The Vanishing Girl of Kabul: Betrayal, Hope and an Extraordinary Fight for Women's Rights

By Zahra Joya

As a young girl in Afghanistan, Zahra disguised herself as a boy just to be able to go to school. Under US occupation, opportunity and freedom flourished and she was able to study law and become a journalist, setting up her own media company. There was hope and belief in a future. But when the Taliban reclaimed power in 2021, decades of progress vanished overnight - and the silencing of women began. The promises of the West were broken. This book tells of this great betrayal, of having the courage to speak out and of the ongoing fight for rights across the world.

Now living in exile in London, Zahra refuses to stay silent. The Vanishing Girl of Kabul is not only an eye-opening personal account, but her story becomes a rallying cry for women everywhere whose rights are stripped away. From Afghan girls forbidden to go to school, to women losing control over their bodies, Zahra exposes how the same battle for equality rages on every continent. It is a searing indictment of gender apartheid that is being allowed to continue and a testament to the power of hope, and how we must heed the voices of those who resist.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1408783649
• ISBN13: 9781408783641
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Robinson Press
• Length: 304 Pages