SONITA

A rapper and an activist from Afghanistan tells her life story.

Growing up in Herat, Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, Alizada leads a circumscribed life. A war rages through the country, limiting her family’s mobility. No one in her household can read or write, limiting their exposure to the world beyond their country. It is only when the family flees to Iran with the help of a smuggler that Sonita’s world begins to expand. Despite her mother’s conviction that education is “a waste of time and money,” Sonita sneaks out of the house and attempts to enroll in an Iranian school where the watchman turns her away, saying, “Afghanis aren’t allowed here.” Years later, after her family briefly moves back to Afghanistan, Sonita’s father dies, and the family eventually returns to Iran, Sonita finally finds a school that serves Afghani children. Although Sonita’s school supports her, her family does not: She must hide her movements to avoid her brothers’ violent threats. At school, Sonita’s talent for writing rap music inspires a filmmaker to make her the star of a documentary, helping her with an opportunity to attend a boarding school in Utah. Sonita leaves Iran without telling her family, risking their relationship. During the years it takes to reconcile, Sonita becomes a viral sensation and a vocal advocate for ending child marriage around the world. Her buoyant voice lends her difficult life story a sense of lightness, optimism, and hope. The memoir’s clean narrative arc reveals Sonita’s talent not only as a lyricist, but as a writer of prose.

An uplifting and bighearted memoir from Afghanistan’s most famous female rapper.