Open Skies
My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot
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- ¥1,700
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- ¥1,700
発行者による作品情報
"As a young Afghan woman who dreamed of becoming an air force pilot, Niloofar Rahmani confronted far more than technical challenges; she faced the opprobrium of an entire society." —Pamela Constable, author of Playing with Fire and former Kabul and Islamabad bureau chief for the Washington Post
The true story of Niloofar Rahmani and her determination to become Afghanistan's first female air force pilot—as seen on Anderson Cooper and ABC News
In 2010, for the first time since the Soviets, Afghanistan allowed women to join the armed forces, and Rahmani entered Afghanistan's military academy.
Rahmani had to break through social barriers to demonstrate confidence, leadership, and decisiveness—essential qualities for a pilot. She performed the first solo flight of her class—ahead of all her male classmates—and in 2013 became Afghanistan's first female fixed-wing air force pilot.
The US State Department honored Rahmani with the International Women of Courage Award and brought her to the United States to meet Michelle Obama and fly with the US Navy's Blue Angels. But when she returned to Kabul, the danger to her and her family had increased significantly.
Rahmani and her family are portraits of the resiliency of refugees and the accomplishments they can reach when afforded with opportunities
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this exhilarating debut, Rahmani tells the inspiring story of how she became the Afghan Air Force's first-ever female pilot. Born in 1991 in Kabul, under the Taliban regime, she spent her childhood in Pakistan as a refugee and returned to her homeland with her family in 1999. Up until then, Rahmani's dream of becoming a pilot "was a mere fantasy," but after U.S. troops arrived in Afghanistan, and with the help of an advisor from the U.S. Air Force, she began flight training in 2010 and advanced up the ranks in Afghanistan's air force, even traveling to the U.S. to receive the International Women of Courage Award, meet then First Lady Michelle Obama, and fly with the U.S. Navy's Blue Angels. But her path to success wasn't without turbulence, and she unsparingly reveals the violence women in her country were subjected to—her mother was once whipped for showing her ankles in public—and the two assassination attempts against her brother because of her military service. In 2016, she sought political asylum in the U.S., where she remains today. Delivered with compassion and courage, Rahmani's heart-racing account will leave readers gripping their seats. This is a vital work of the highest order.
