The world is a pretty manic place at times and I may have overwhelmed my brain slightly by picking up two biographies that deal with major social issues at roughly the same time. The thing is, I find these stories interesting, but they are often fairly heavy reading, even the ones with an optimistic outcome involve a degree of hardship to get there. Still, the whole point of such books is to bring new details and perspectives to stories, especially as we tend to pick up books on things we're at least somewhat familiar with. Which is where I started here. Sonita is new to me as a person and an artist, but there's been a lot of general coverage of Afghanistan and the Taliban over the past couple of decades so I felt somewhat aware of the core of the book - child brides who would be traded for various reason.

And the book did what I expected in that regard - more details and new perspectives. Some were simpler than others, reminding me that all those various abstract ideas of life under the Taliban weren't just separate data points - they all came together to create a way of life. And likewise, it's one thing to know about things like women being denied access to education and the such, but here they take a more concrete form. As an outsider it's easy to look in and nod sagely, but it remains distant without that personal story.

Which is where I land on the whole book really. I've been pondering what I can say for a few days now. It's not a book people are likely to pick up randomly. You're likely reading this for a reason, to which I can say it's a worthy read. You'll get the highs and lows you expect. But it's well told, and Sonita does bring a fresh angle with her music career. And no, I didn't sync the music to the book, it's not practical for me. I listened at other times though and I can see it working. As I didn't try it though I don't know if it would really enrich the experience. I can see it working for some, but personally I've never really got on with books having soundtracks. I think if I'd tried this as an audiobook I'd be very excited about that multimedia approach.

So yeah, if you're this far down a review on a book like this you should probably just read it. It'll be good. Even if you just skimmed down to the bottom, the fact you're even considering it means you probably should. It's not always fun, and I found it relaxing to swap in something lighter every so often when I was feeling tired, but it's a worthy read.

A wonderfully powerful book with vivid descriptions of life in Afghanistan and being an illegal immigrant in Iran. Sonita Alizadeh’s life has not been easy but despite this, she has through hard work achieved goals that even she couldn’t have imagined when she created her dream book - which every child should be encouraged to have. Her honesty in the telling of her life story is refreshing and must have been hard for her to expose. I hope through this book, her music and activism her message can be heard by many.

This is hands down one of the best biographies I have read. Mainly due to the way in which it was written - it reads like fiction but is a biography. Sonita is a young girl Afghanistan girl who experiences growing up under the Taliban, escaping to Iran and then going back to Afghanistan once the war with America kicks off. She gives a unique look into behind the curtain of a regime and what it's like for children especially young girls. Sonita clearly has a determined spirit which was present from a young age. Her journey is inspirational and at times harrowing. I wish my biographies were written in this style.

Having just finished this horrendously fascinating autobiography and then read of the atrocities still being experienced by women in Afghanistan by the Taliban in The Sunday Times, Sonita’s account gave a true and horrendous insight into the real life existence of young women and children in this part of the world. She is an incredibly brave, intelligent and forceful young lady having grown up with her family in both Afghanistan and Iran. She never gave up her dream of having an education and through her love of poetry and music she has been able to inform the rest of the world the truth of life under the Taliban! Unfortunately the persecution goes on and women are still banned from living their lives, from education, from being free to be themselves. I admire this young lady tremendously and sincerely hope she is able to continue her work not just as a rapper but as an activist for a cause that should not exist in this world!

Such a brave woman and such an empowering story. Every anti-immigration/refugee person needs to read this book. Such a triumph over adversity. Excellent

Sonita tells her story without flinching: what it meant to be a girl almost sold into marriage, what it meant to fight back, what it cost her to dream.

She writes with honesty and strength. Her voice is sharp, unshaken, and unforgettable. It’s not an easy read and it shouldn’t be. But it’s important, and it’s beautifully told. I’m glad this book exists to inspire so many girls and women!

