NAHID SHAHALIMI was born in Afghanistan and left with her family when she was young to begin a new life in Canada. Later she moved to Germany, where she works today as an author, artist, and social entrepreneur. She started traveling to Afghanistan in 2011, visiting Kabul and remote provinces to interview Afghan women. In 2017 she published her first book in German, Where Courage Bears the Soul, to great acclaim. The following year she released her award-winning film We the Women of Afghanistan- A Silent Revolution. We Are Still Here is her first English-language publication.
The title says it all. The Taliban may try to make Afghan women disappear, and the world may be distracted by crises in other places, but the women who have been the backbone of Afghanistan still exist; they have things to say and they need to be heard. We Are Still Here is an important book that brings together the voices of powerful, articulate, talented women who need to be allowed to do the work they've been called to do. It is an inspiration. It is a call to action. It is a demand for us to create a better, kinder, more just world. Thank you to all of the writers for sharing their stories. -Deborah Ellis, #1 bestselling author of The Breadwinner Provide[s] important detail and fascinating personal narratives that highlight how Afghan women and girls embraced the opportunities afforded them over the past 20 years . . . I remain in awe of their resilience. -NPR An inspiring portrait of perseverance in the face of cruelty and injustice. -Publishers Weekly An impassioned testimony to women's determination. -Kirkus Reviews