Rukhsana is a spirited young journalist who works for the Kabul Daily in Afghanistan. She takes care of her ill, widowed mother and her younger brother, Jahan. When Rukhsana is suddenly summoned to appear at the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, their quiet and tenuous way of life is shattered.
There, the malevolent minister, Zorak Wahidi, announces that the Taliban has found a new way to pursue the diplomatic respect it has long been denied: cricket. On the world stage of sports, the Taliban will prove they are a fair and just regime. Rukhsana and several other journalists are to report that a tournament will be held to determine who will play for Afghanistan. Anyone can put together a team. Women are forbidden to play. The winners will travel to Pakistan to train, then go on to represent Afghanistan around the world.
Rukhsana knows that this is a shameful, and deeply surreal, idea. The Taliban will never embrace a game rooted in civility, fairness, and equality, with no tolerance for violence or cheating. And no one in Afghanistan even knows how to play the game—except for Rukhsana.
This could be a way to get her cousins and her brother out of Afghanistan for good. But before she can organize a team, the terrifying Wahidi demands her hand in marriage. He finds her both exciting and infuriating and wants to control her unruly, willful nature. The union would be her prison, stripping away what few freedoms she has left under Taliban rule and forcing her away from her family. Not marrying Wahidi, however, might mean her death. Her family rallies around her, willing to do anything to protect her, even if it means imprisonment—or worse. Then Rukhsana realizes that Wahidi may have given her a way out. With the help of her loyal, beloved brother and cousins, she forms her own cricket team and sets about teaching them how to win their freedom—with a bat and a ball.
Inspired by the Taliban’s actual and unprecedented promotion of cricket in 2000 in an attempt to gain acceptance in the global community, internationally bestselling author Murari weaves a riveting story of strength, hope, and soaring human triumph that proves no tyranny is ever absolute in the face of love.
Download and start listening now!
"A young girl in Afghanistan who writes for a daily paper is summoned to appear before the infamous Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and Prevention. She & her family are threatened about her writing anti-Taliban stories. She takes care of her cancer ridden mother & younger brother. She also learns that there will be a cricket tournament & whichever team wins, they will go to Pakistan to train. She sees this as a way to get her brother out of Afghanistan. But nobody knows how to play cricket, except her! She makes up a team, consisting of her brother & some male cousins. They agree to it, as they see this as a way out of their country, more freedom & ability to proceed with an education. She also knows she cannot go anywhere without wearing a full burka. She dons a beard, mens clothes & teaches them how to play cricket! A way to get their freedom. Good read."
—
Garryvivianne (4 out of 5 stars)