The Favored Daughter by Fawzia Koofi Book Review

The Favored Daughter: One Woman's Fight to Lead Afghanistan into the Future by Fawzia Koofi

Read: September 2013
Source: Book Club Selection for October 2013, recommended by a member
Medium: iPhone and Kindle

The Favored Daughter is a true story and memoir of an Afghani woman, Fawzia Koofi, to surpass cultural expectations and become the first female Speaker of Parliament in Afghanistan (now running for President).

Format thoughts:  Each ‘chapter’ opens with a letter to Mrs. Koofi’s daughters followed by a chapter of real life events that embody a life lesson she often gives in each letter.  I didn't mind this format in the beginning, but towards the end, these letters no longer appeared to be genuine to me... I felt as if they were written for the book, rather than used retrospectively as if they were originally written for her daughters alone.  I’m not sure what the exact story is behind these letters, but this was my impression.  Regardless, these letters allowed Mrs. Koofi to set the scene for each dramatic event in her life that has played a role in the person she is today.  These letters, of course, lend a hand in explaining Mrs. Koofi visions for the future of Afghanistan.  Towards the end, I began to dislike the format.  There was quite a bit of repetition not only in the letters, but also in her desires to change Afghanistan.  The book became preachy in the last chapter, and in my opinion, it could have been wiped from the book. 

I found this book to be educational and inspiring and I recommend you spend the time to read this book. I found myself in disbelief that someone could live and survive in such circumstances.  Prior to reading this book, I had no appreciation for Afghanistan’s history, the multitude of wars and the lack of stability in the country for so many years.  If you gain nothing else from this book besides an understanding of the political history of Afghanistan beginning from the cold war, through 9-11 up to today, I think it’s completely worth the time.  At a minimum, Mrs. Koofi has shed light on the tumultuous history of Afghanistan, which provides a basic understanding of why change can be so difficult to achieve. 

I finished this book in a matter of a couple of weeks, and while I found some of the text lacking depth and a few open ended stories, I can’t say it influenced the draw to continue reading.  I was especially drawn in by Mrs. Koofi’s explanation of the clan-like family culture that seems integral to the way of life in Afghanistan.  It’s probably not something one can fully appreciate unless its inherent to your lifestyle, but it was eye-opening to learn of the strong bond of the Afghani family, whether immediate, by marriage, or otherwise!  This was immensely clear when Mrs. Koofi chose to run for Speaker of Parliament and had to rely on her extended family for support.   

This book was the October selection, but unfortunately I did not find any published questions for the meeting.  So, if you choose this book for your club, take some time to write some questions/discussion points (or take notes as your reading… if you do that!).