@ Myra : Have you read her book? There are some answers for your question there. She gets her early education started before Taliban was taking over her village (or entire country) and opressed people's self-confidence. There's also the story of those two girls. If you have read her book, you'll know that she never tried to overshadow her 2 friends (she deifinitely spent a lot of pages telling about them) and never gave bad words about her country. She tells a lot of beautiful culture and things about her countries. But, she indeed tells how Taliban changed all that. You don't have to believe everything there, but at least you can see from her sight and see if her story line match with history recorded from other source. Only then, you can make a balanced opinion.

@ Ems : @ Ems and @ Myra. I read the book. I'm not a fan of hers. I had some issues with the book, but overall it was definitely interesting. She did talk about her education pre Taliban and how important it was to her father and mother. You see how focused she was on her studies and how her parents encouraged/supported it. Anyone who is semi intelligent, works hard and has the support of at least one person can easily have the confidence you talk about and overcome incredible odds to accomplish great things. How safe would it really be for her to return to her country? Taliban hates her and some other people in the country hate her. She's a woman, fighting for education/rights for women and she talks negatively about the Taliban. It's not safe. Why should she be forced to return to try to prove something. She did paint a realistic picture of her village (and country), but it wasn't all bad and negative like I thought she would. She definitely tells some beautiful things about her friends, her family, and her country. It was interesting to see things from a perspective other than my own. As I was reading her book, I would stop to look up pictures, maps, people's names, and others things. It gave me a reason to learn about her culture/country/history and it made it more fun and humanized people. Even if you don't believe her story, she is serving a purpose. Let her be on the list. @ Myra, maybe you should read her book with an open mind and heart. It's obvious you didn't read it before bashing her because she answers your questions in the book and your words also sound like a script I might have read before.