Afghanistan: Home

When it invaded Afghanistan in 2001, the United States sought to do something previous foreign powers had never attempted: to create an Afghani state where none existed. More than a decade on, the new regime in Kabul remains plagued by illegitimacy and ineffectiveness. What happened?

Discusses the history and culture of the people of Afghanistan, the various challenges they've been through, and their struggle to rebuild their country.

Award-winning photographer Rafal Gerszak spent a year embedded with the American military in Afghanistan, where he used his camera to document everyday life in the war-torn country. Through Gerszak's lens, readers can see the shattered aftermath of military attacks and dismal hospitals and refugee camps, but they can also experience the vibrant activity of life in the markets, at home and on the Muslim day of rest.

Drugs, war and terrorism were the unholy trinity that brought the US-led air campaign crashing down on the Taliban regime in Afghanistan in October 2001 in Operation Enduring Freedom, and this photographic history is a graphic introduction to it. The decade-long war that followed, first against the Taliban regime, then against Taliban insurgents, is one of the most controversial conflicts of recent times.

This resource gives an overview of the causes, effects, and enduring concerns stemming from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Readers will learn about some of the most important and influential figures from all around the world, from many of the countries and governments involved in these conflicts.

The definitive account of the history of the Taliban and its uncertain future.

In Afghanistan under Taliban rule, a woman's slightest infractions were met with brutal public beatings. That is why it is both appropriate and incredible that the sole effective civil resistance to Taliban rule was made by women. Veiled Courage reveals the remarkable bravery and spirit of the women of the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA), whose daring clandestine activities defied the forces of the Taliban and earned the world's fierce admiration.

Raised in a once-peaceful area of Pakistan transformed by terrorism, Malala was taught to stand up for what she believes. So she fought for her right to be educated. And on 9 October, 2012, she nearly lost her life for the cause. She was shot point-blank by a Taliban gunman on her way home from school. No one expected her to survive. Now, she is an international symbol of peaceful protest and the youngest-ever Nobel Peace Prize winner.

Afghanistan, 1975: Twelve-year-old Amir is desperate to win the local kite-fighting tournament and his loyal friend Hassan promises to help him. But neither of the boys can foresee what will happen to Hassan that afternoon, an event that is to shatter their lives. (Please note: this book features some upsetting content including rape. We recommend this book for Grant House students/older teens.)

Since its publication in 2003, The Kite Runner has sold twenty one million copies worldwide. Now in this beautifully illustrated, four-colour graphic novel adaptation, The Kite Runner is given a vibrant new life which is sure to compel a new generation of readers.

The epic story of three generations of Afghan women and their remarkable resilience, A Thousand Splendid Suns is set in the war-torn neighborhoods of 1990s Kabul. When battle upends her family, beautiful Laila must seek shelter, first in the home and then in the arms of her older neighbour. (Please note: this book contains some upsetting content. We recommend this book for Grant House students/older teens.)

The vivid and compelling story of a young girl fleeing Afghanistan with her family and their journey to Australia. Inspired by a true story.

This is the story of a young girl growing up in Afghanistan under the cruel regime of the Taliban. When soldiers burst into her home and drag her father off to prison, Parvana is forced to take responsibility for her whole family, dressing as a boy to make a living in the marketplace of Kabul, risking her life in the dangerous and volatile city.

This beautiful graphic-novel adaptation of the Academy Award nominated film 'The Breadwinner', inspired by Deborah Ellis's beloved novel, tells the story of eleven-year-old Parvana.

A boy. A girl. Two families. One great divide. When Michael meets Mina, they are at a rally for refugees, standing on opposite sides. Mina fled Afghanistan with her mother via a refugee camp, a leaky boat and a detention centre. Michael's parents have founded a new political party called Aussie Values. They want to stop the boats. Mina wants to stop the hate.

Jameela lives with her family in a war-torn village in Afghanistan. Life is hard, but when her mother dies and her father remarries, Jameela has to face a greater horror. To survive she draws on a strong sense of self that her mother gave her. Based on a real girl called Sameela, and a real orphanage, this unforgettable novel tells the story of a devout Muslim girl and what life is really like in post-Taliban Afghanistan.

Never have Aman and his mother needed a friend more than when a Springer Spaniel appears in the mouth of their Afghan cave. Nursed back to health by Aman, the dog becomes a constant companion, a shadow, and that's what Aman decides to call her.