My Beautiful Sisters: A Story of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Football Team

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Khalida Popal

My Beautiful Sisters

A Story of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Football Team

Khalida Popal

$55

Hardback

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English

John Murray Publishers Ltd
20 June 2024

Memoirs; Feminism & feminist theory; Sports teams & clubs; Football (Soccer, Association football)

SHORTLISTED FOR WILLIAM HILL SPORTS BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024

A FINANCIAL TIMES BEST SUMMER BOOKS OF 2024

'Riveting, heart-wrenching and incredibly important . . . an inspirational story for girls and women everywhere' MALALA YOUSAFZAI, Nobel Peace Prize laureate

A story of survival, sisterhood and the fight for feminism in the age of the Taliban.

August 2021: Kabul falls to the Taliban.

Overnight, life for women across Afghanistan changes.

The national women's football team faces an imminent threat to their lives, just for playing sport.

For Khalida Popal, the team's first captain and co-founder, this is not an unprecedented event. Born in Afghanistan, as a child she fled Taliban rule with her family and grew up in a refugee camp in Pakistan. On her return to Afghanistan, football gave her and her teammates power, comradeship and freedom. But advocating for women's rights in sport put Popal's life increasingly at risk, forcing her to flee the country, this time alone.

As a refugee in Denmark, Popal worked to uncover widespread sexual abuse of players by the former president of the Afghanistan Football Federation - forcing FIFA and the government of Afghanistan to act. When Kabul falls Khalida is safe, but her teammates are left behind. Against all the odds, she and a small but mighty network of allies orchestrate an international evacuation strategy to save them.

My Beautiful Sisters is a gripping memoir about courage, the power of teamwork against all odds and the existence of hope in dark times.

By: Khalida Popal
Imprint: John Murray Publishers Ltd
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 218mm, Width: 142mm, Spine: 26mm
Weight: 338g
ISBN: 9781399805728
ISBN 10: 139980572X
Pages: 224
Publication Date: 20 June 2024
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Khalida Popal is a former captain of the Afghanistan National Women's Football Team and played a pivotal role in establishing the team. She is also the founder and director of the Girl Power Organisation and holds the position of Program and Event Director for the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team. She serves as a Purpose Lead for the Right to Dream Organisation, is a member of the UNHCR Sport for Refugees Coalition, a regular public speaker, and mentors at the Women Sport Leadership Academy. Popal is a dedicated women's rights activist and is passionate about greater inclusion and integration of refugees. She has been awarded numerous awards including the Leaders in Sport U40 Class of 2019 Award, the UEFA Equal Game Award and The Lantos Human Rights Prize which was presented by the Lantos Foundation.

Reviews for My Beautiful Sisters: A Story of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women’s Football Team

Riveting, heart-wrenching and incredibly important. My Beautiful Sisters shows us the value of raising our voices in the face of injustice, the ability of sport to unite us all and the strength we have when we stand together. This is an inspirational story for girls and women everywhere, but essential reading for everyone -- MALALA YOUSAFZAI, Nobel Peace Prize laureate