Opium Nation - Child Brides, Drug Lords, and One Woman’s Journey Through Afghanistan

Afghan-American journalist Fariba Nawa delivers a revealing and deeply personal exploration of Afghanistan and the drug trade which rules the country, from corrupt officials to warlords and child brides and beyond. Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns calls Opium Nation “an insightful and informative look at the global challenge of Afghan drug trade. Fariba Nawa weaves her personal story of reconnecting with her homeland after 9/11 with a very engaging narrative that chronicles Afghanistan’s dangerous descent into opium trafficking…and most revealingly, how the drug trade has damaged the lives of ordinary Afghan people.” Readers of Gayle Lemmon Tzemach’s The Dressmaker of Khair Khana and Rory Stewart’s The Places Between will find Nawa’s personal, piercing, journalistic tale to be an indispensable addition to the cultural criticism covering this dire global crisis.

Nawa’s journey is one of personal rediscovery and courageous investigation—uncovering the human cost of a global crisis.

Afghan-American Perspective: Returning to her homeland for the first time in eighteen years after 9/11, Nawa offers a rare and intimate view of a country torn apart by war and a burgeoning narco-economy. The Opium Bride: Follow the haunting story of Darya, a young girl sold into marriage to a drug lord to settle her father’s opium debt, a fate shared by countless others. Drug Lords and Warlords: Journey from the poppy fields to the borderlands, meeting the smugglers, dealers, and powerful warlords who control Afghanistan’s multibillion-dollar narcotics empire. War Correspondent Memoir: A gripping account of a journalist’s dangerous quest to uncover the truth, blending personal reflection with the unflinching eye of a seasoned correspondent. Cultural Criticism: A piercing look at the social fabric of a nation in crisis, exploring the devastating impact of the global drug trade on the daily lives of ordinary Afghan people.