Playing for Freedom by Zarifa Adiba; Anne Chaon

The tagline manages to encompass exactly what this book is about. Zarifa is a musician foremost and it’s not something that is easy to be in Afghanistan, even before the current rulers took over.

I wanted to read this book because it provides a window into an almost ordinary(but not quite) girl who fights for what she wants. Things don’t always go her way, but she manages to make her mark.

The book begins with our author already in the orchestra that defines her future in several ways. Then we are provided a look at the state of things within the country and within her family. Her family are not entirely supportive of her and this causes her distress at several levels.

Unlike other books, here we even get to see the simple things that people have to do to gain scholarships and the options open for studies based on their situations. Zarifa has some good people in her life who helped her advance on her dreams.

The book ends with links as to where we can see or read any of the things mentioned in the text. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Afghanistan and memoirs of young contemporary people.

I received an ARC thanks to Netgalley and the publishers but the review is entirely based on my own reading experience.