SHORTLISTED FOR WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2024

«Riveting, heart-wrenching and incredibly important . . . an inspirational story for girls and women everywhere» - MALALA YOUSAFZAI, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

A story of survival, sisterhood, and the fight for feminism in the era of the Taliban.

August 2021: Kabul falls to the Taliban. Overnight, life for women across Afghanistan changes. The national women's football team faces an immediate threat to their lives, simply because they play sports.

For Khalida Popal, the first team captain and co-founder, this is not a new experience. Born in Afghanistan, as a child she escaped Taliban rule with her family and grew up in a refugee camp in Pakistan. Upon her return to Afghanistan, football gave her and her teammates strength, sisterhood, and freedom. But advocating for women's rights in sports put Popal's life in increasing danger, forcing her to leave the country, this time alone.

As a refugee in Denmark, Popal worked to expose the widespread sexual abuse of players by the former president of the Afghanistan Football Federation - forcing FIFA and the Afghan government to act. When Kabul falls, Khalida is safe, but her teammates are left behind. Against all odds, she and a small yet powerful network of allies organize an international evacuation strategy to save them.

«My Beautiful Sisters» is a gripping autobiographical work about courage, the strength of teamwork against all odds, and the existence of hope in dark times.

Pages: 224, Year of Publication: 2024, Dimensions: 14.2x14.2cm