Sonita - by Sonita Alizada (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Nearly 15 million girls, including many in the U.S., are forced into marriage each year. Each of these girls has a price tag--and a story. Sonita Alizada was almost sold twice. Her price tag was $9,000. The money her family received for selling her would pay for her brother's wife.

The first time Sonita was put up for sale, she was 10 years old and she thought that she was participating in a dress-up game. She quickly realized that, in her culture, a wedding is a kind of funeral for the bride. Sonita says, "It represents the loss of a future. The loss of a voice." After the marriage fell through, she was placed on sale again. She was expected to form a family, sleep with a man she never met, and then repeat the terrible cycle with her own children. But Sonita wanted more.

In Sonita, the Afghan rap artist and activist shares the story of how she fled Afghanistan to pursue her dreams and evolved into a woman who is changing the world. She shares incredible highs, like winning the song writing contest that gave her the opportunity of a lifetime, and unimaginable lows, like when the cruel Taliban regained control of Afghanistan, and how some of her family escaped, and how some were left behind. Sonita also shares photos and access to exclusive music.

Sonita teaches us to hold onto hope. You were chosen to be part of this world and your dreams have power, too. You can be a difference maker. This book is more than Sonita's story. It is a love letter for anyone who has ever dreamed of more and held onto hope that their story would be different than the ones that came before them.

Review Quotes

Sonita Alizada's remarkable journey, beautifully captured in her upcoming book, is a testament to resilience and optimism. Her story inspires courage and hope, reminding us of the power of the human spirit."
-- Hillary Rodham Clinton

"This story is a source of inspiration for young people."
-- Kerry Kennedy, President, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

"Her buoyant voice lends her difficult life story a sense of lightness, optimism, and hope. The memoir's clean narrative arc reveals Sonita's talent not only as a lyricist, but as a writer of prose. An uplifting and bighearted memoir from Afghanistan's most famous female rapper." -- Kirkus Reviews

"Alizada's straightforward prose effectively conveys her loss of innocence as she comes to understand the burdens placed on women.....this inspires." -- Publishers Weekly

"Over the last decade, Alizada has given much of herself to the world as an activist. Now, on her own terms, she shares her story and all that she sacrificed and gained by continuing to write it, honoring her family throughout its pages." -- Booklist