Welcome to Litsy!

A look at the secret practice of “Bacha posh” in Afghanistan (which translates from Dari as "dressed up like a boy”). Bacha posh are children born as girls who are raised and treated as if they were boys to serve as a son for the family. This affords them freedoms that are denied to females. This was written in 2014. With the Taliban back in power, the bacha posh will likely go even further underground.
#Nonfiction2022
Prompt: I‘m a Rebel

Families in Afghanistan that do not have a boy dress one of their girls as a boy to increase the family‘s stature in the community. I assumed wrongly that most families dressed their girls as boys so they could have a better life. This was a topic I knew nothing about. It was a great Bookclub pick as it generated a lot of discussion.
The main emotion I felt reading this was anger. ⬇️

In #Afghanistan, there are families that have a daughter live as a son, usually to give the family more stature by having a boy. This usually stops around puberty, but not always. This book follows several of these individuals and is absolutely fascinating. It is also infuriating and thought provoking, definitely contributing the the conversation on gender.

#ReadingAsia2021

Why is there a culture on this earth (and I know there‘s more than one) in which I girl has to pretend to be a boy to be permitted such simple pleasures? This absolutely breaks my heart.

Starting this as Im waiting for an oil change. I rather be sleeping!

This book was fascinating and incredible. Girls raised as boys in Afghanistan. On sale for $1.99!

One of my reading buddies really enjoyed The Underground Girls of Kabul! An interesting take on the two factors that rule the world society: money and (political) power. Aptly named, Jenny Nordberg uncovers a “hidden resistance” - that of brave-hearted feminists who either lean into or defy society norms and values, crossing and blurring the lines of binary gender identity and roles in the subculture of deadly patriarchy in Afghanistan.

Halfway through this book and cannot stop! Absolutely fascinating journalism story about girls in Afganistan living as boys in order to bring honour to their families and to have more freedom and opportunities they never would as girls!

Just finished this for my real life book club. So good! And inspiring story of strife, resilience and gender roles in Afghanistan. Can‘t wait to discuss this one!

“Power has always been held by those who manage to control the origins of life by controlling women‘s bodies”
#feminism 💪❤️

My newest #blameitonlitsy acquisition. So excited!

Highly recommend this nonfiction book, written by a journalist, about families in Afghanistan who dress up their daughters like boys and raise them as sons for a few years. Life is very difficult and dangerous for women in this strict patriarchal society, and while living as a boy gives these girls a taste of freedom it also highlights the painful gender inequalities within the country. It‘s a thought provoking, heartbreaking, powerful book.

Feminist Book Club pick for March.

An amazing book about gender, culture, power and freedom. I expected (and did) learn a lot about Afghanistan. I didn't expect to learn so much about religion, history, foreign aid, and sexuality. Highly recommend!

Another one of my #2018cantwaittoreadbooks i picked up during holiday shopping.

#bookhaul with a $50 Barnes and noble gift card. Best part? I only spent $39.xx. Gotta say, I love the $7.99 fantasy books.

In order from top left 1) on my TBR(and most expensive book) 2) Fantasy 3) fairy tale retold fantasy and classic author 4) nonfiction about females raised as males in Afghanistan 5) historical fiction #giftcard

Truth is stranger than fiction.

The author provides an insight into the craziness that patriarchy and religion produces in Afghanistan. What a world of contradictions.

At times this was very hard to listen to, nevertheless it was written in a very fluent narrative with a lot of oral history and some research and statistics providing more background.

#FallIntoBooks Day 17: These underground young ladies may be perceived as #difficultwomen given their courage and resistance in the face of regimented oppression

This sounds amazing. #underground #septembowie

@Marchpane @Cinfhen

When the lamp is too far away, get a lantern. #vacationproblems #leftmylightathome #book4ofsummer

#Resistance
This work of investigative journalism tells the stories of the "bacha posh" of Afghanistan: girls temporarily raised as boys in a segregated society where women have few rights.
#JuneTunz

A book from my tbr about some very inspiring #renegades! #lyricalapril

This was a phenomenal non-fiction book. It was readable, engrossing, and I learned SO much about things I knew almost nothing about before. I would recommend this to anyone who has any interest in gender roles, feminism, Afghanistan, the concept of freedom, patriarchy, or the potential pitfalls of good intentioned humanitarian work in a foreign context.

I'm telling myself that if I can just get thru 8 hours of (very boring) work, I have this weekend TBR to enjoy!

Blacksad and Introducing Kafka are part of my new foray into graphic novels. Hoping to read them both by end of weekend.

The Howard Zinn doorstop is for my new in-real-life Non-Fiction Bookclub. I'll be reading it slowly over next month or two.

And The Underground Girls of Kabul is my next regular read. Has anyone else read it?

"Someday in our future it may be possible for women everywhere not to be restricted to those roles society deems natural, God-given, or appropriately feminine. This possible future could only expand the human experience and be liberating to men and women alike. And it will be interesting to all. Because, maybe what Azita once said about why she was glad to have been born a girl holds some truth."

Despite my intention to read 'lighter' topics for this time of year, I fell into this book and cannot put it down.

My reads from the last two years with "girl" in the title. Fewer than I thought. I'm working on training myself out of saying "girl" when I mean "woman" and the girl title trend doesn't help with that!

These are mostly not egregious offenders. The bottom two really do mean girl. At least one of the missing girls in the top left book is actually a high school girl. Squirrel Girl is a college student, right on the cusp. #readjanuary

Excellent book dealing with a fascinating subject. Rating: 5/5.

Next book on my TBR list. Looks fascinating!

Found this in the little free library along my walk today!

It's a sad reality that there are still places in the world where being a girl is not celebrated.

"To every girl who figured out that she could run faster, and climb higher, in pants."