This book covers a topic of much relevance and attention in the contemporary world: human rights, in particular those of women in Afghanistan. It examines the social and economic conditions faced by Afghani women, and Skaine implements a question and answer structure in order to delineate this. Furthermore, it touches upon the dire necessity for employment reform for women. With current employment restrictions upon women, families are starving, and children are growing up uneducated with a lack of teachers.
The book is extremely useful in that it does not focus solely upon the Taliban as the source for gender inequalities in Afghanistan. Rather it notes the many political motives behind it, as well as cultural and social pressures. Moreover, it succeeds in showing that it is not Islam that renders the oppression of women as justifiable. Instead, it shows the many intertwining forces within Afghani culture and politics that are in fact to blame.
It is for this reason that this book deserves much attention. The American media too often portrays, or simplifies, the oppression of Afghani women into a phenomenon stemming from the Taliban and Islamic fundamentalism. The fact that the chauvinistic mindset pervades, and has existed within, Afghani society is often overlooked. This creates a dangerous situation in which, the elimination of the Taliban may cause the world to assume the issue of female oppression is automatically solved. In addition, Skaine's writing style and structure make the book a clear and easy read.

Shirin Raza