Open Skies: My Life as Afghanistan's First Female Pilot by Niloofar Rahmani and Adam Sikes

The true story of Niloofar Rahmani and her determination to become Afghanistan's first female air force pilot<br />In 2010, for the first time since the Soviets, Afghanistan allowed women to join the armed forces, and Niloofar entered Afghanistan's military academy.<br />Niloofar had to break through social barriers to demonstrate confidence, leadership, and decisiveness—essential qualities for a combat pilot. Niloofar performed the first solo flight of her class—ahead of all her male classmates—and in 2013 became Afghanistan's first female fixed-wing air force pilot.<br />The US State Department honored Niloofar with the International Women of Courage Award and brought her to the United States to meet Michelle Obama and fly with the US Navy's Blue Angels. But when she returned to Kabul, the danger to her and her family had increased significantly.<br />Rahmani and her family are portraits of the resiliency of refugees and the accomplishments they can reach when afforded opportunities.<br /> <br />In an interview on your program Niloofar and/or Adam can discuss:<br /> <br /><br />The goals and dreams of childhood that her to the place to achieve her dream<br /><br />The Inspiration for Niloofar to join the Afghani Military and legitimately make the sky the limit<br /><br />The encouragement both internal and external to reach this bold and risk-ridden goal in Afghani culture<br /><br /> The news that caught the eye of first lady Michelle Obama that brought her to the US<br /><br />What the ramifications of her story have been and how that is affecting her and her family moving forward<br /><br />and much more!<br /> <br />"As a young Afghan woman who dreamed of becoming an air force pilot, Niloofar Rahmani confronted far more than technical challenges; she faced the opprobrium of an entire society." —Pamela Constable, author of Playing with Fire and former Kabul and Islamabad bureau chief for the Washington Post.<br /><br /> <br />ISBN-10: 0190054514<br />ISBN-13: 978-0190054519<br />Publisher: Oxford University