A review by lancakes
The Underground Girls of Kabul: In Search of a Hidden Resistance in Afghanistan by Jenny Nordberg

5.0

So much more than just investigative journalism. This book begins when the author finds out the youngest child of a female Afghani politician is a 4th daughter, and not the only son. When the politician, Azita, explains the many benefits of dressing her youngest daughter as a son, Nordberg becomes convinced that Azita can't be the only Afghani parent to think of this, and begins to search for other "bacha posh". She uncovers a phenomenon that crosses class and ethnic divides, interviews doctors and parents, as well as profiling both young bacha posh and women that were bacha posh for a period of their childhoods. However, Nordberg doesn't stop there: she delves in to Afghan history and the origins of patriarchy, and she finds other examples from around the world of women and girls working within the confines of a patriarchal system by dressing up as males. Another noteworthy aspect of the book was Nordberg's scathing (but fair?) take on foreign aid, foreign intervention and NGO gender experts, which I found to be startling but something I needed to hear.