I recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about culture, sports, immigration, and women's rights. Also, if you enjoyed Malala’s story, you should read this one. It's short and easy to follow, and keeps you captivated all thw way thru.. Although it's rated for adults, I think it's a perfect read for young people ages 15 and up.

This is the inspiring story of an Afghan young woman determined to pursue her dream of becoming a soccer player. I wasn't surprised to discover all the injustices, prejudices, and rejection she faced, as we know women's participation is limited to nonexistent in Afghanistan. What did surprise me was meeting a brave, determined, and feisty woman in a place dominated exclusively by men. It's inspiring to see how Khalida Popal’s perseveres in the face of an extremely strict and violent society, not only to achieve her dreams, but also to offer Afghan women and future generations a bit of freedom. It was nice to know that her family supported and encouraged her education and personal growth, even though it took sacrifices and putting their lives at risk.

My admiration for Khalida, who, despite so many obstacles, including death threats and mental health issues, never stopped fighting against society.. Even after her hasty and forced departure from the country, she served as a leader and inspiration to many other women who needed her help.

This was a heartbreaking and eye opening story of the brave group of women and girls who used soccer to fight for equal rights against the Taliban. It is impossible to believe this is a story that took place within the last 20 years. I would recommend this book and look forward to sharing it with my teenage girls.

In 2021, the US withdrew forces from Afghanistan. The Taliban immediately seized control—and Popal, who was by then living outside the country, immediately began receiving text messages, phone calls, voice notes. She'd once been the most visible face of women's soccer in Afghanistan, and now her former teammates—and the next generation of players—knew that the Taliban would be closing in on them too. They were desperate to get out.

As I started reading this, I remember thinking that it would be purely a story of Popal's attempts to help get these girls and women out of the country before doing so became impossible, perhaps with a bit of her own story sprinkled in; I thought "I wish she'd also written a book about her own experience". But then I kept reading—and this *is* Popal's story, and it's both devastating and damning.

Growing up in Afghanistan and (during the Taliban's earlier takeover) Pakistan, Popal had it better than many girls of her generation: her parents valued education and independence. They encouraged Popal to speak her mind; they were happy for her to play soccer and develop her leadership skills and push boundaries over and over again. They had their limits, but those limits were based on what they knew of the danger of society rather than on what they thought Popal should be allowed to do.

But better is not easy. Popal describes a world in which if men scaled the walls behind which girls played—walls supposedly there to protect them—and those men hurled abuse at the girls, the girls would be in the wrong. A world in which the girls could trust nobody, not even each other, because there were no mechanisms in place that actually protected them, and anyone who stepped outside the boundaries of convention in even the smallest of ways was assumed to be a deviant in every other way possible—and thus not worthy of protection in the first place.

The strides Popal made with women's soccer when she was in Afghanistan, despite all the barriers she came up against over and over, are incredible, but even then she knew they wouldn't be allowed to last. I said this book was damning, and I meant it: she calls out policies that meant that American soldiers in Afghanistan could shoot to kill when anything threatened them, even if that "threat" was simply an unarmed girl taking a photo with her phone; she notes that FIFA could take a stance by simply not allowing the Afghanistan men's team to play internationally if there is no corresponding women's team—and funding and support for that women's team—and FIFA has chosen instead to bury its head in the sand. And: refugee processing centers that did not understand that just because women had rights in one country did not mean that they were afforded those same rights in their home country, or that a lack of documentation could be a result of having to flee and flee again, or of that same documentation (e.g., proof of playing on a women's soccer team) posing a mortal danger back home.

There's so much frustration here, but Popal is clear-eyed—she knows how multifaceted the problem is, and how short attention spans are. Another crisis occurs, and the world's attention shifts. She's really good about bringing in her teammates' stories and realities while maintaining their privacy; even when individuals have gotten out of the country, their family might remain, and remain in danger. There's hope in here, but there are limits to the happy endings; go in with your eyes wide open.

Thanks to the author and publisher for providing a review copy through NetGalley.

I started and finished this book today, and I already want to reread it. This was so powerful. I had a stomachache the whole time I was reading this book. The author was really able to transport the reader to Afghanistan to visualize the experiences of the childhood as if they were there. This book was very challenging to read, as the author went through so much trauma, but the resilience the author exhibits is truly inspiring. As a women’s soccer fan, I love the recurring soccer lessons and themes at the beginning of each chapter. I just wish the Afghanistan Women’s National Team could still be playing and getting the treatment they deserve. This book evoked a lot of anger and left me with a major feeling of f**k the patriarchy!

Thank you to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for my honest rating and review.

[ARC review]
Thank you to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review!

PUBLISHED DATE: MAY 27 2025

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, she fled Taliban rule as a child 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.

Thoughts: I truly admire people that find their calling in life and are willing to risk it all - their family, their safety, and ultimately their life - in order to do what they love. Khalida Popal underwent so much hardship and lived pretty much her entire life in uncertainty - Will the Taliban return to power? What will life be like back under Taliban rule? Can the people that tell her they will support her and take care of her be trusted?

But, despite it all, she was not willing to give up on her love for soccer.

I followed Malala Yousafzai's story (Shot in 2012 for opposing Taliban restrictions on female education) and Khalida Popal's memoir continued to shock me - people, especially women, forced to fight for their most basic rights. BUT, I couldn't help but feel - was it worth it? The Popal family faced so much danger, discrimination, fear because of Khalida's determination to play soccer. I feel that if you put soccer aside, Popal's fight was for a much bigger cause - showing the international world what is really going on under Taliban rule. But, again, she gave up so much and brought so much danger to her family....because of soccer.

This is an important read - it was quite short and beautifully shared - and it really made me thankful and grateful for my access to not only basic rights, but above and beyond.

'My Beautiful Sisters: A Story of Courage, Hope and the Afghan Women's Football Team' is a memoir by Khalida Popal where she chronicles her story that is tightly connected with the women's football team.

The story is shocking and quite dark, and it often feels like watching or reading a thriller rather than a real story, which makes it even more shocking when you remember that those things really happen.

And yet, after all these things these incredible women endured and fought against, the book has a hopeful undertone. Khalida Popal is also a true rule model, as she is indeed a strong woman who fights against all odds for her basic rights.

I should mention, though, that the book needs some editing, as the narration isn't as smooth at some points as it is at others.

The time jumps could have been handled better as well.