She was brought up in Afghanistan and she explains how she was not allowed to go to school, and how her and her family flee to Iran, she secretly manages to do to a school, which her family had no knowledge of. She was extremely brave, and became a rap artist. The book gives you a better understanding of what her and her family have gone through. In parts the book is sad, but it has a lovely ending.

I enjoyed this nonfiction / memoir book about a young Afghani girl; 10 year old Sonita narrowly escapes being sold as a child bride. The family move to Iran, and Sonita has the opportunity to learn at last. She discovers rap music, which ends up completely changing her life. A lovely and very heartfelt book; inspiring and uplifting.
With grateful thanks to NetGalley and HQ for my advance ebook copy in exchange for an honest review.

Sonita Alizada's autobiography starts with her youth in Afghanistan before her family flee the Taliban regime. Once that group is toppled by American intervention she returns. Later she moves to the USA, turning this autobiography into a world-trotting tale. Sonita's story is interesting, though not unique to that part of the world, and the autobiography is engaging and quick moving.

If you are looking for in-depth analysis of how the lives of women are impacted under an oppressive regime you will gain no answers here, the political insight is minimal. What you do get is a very human, very real and engrossing story of a young woman attempting to find her place in the world.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC.

Sonita by Sonita Alizada is a searing and unforgettable memoir that charts one young woman’s defiance in the face of oppression and her fight for freedom and justice.

Born into poverty in Afghanistan and nearly sold into marriage twice before she turned 16, Sonita’s story is one of both unimaginable hardship and unrelenting courage. Through raw and deeply personal prose, poetry and music, she recounts how she escaped her fate as a child bride, found her voice through rap, and became a global advocate for girls’ rights.

This book does more than narrate a personal journey. It challenges cultural norms, confronts injustice and invites readers into a movement that demands change. With moments of poetry, pain and triumph, Sonita speaks not just to the power of one voice, but to the collective strength of all who dare to dream.

Compelling, heartbreaking and profoundly empowering, this is essential reading for anyone moved by stories of resilience and those passionate about justice.

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I'll begin this review by saying that I've not been a great lover of rap. I felt it was a music for my son's generation rather than mine. So it came as a surprise when I was given an arc copy of an autobiography of a young Afghan rapper. From the first I found myself engrossed in her journeys. The journey with her family to find safety. The journey of her self to attain education. Of her escape from becoming a child bride. Of the origins of her skills as a rapper and what her lyrics meant to her and to other people. Her journey into activism also encouraged me, an old socialist, and filled me with hope. This is a splendid and inspiring book which I highly recommend. It may even open me up to appreciate the skills and nuances of rap music. Thank you Sonita, you are an inspiration!

This book is so essential. I love the way it weaves creative methods with Sonita's heartwrenching and empowering story, and its such a call to action as to why feminism and fighting for women's basic rights is still so important today. Plus, her music is amazing!

A powerful, heart breaking story. I am so happy that Sonita was able to make her dreams come true and that her family are safe.
Though it is heart breaking that millions of women have no rights and are treated like baggage.
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From refugee to rap artist. Sonita Alizadeh’s story is gripping, heart-rending but also joyous. Her family fled Afghanistan for Iran when she was a child, returning later when it felt safer. As a Muslim girl, she was expected to marry young to a man of her family’s choice. She wanted more. She wanted education and to live a less restrictive life. A life not controlled by men. She achieved this through rap, education and perseverance. A book you won’t forget.