About book The Underground Girls Of Kabul: In Search Of A Hidden Resistance In Afghanistan (2014)
This book is a fascinating look at many subjects - Afghanistan and its history, misogyny and the treatment of women, religion, gender, sex, and more. Although the focus is largely on women's rights and what desperate measures are being taken to receive freedom, you will learn so much more from this book.I enjoyed this book, but felt it could have been about 50 pages shorter. Some storylines were dragged on too long and some interviews felt repetetive or unnecessary. I devoured the first half, but started lagging at around page 200.Overall, full of fantastic information and left me with lots to think about. I also feel like I have a much deeper understanding of both Afghanistan's history and the United States role in the country for the last decade. More than anything, I have a much deeper appreciation for the rights and freedom I have been afforded as a woman in the United States. Everyone knows that Afghanistan is patriarchal to the extreme. The sole purpose of an Afghan woman is to get married and bear children. In their culture, there is no other acceptable path for a female. AND most important in this goal is having SONS. Glorious sons. Sons give the family respect and prestige and they will grow up to protect and support you. Afghan society demands sons so forcefully that families who have only girls will often present one of their daughters as a son - that is, they will dress a young baby daughter as a boy, cut her hair, and present her to friends, family, and society as a son. She will play with the boys and have the same privileges and freedoms. She does not have to stay inside and cover herself. Even those who know of this deceit accept it and go along with it because it helps the family save face in society. They have a son!These girls turned into boys are called “bacha posh”. There is no concern about the psychological ramifications of this practice. At puberty around age 12 or 13, the ‘boy’ is simply turned back into a girl who now covers herself up and presents as a young marriageable woman in need of a husband. Serious role reversal! Jenny Nordberg follows the story of several bacha posh over the course of a couple years and shows us their struggles and challenges.One major reason for turning a girl into a boy is to ensure that the mother bears future sons. This widely accepted magical idea asserts that when a woman constantly see a 'son' in front of her, she is more likely to bear a real son in further pregnancies. One old grandmother told the author that “bacha posh” have been around since before Islam ever came to Afghanistan. It is an old, old custom used by much earlier peoples. Another reason for having a ‘bacha posh’ is that it serves families who actually need the income that a young ‘son’ can earn by working in the marketplace. It is sometimes an economic necessity. A 'son' can work with his father and move around among men and business in a way that would be absolutely prohibited to a female.Bacha posh are also helpful in accompanying other women in the family on their public outings because it is considered disgraceful and dangerous for women to have no protection. The mere presence of a 'man' makes all the difference.There are some advantages in growing up as a bacha posh. A female gains the same natural confidence and sense of power that a young male has. She learns how to speak her mind and be assertive, all in the guise of a boy. Never mind that she will have to learn to keep herself in check after marriage and rein in her male thinking and tendencies. Many bacha posh are reluctant to give up their social power and freedom of movement when they hit puberty. The author’s conclusion is that Afghan’s patriarchal social system is broken - the evidence is this strange practice of bacha posh. I am the oldest of five daughters, born all in a row within a span of 7 years. Had we been an Afghan family, perhaps the fourth one would have become a “bacha posh”, but our American version of that was simply to name the fourth daughter Henrietta after my father Henry. I like that much better and I'm sure she does also!
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Good read. It opens the eyes of the reader to an experience outside of their own.
—Maddie
