Skip to Main Content

About The Book

Farah Ahmedi recounts her heartbreaking journey from war-torn Kabul to America in her New York Times bestselling inspirational memoir.

Farah Ahmedi's "poignant tale of survival" (Chicago Tribune) chronicles her journey from war to peace. Equal parts tragedy and hope, determination and daring, Ahmedi's memoir delivers a remarkably vivid portrait of her girlhood in Kabul, where the sound of gunfire and the sight of falling bombs shaped her life and stole her family. She herself narrowly escapes death when she steps on a land mine. Eventually the war forces her to flee, first over the mountains to refugee camps across the border, and finally to America. Ahmedi proves that even in the direst circumstances, not only can the human heart endure, it can thrive. The Other Side of the Sky is "a remarkable journey" (Chicago Sun-Times), and Farah Ahmedi inspires us all.

About The Author

Photo Credit:

Farah Ahmedi is a humanitarian, activist, and writer from Afghanistan. After stepping on a landmine was a young girl, she and her family escaped her war-torn homeland and moved to the United States. After winning Good Morning America’s Story of My Life contest in 2005, she published her memoir, The Other Side of the Sky. Now a college graduate and mother of two, Ahmedi is a public speaker who shares her story of loss, hope, and peace with people all over the country. 

About The Reader

Photo Credit: Tom Biondo

As an entrepreneur and international human rights advocate, Masuda Sultan works with a number of organizations, including Women for Afghan Women and the Business Council for Peace. Just twenty-seven years old, Masuda has a master's degree in public administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio (April 22, 2005)
  • Runtime: 5 hours
  • ISBN13: 9780743551687

Browse Related Books

Raves and Reviews

"Very compelling....Here you have a girl, a child, who suffered her own disability, [and] the loss of her family and her homeland. She's taking care of her aging mother and adapting to this new culture, and she's a bright, shining light in the world....Very moving."
--Mary Karr, New York Times bestselling author of The Liar's Club and Cherry

"Inspiring....A wonderful story."
--James McBride, New York Times bestselling author of The Color of Water and Miracle at St. Anna

"A great twenty-first century American immigrant story. The Story of My Life is the modern American dream, and it's rich with details of the Taliban and Afghanistan."
--Peter Castro, executive editor of People magazine

"The Story of My Life has that wonderful quality of survival and is most compelling. Seeing Afghanistan from the eyes of this girl provides a deep, rich look that we haven't seen before."
--Mary Higgins Clark, author of thirty-two worldwide bestsellers

Awards and Honors

  • Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults
  • NYPL Best Books for Teens

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this reader: Masuda Sultan