"Engrossing...Chesler adroitly blends her personal narrative with a riveting account of Afghanistan's troubled history, the ongoing Islamic/Islamist terrorism against Muslim civilians and the West, and the continuing struggle and courage of Afghan feminists."--"Publishers Weekly""No human culture compromises the rights of women more than Islam. Today over 700 million women are directly or indirectly affected by the Koran and the teachings of Mohammed. Phyllis Chesler is by far the bravest and most outspoken American feminist to address the plight of Muslim women. In this book she shares with the reader her first encounter with Islam in Afghanistan. It is a moving account of the harrowing experience of one woman who almost meets her death in a culture that could not be more alien to her American upbringing. Yet every page is laden with compassion and love for the ex-husband and his family she unwittingly joined. I recommend this book be put on the reading list of every American school." --Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Author of "Infidel "and" Nomad""Boom. Suddenly Phyllis Chesler is a prisoner in Afghanistan. Without a passport. As a wife without rights of any kind. Her bridegroom, once her equal when they met in New York, now in his own land, is a stranger...she is in an utterly male society where women and children are a man's property--"his to protect or abuse. They are his to kill. It is the way things are." This is disconcerting to say the least...She escapes. This is how it all started. This is a bold book; intimate and rich in detail; as revealing a story about class, gender and religious differences as one will find. Chesler is a voice crying out for women. She had the right training. She will never stop." --Kate Millett, author of "Sexual Politics" and "Going to Iran""""This is a wondrous, invaluable memoir and meditation on women, culture, history, and the meaning of freedom. Phyllis Chesler tells a moving story in a direct, unaffected style and is able t

Phyllis Chesler is an Emerita Professor of Psychology and Women's Studies at City University of New York, best selling author, legendary feminist leader, and psychotherapist. She is co-founder of the Association for Women in Psychology and the National Women's Health Network, among others. Dr. Chesler has lectured and organized women's rights and human rights campaigns all over the world and has also appeared on outlets such as CNN, Fox News, The O'Rielly Factor, The Today Show, Oprah, and multiple NPR programs, including a three year tenure as a regular contributor to NPR's At the Opera. Her writings have been featured in The Washington Post, The International Herald Tribune, The Times, The Weekly Standard, National Review, The New York Times, Salon, The Globe and Mail, The Guardian and her archives are held at Duke University.

Preface SECTION ONE: In Afghanistan Chapter One: From Brooklyn to Kabul Chapter Two: The Imprisoned Bride Chapter Three: Burqas Chapter Four: Harem Days Chapter Five: My Mother-in-law Chapter Six: Trapped Chapter Seven: Escape SECTION TWO: In America Chapter Eight: Home in America Chapter Nine: My Afghan Family Arrives Chapter Ten: The Jews of Afghanistan Chapter Eleven: 9/11 Chapter Twelve: 9/11/11 Chapter Thirteen: America in Afghanistan Chapter Fourteen: Hard Lessons