Sonita by Sonita Alizada is such a beautiful and inspirational story.
Sonita tell us her life story, beginning when she was extremely young. Their family rules, their religious dos and don’ts as Muslims.
She has a hard life and real struggles trying to navigate through a very stiff regime as a woman. The taliban are everywhere, ready to punish anyone stepping away from the laws they have put on the residents of Afghanistan and beyond.
She finds music,(also banned for women) and finds her outlet for her rage.
I can’t believe what that poor girl went through, it made me very grateful to live in such a liberal country. I am very lucky. Her story gets better, but the fight goes on….
Many thanks to HQ for the opportunity to read this arc copy via Netgalley. My opinion is my own.
#Netgalley, #HQStories, #SonitaLizadeh..

Sonita is a truly inspiring memoir about one womans journey to freedom and her role as an activist against child marriage.
Growing up in Afghanistan, Sonita always knew that her family had her future mapped out for her. One day, they would find her a husband, she would marry, and then she would spend her life as a wife and a mother.
Girls didn't go to school, so as far as Sonita was concerned, this was the norm. She was just 10 years old the first time she was put up for sale as a child bride.

Sonita talks candidly about her life in Afghanistan, her hopes and dreams of receiving an education, the lows of having to flee her country for Iran due to being under the control of the Taliban and the highs of finding her voice through rap music and her future of activism.

There were parts of this story that made me sob uncontrollably, and my heart broke for that little girl, but reading her memoir also made me angry and share the frustration that the seriousness of children being forced into marriage is not given the full attention it deserves. Sonita says something in this book about human rights issues being spoken about, but action is not taken because it benefits the people in charge of human rights financially, and this, for me, is profound. Even now, with everything going on in the world.

Sonita's story is ultimately one of freedom and triumph and left me feeling hopeful, but there are still as many as nearly 15 million young girls being forced into marriage in the U.S. alone every year. Each one of those girls has a story, and I'm thankful to Sonita for being their voice.

I was offered this one by HQ's publicist because I've read other nonfiction books on NetGalley and it piqued my interest. Sonita grew up in Afghanistan as the Taliban were taking hold; she got excited about being a bride in her tweens and thankfully that engagement fell through but then as she managed to get herself schooling in Iran when her family escaped there, she also realised that girls disappeared aged about 15 or 16, effectively sold to their husbands. With a traditional mother and brothers and seeing her sisters suffer in their marriages, when Sonita discovers music and starts to record her own rap songs, she's putting herself in danger from both her family and the authorities. But the wonders of the Internet means her song against child marriage goes viral and she's offered the chance to escape to American college on a full scholarship. Can she persuade her family to let her go and deal with not seeing them again for years?

This is pretty grim in places, but it's going to be, isn't it, talking about violence against women and girls and the Taliban's actions. But it's ultimately redemptive and positive, though I would have liked to have read more detail about her time in America; she makes some interesting points about the gendered violence industry and NGOs I'd have liked to have seen explored further.

Blog review coming 10 July 2025: https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2025/07/10/two-netgalley-reads-about-young-women-sonita-alizada-sonita-and-leila-mottley-the-girls-who-grew-big/

Having previously read and enjoyed Khaled Hosseini's 'Kite Runner' and 'A Thousand Splendid Suns ' I looked forward to reading this book again tackling life in Afghanistan. What a splendid book of non fiction that entertained me in two sittings. Thoroughly recommended. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to ARC this book.

This is the autobiography of Sonita from her childhood in Herat, Afghanistan to her 20s. Sonita refused to accept the traditional, and often brutal, life that Afghan society, and her family, expected of her and other girls.
Her childhood in Afghanistan was a difficult time for her family and friends, because of the rule of the Taliban, and she moved to Iran with her family a couple of times. Despite all her family's struggles, Sonita still persevered with her dreams thanks to some inspirational and supportive teachers. Sonita is now famous for her rapping, and her activism against child brides. In the book, she calls out the hypocrisy of the international humanitarian community and their lack of action.
I wasn't aware of Sonita before, and am grateful for having the opportunity to read this book, and find out about her life.

A thoughtful read about 10 year old Sonita. Travelling from Afghanistan and escaping her fate as a child bride she becomes a human rights activist. An inspirational and empowering read.

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.

Read more at The Secret Book Review.

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.