The extraordinary story of a young woman's ordeal in a harem in Afghanistan and how her escape inspired her fight for human rights. Drawing upon her personal diaries, this is the story of how a naive American girl learned to see the world through eastern as well as western eyes and came to appreciate Enlightenment values. This dramatic tale recreates a world gone by, a place that is no more, and shares the way in which the author turned adversity into a passion for worldwide social, educational, and political reform.