Defiant Dreams: The Journey of an Afghan Girl Who Risked Everything for Education

Ariana Delawari’s passionate reading of Afghan quantum computing researcher Mahfouz’s debut memoir about growing up under the Taliban regime perfectly captures the author’s suffering, heartbreak, and triumph, ensuring this timely and inspiring memoir will echo in listeners’ minds long after the final words are spoken. Mahfouz, using a pseudonym for protection, and co-author Kapoor depict Afghanistan’s recent turmoil through the eyes of Mahfouz’s family, humanizing the incessant political instability. Though forbidden to attend school, Mahfouz was determined to acquire an education, following in the footsteps of her grandparents and parents, who also had to sacrifice for their education. As Delawari recounts Mahfouz’s self-directed science, literature, and mathematics schooling, obtained with the help of the free educational platform Khan Academy (accessing it in the middle of the night when her dial-up connection was speedier), listeners will marvel at her incredible determination while simultaneously shaking with rage at the needless suffering endured by the Afghan people.