Available Formats
Sonita: Daughters for Sale
By (Author) Sonita Alizada
HarperCollins Publishers
HQ
30th September 2025
8th July 2025
United Kingdom
General
Non Fiction
True stories of survival of abuse and injustice
Popular music
Social discrimination and social justice
Human rights, civil rights
Feminism and feminist theory
Domestic abuse
Social attitudes
Autobiography: arts and entertainment
782.421649092
Hardback
288
Width 159mm, Height 240mm, Spine 30mm
480g
One womans extraordinary journey from child bride to global changemaker
At just 10 years old, Sonita Alizada was nearly sold into marriage. By the time she turned 16, her price was set at $9,000 a sum meant to buy her future for someone elses benefit. In a world where nearly 15 million girls are forced into marriage each year, Sonitas story is a heartbreaking but all-too-common reality. Yet, she refused to let her fate be sealed.
In her eponymous memoir, Sonita shares her powerful journey from the streets of Afghanistan to international stages as a rap artist and activist. Breaking through oppressive traditions and laws, she escaped her destiny as a child bride and transformed her pain into music that resonated across the globe.
This book is not just her story, its a call to action. Sonitas message is clear: Dreams have the power to change lives. Weaving together her familys harrowing escape from Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, her rise as a human rights advocate, and her belief in the transformative power of hope, Sonita's story will leave readers galvanised to fight for a world where every girls voice is heard.
'Sonita Alizada's remarkable journey is a testament to resilience and optimism. Her story inspires courage and hope, reminding us of the power of the human spirit.' Hillary Clinton
Sonita Alizada is an Afghan rapper and activist who escaped child marriage in 2015, when her viral music video, 'Daughters for Sale', helped her secure a scholarship to study in the United States. Through her music and advocacy work, Sonita has campaigned for womens rights and against child marriage, partnering with organizations like the Malala Fund, Global Partnership for Education, and Girls Not Brides. She has received the U.S. Secretary of States International Women of Courage Award and the MTV Europe Music Generation Change Award, and was included on the BBC's 100 Women list in 2015. Sonita, who learned English upon moving to the US, graduated from Bard College in 2023; she is currently pursuing a masters degree at Oxford University as a Rhodes Scholar.