The Underground Girls of Kabul by Jenny Nordberg

The social culture of Afghanistan dictates the a family's status is determined by the number of its sons.  To avoid the stigma of too many daughters, one of the infant girls is often raised as a boy - a "bacha posh."  This fiction is frequently accepted by the community as well as the family.  Not only is this "boy" entitled to all the male freedoms in this society but his sisters also benefit as they are now properly allowed out in public because they are accompanied by a "male" family member.  The intention is that as the young girls reach puberty, they will switch back in time to be properly ready for what often seems to be the marriage barter.  Swedish journalist Nordberg observes two interesting things as she interviews many of these young women and their families.  Firstly, in spite of the fact that some of the female babies are treated as male from birth, they so overtly female that the ruse fails.  On the other hand, there are some women who are unwilling to give up the freedoms allocated to their male status and resist the transition back to the traditional female role.  The window into this unusual rebellion of sorts is food for thought about cultures, gender, and individual choice.  Fascinating.