This was one of three books recommended by an article in the Ann Arbor News and the one that looked the least interesting; however it was the only one available in the library so I took it out. This story of the work of the Revolutionary Association of Women of Afghanistan [RAWA] was fascinating, to say the least. This organization, which started in the mid to late 1970’s, practices non-violence under difficult conditions that has included suffering violence at the hands of the Pakistani authorities and Taliban. These women risked their lives in Afghanistan to document the atrocities occurring (the veil of the burqa allowed them to take pictures) and to teach in the hidden schools; they set up schools for girls and women in the refugee camps in Pakistan. And when men started to hang out at the classes to learn, RAWA started schools for boys and men. This organization has support of men and women of the camps and in Afghanistan under the Taliban.

The stories were poignant, full of understated courage. What should be of interest to Friends was the chapter that covered the dilemma of NGO’s in attempting to engage the Taliban. Discouraging was the willingness of US, UN and other officials to ignore the plight of women under the Taliban. The chapter that contained the discussion of how RAWA fits into postmodern society was both intriguing as well as frustrating. Frustrating because the tone was quite different from the rest of the book - it sometimes appeared a study in sociological theory that was beside the point (Ms. Benard is a sociologist). I found intriguing the idea that individuals can set their own "foreign policy" through contributions to organizations such as RAWA (and the UN, to mention another) in spite of what their governments do. What the book implied, even if it did not say in so many words, was that the Internet has opened the door to this more international support (financial and otherwise) of organizations that exemplify cherished values.

(Quaker folk song)