GIRL UNBOUND: THE WAR TO BE HER

Pakistan’s top female squash player, Maria Toorpakai Wazir, received her first death threat at age 16. The rural community where her family—and, unfortunately, The Taliban—call home, frown upon women for watching television and having an education, let alone playing sports. But after years of disguising herself as a boy to pursue her passion, Maria vows she will no longer live in fear. Although she trains and competes abroad, she longs to have the freedom to play in her home country and gain the respect she deserves as a female athlete. Thankfully, she has the unwavering support of her parents, who are a teacher and a principal for local schoolchildren, and her sister Ayesha, the youngest politician in Pakistan. Maria and her family bring inspiration and hope to their fear-stricken community until The Taliban’s increasingly dangerous threats soon put all their lives at stake. GIRL UNBOUND: THE WAR TO BE HER is a shockingly brave and unapologetic story of a woman willing to risk her life to create new opportunities for girls aspiring to follow in her footsteps. (In English, Pashto, and Urdu with subtitles) —A.B.