Open Skies

Starred review from May 31, 2021
In this exhilarating debut, Rahmani tells the inspiring story of how she became the Afghan Air Force’s first-ever female pilot. Born in 1991 in Kabul, under the Taliban regime, she spent her childhood in Pakistan as a refugee and returned to her homeland with her family in 1999. Up until then, Rahmani’s dream of becoming a pilot “was a mere fantasy,” but after U.S. troops arrived in Afghanistan, and with the help of an advisor from the U.S. Air Force, she began flight training in 2010 and advanced up the ranks in Afghanistan’s air force, even traveling to the U.S. to receive the International Women of Courage Award, meet then First Lady Michelle Obama, and fly with the U.S. Navy’s Blue Angels. But her path to success wasn’t without turbulence, and she unsparingly reveals the violence women in her country were subjected to—her mother was once whipped for showing her ankles in public—and the two assassination attempts against her brother because of her military service. In 2016, she sought political asylum in the U.S., where she remains today. Delivered with compassion and courage, Rahmani’s heart-racing account will leave readers gripping their seats. This is a vital work of the highest order.