Latifa was born into an educated middle-class Afghan family in Kabul in 1980. She dreamed of one day of becoming a journalist, she was interested in fashion, movies and friends. Her father was in the import/export business and her mother was a doctor.
Then in September 1996, Taliban soldiers seized power in Kabul. From that moment, Latifa, just 16 years old became a prisoner in her own home. Her school was closed. Her mother was banned from working. The simplest and most basic freedoms - walking down the street, looking out a window - were no longer hers. She was now forced to wear a chadri.
My Forbidden Face provides a poignant and highly personal account of life under the Taliban regime. With painful honesty and clarity Latifa describes the way she watched her world falling apart, in the name of a fanatical interpretation of a faith that she could not comprehend. Her voice captures a lost innocence, but also echoes her determination to live in freedom and hope.
Earlier this year, Latifa and her parents escaped Afghanistan with the help of a French-based Afghan resistance group.



![Bower, Tom PREORDER NONFICTION New Tom Bower: Betrayal [2026]](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/bower-tom-tom-bower-betrayal-2026-9781785126413-1229179083_{width}x.jpg?v=1779886816)
![Rohr, Richard CUSTO New Richard Rohr: The Tears Of Things [2025]](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/rohr-richard-richard-rohr-the-tears-of-things-2025-9780281090952-1194988988_{width}x.jpg?v=1774615652)
![Westover, Tara BIOGRAPHY Tara Westover: Educated: The international bestselling memoir [2018] paperback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/westover-tara-tara-westover-educated-the-international-bestselling-memoir-2018-paperback-57939868025171_{width}x.jpg?v=1774369898)
![Bower, Tom BIOGRAPHY Tom Bower: Revenge: Meghan, Harry And The War Between The Windsors. The 'explosive' New Book From 'britain's Top Investigative Author' [2022] paperback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/bower-tom-tom-bower-revenge-meghan-harry-and-the-war-between-the-windsors-the-explosive-new-book-from-britain-s-top-investigative-author-2022-paperback-57168834462035_{width}x.jpg?v=1730738808)
![Prince, Harry BIOGRAPHY Prince Harry The Duke Of Sussex: Spare: by Prince Harry, The Duke of Sussex [2023] hardback](http://chaptersbookstore.com/cdn/shop/files/prince-harry-prince-harry-the-duke-of-sussex-spare-by-prince-harry-the-duke-of-sussex-2023-hardback-57291290247507_{width}x.jpg?v=1728145143)