Since the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan in 2001, the link between the two countries has been undeniable. Fremont, in the East Bay, has the largest Afghani community in the U.S. Local Children’s author Naheed Senzai is married to Afghan American political scientist Fareed Senzai, who has an incredible story of fleeing Afghanistan with this family as a boy, and ending up in Fremont, where he has lived ever since.
Senzai tells her husband’s story through the fictional character of 12-year-old Fadi in her book, Shooting Kabul. Fadi’s story includes life under the Taliban, escape by night to a new country, leaving his little sister in Kabul, and adjusting as a Fremont middle schooler to a suspicious post-9/11 community.
My 10-year-old daughter Sarah and I read the book and had some questions for Senzai.
NAHEED SENZAI: “I don’t like to think I’m writing for children, I am writing for curious minds.”
Click the player above to listen to the full interview.
