A Journalist’s Story of Survival and Disappearance

Zahra Joya’s memoir The Vanishing Girl of Kabul, co-written with journalist Amie Ferris-Rotman, explores her childhood under Taliban rule and her journey into journalism. Forced to live as a boy to attend school, Joya later witnessed Afghan women losing access to education, work and public life. The book combines personal memories with investigative reporting, while also highlighting opportunities that emerged after the Taliban’s first rule.