Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl

Though I don’t often read memoirs unless I’m already familiar with the author, there are two subjects for which I frequently make exceptions: memoirs about people from other countries or cultures, and memoirs that are in some way about music. In the case of Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl, by Zarifa Adiba and Anne Chaon, the memoir checked both boxes. I was excited to learn not only about Afghan culture today, but also about how music was such an important component of the author’s life.

Special thanks to Amazon Crossing and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!

Review

Prior to reading Playing for Freedom, I had only read one book set in or about Afghanistan: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. However, this is my first nonfiction and memoir, and I was intrigued to learn about Afghanistan today from the perspective of a young woman.

The memoir begins with a triumph in Zarifa Adiba’s young life: her opportunity to serve as orchestra conductor for the all-girls Afghan orchestra on a trip to Davos, Switzerland. Not only was the performance a success, the interviews Zarifa gave were eye-opening to non-Afghans around the world. But upon returning to Kabul, Afghanistan, Zarifa still had a long road ahead of her on her journey to achieving her many goals.

From here, Playing for Freedom dives into different aspects of Afghanistan’s culture and politics, as well as Zarifa’s own family circumstances. She talks about the extremist conservative society, which puts so many limits on women and considers music a sin. She also describes her complicated, often toxic family, from her fraught relationship with her mother to her frequently being passed around from one household to another. It’s often heartbreaking to learn how isolating and unsupportive her family could be, largely due to the societal views on women. Zarifa would sometimes stay with family in Pakistan, but her home was ultimately still in Kabul.

I love how Zarifa is such a strong-willed and confident young woman. She is still Muslim, like most in Afghanistan, but she takes on a more liberal and modern approach to her faith. She doesn’t see music as a sin, nor does she think women’s hair being visible should be considered scandalous. By her society’s standards, Zarifa is a “bad girl” and proud of it. She is also an unapologetic feminist who believes in the power of education and emancipating women and girls throughout her country. I enjoyed hearing about her admiration for Michelle Obama and how the former First Lady was a role model for Zarifa. Seeing other trailblazers can be so inspiring in forging your own path!

There were major hurdles to overcome during Zarifa’s childhood and early adulthood, from family issues to the devastating effects of violence in Afghanistan, but I love how she overwhelming takes an optimistic and hopeful view, both about the future of Afghanistan and of her own goals.

Final Thoughts

Playing for Freedom is an inspiring and eye-opening account of one brave young woman. Zarifa Adiba believes in Afghan women becoming true equals in society, being allowed to get an education, and being allowed to play music and sports without derision. I appreciated learning more about Afghanistan from a young person’s perspective, and I admire the author’s vision and leadership.

Get the Book

You can buy Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl here – it’s available as a hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook.

Playing for Freedom: The Journey of a Young Afghan Girl by Zarifa Adiba and Anne Chaon
Translator	Susanna Lea Associates
Audience	Adult
Genre	Memoir
Setting	Afghanistan; Pakistan; Switzerland
Number of Pages	205
Format I Read	Ebook (NetGalley ARC)
Original Publication Date	April 16, 2024
Publisher	Amazon Crossing

Official Summary

A passionate musician growing up in the war-torn streets of Kabul takes her forbidden talents abroad in this triumphant memoir from debut author Zarifa Adiba.

As an Afghan girl, Zarifa Adiba has big, unfathomable dreams. Her family is poor, her country mired in conflict. Walking to school in Kabul, Zarifa has to navigate suicide bombers.

But Zarifa perseveres, nurturing her passion for music despite its “sinful” nature under Taliban law. At sixteen she gains admission to the Afghanistan National Institute of Music, and at eighteen she becomes the lead violist, co-conductor, and spokesperson for Zohra, the first all-female orchestra in the Muslim world.

Despite Zarifa’s accomplishments―which include a stunning performance at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland―her future in music demands a reckoning with her life back home. Many of the girls in Zohra are forced to marry, but Zarifa yearns to study, travel, and explore her independence. Her so-called “bad girl” identity puts her at odds with her culture and her family.