Awista Ayub's book, However Tall The Mountain: A Dream, Eight Girls, and a Journey Home (New York: Hyperion, 2009), is neither too heart-warming nor too melancholy. Ayub recounts events in a realistic and practical tone while showcasing both the positive and negative effects of her work on both herself and her eight proteges.
The best parts of the books are those that intersperse the changes Ayub personally experiences with the changes the young female athletes experience.
Structure of the Book
However Tall The Mountain is a mere 235 pages. Its slimness is deceiving. While the story itself is not long, it is a complex story weaving between several storylines, all united by a six week soccer camp in the United States for eight Afghani girls.
In the book the chapters alternate between Ayub's experiences and those of the eight soccer players she brings to America. The chapters about Ayub's own experiences are primarily set on the East Coast of America, and the chapters about the eight female Afghani soccer players are a mix of their trip to the States, what their lives were like in Afghanistan and Pakistan prior to their trip, and how their lives were different after their return to their villages and towns after spending six weeks in America.
Understanding However Tall The Mountain
Without a prior understanding of Afghanistan's geography or culture, it is difficult to comprehend the courageousness of the eight girls selected by Ayub's contact in the region. For people who have previously read Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortensen, it will be easier to understand the challenges the eight girls from Afghanistan faced.
For example, in one chapter Ayub casually mentions one of the girl's journey through the Khyber Pass from Pakistan to Afghanistan without providing much detail. However, with previous knowledge from Mortensen's Three Cups of Tea and the detailed descriptions he provides in his book of the geography of the region, it is much easier to grasp the truly grueling and difficult nature of the young athlete's journey in However Tall the Mountain.
The willingness of the eight girls to risk being ostracized or punished for playing soccer is astounding. Several of them acknowledge that they are not taking these risks only for themselves, but also so that other Afghan women and girls can have the same opportunity as well.
Who Should Read This Book
This book is an excellent pre-Olympic or pre-World Cup read for adults, high school students, soccer players, and anybody looking to better understand the difficulties faced by female athletes in developing countries and societies.
Publishing Information
Ayub, Awista. However Tall the Mountain: A Dream, Eights Girls and a Journey Home. 235 pages. Hyperion (2009). ISBN: 978-1-4013-2249-6
Tracey Carter - Tracey holds a B.A. in English from Hood College and is an avid reader, educator, blogger, and aspiring librarian.
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