Defiant Dreams
  • Published: 29 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9780857528810
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

Defiant Dreams

The Journey of an Afghan Girl Who Risked Everything for Education

Formats & editions
Tr. Paperback
29 Aug 2023
Paperback
27 Aug 2024
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An extraordinary memoir of a young woman from Afghanistan and her struggle to rise above the circumstances into which she was born. A memoir of education, oppression, misogyny, inequality, determination and incredible resilience.

'I began to grow up the day my mother warned me to stop laughing'


At age eleven, Sola Mahfouz was told she could no longer attend school. The Taliban threatened that any girl who dared to continue their education would have acid thrown in their face, be kidnapped, or worse. Confined to the walls of her home, Sola watched as the few freedoms of childhood were stripped away. She was forbidden to play, to sing, even to laugh. Her early teenage years were consumed by restrictions.

Realising that she would have to either succumb to this life or find a way out, she decided on the latter. At age sixteen, without even a basic ability to add or subtract, she began secretly learning maths and English. By reading dictionaries and taking free online courses, she taught herself theoretical physics and philosophy, all from a home she could only leave five times a year. In the space of nine years she achieved the level of education that a westerner might take 25 years to do and against all odds moved to America to study quantum computing.

It is a radical act to tell the story of an Afghan woman. Too often, they are portrayed only as victims, their identities erased by thick veils and blanket reporting. Defiant Dreams will change the narrative. It's the story of an Afghan girl who dared to ask for more.
  • Published: 29 August 2023
  • ISBN: 9780857528810
  • Imprint: Doubleday
  • Format: Trade Paperback
  • Pages: 320
  • RRP: $36.99
Categories:

About the authors

Sola Mahfouz

Sola Mahfouz was born in Afghanistan, and immigrated to the U.S. in 2016, to attend college. She is currently a quantum computing researcher at Tufts University Quantum Information Group. In her free time she is focusing on reading and studying different styles of fiction, as well as writing about the rugged homeland she has left behind. She lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

portrait photo of Sola Mahfouz

Malaina Kapoor

Malaina Kapoor is a writer from Redwood City, California. She previously served as a Fellow at PEN America, where she advocated for international human rights, press freedoms, and election integrity. Malaina served on the management team of a refugee resettlement organization and was the producer of In Deep, a nationally syndicated public affairs radio broadcast program. She has received national awards for her poetry, personal essays, and short stories. Malaina will graduate from Stanford University in 2025.

portrait photo of Malaina Kapoor

Praise for Defiant Dreams

Stories like this inspire me. Seeing the way people like Sola Mahfouz think about the world reinforces my optimism about the future.

Bill Gates

Sola reminds us that the greatest untapped resource around the globe isn't gold or oil, but the female half of the population. Virginia Woolf wrote that if Shakespeare had had an equally talented sister, she never would have been able to flower-and Sola is Shakespeare's sister.

Nicholas Kristof, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist and author

Sola embodies the power of individual determination and serves as an inspiration to us all?she is nothing short of incredible. Her story speaks to the limitless potential of millions who have been held back by circumstances beyond their control. Defiant Dreams is a beautifully written reminder of the transformative power of education.

Sal Khan, founder of Khan Academy

Captivating in its intimate details of life behind the burqa, this brave girl's determination to educate herself despite restrictive Afghan tradition, Talib gunfire, and American rockets is pure inspiration. Defiant indeed?I could not put this beautifully written book down.

Helen Zia, author of <i> Last Boat Out of Shanghai <i> and former executive editor of Ms. magazine

Sola Mahfouz is a beautiful example of a young person who is searching, striving, and reaching. She was born in a city where speaking too loud was unacceptable for a girl- and yet her voice is now reaching overseas. Her story is one of how the impossible became possible. I found it a very moving and inspiring read.

Homeira Qaderi, author of <i> Dancing in the Mosque <i>

A compelling, fascinating book.

Daily Mail

I was immediately captivated by this book. Sola is an inspiration and example of what going against the tide is...Everyone should know this story and hold it dear to their hearts. Thank you Sola for sharing your bravery with the world, I cannot wait to see what your future holds.

Payzee Malika, activist
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