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Aesha's story is an amazing one, but not for the reasons it was supposed to be. When her beautiful, unsettling face --her nose and ears had been hacked off by her Taliban husband and in-laws-- was featured on the cover of Time two years ago, the young woman became the poster child for the efforts to save and empower the women of Afghanistan. Aesha was brought to the US, where she was supposed to be rehabilitated by the grassroots organization Women for Afghanistan Women, get plastic surgery, and have a fairy tale ending.  Jessica Ravitz tells her winding story for CNN -- a must-read for the way it literally puts a face to the complicated situation in Afghanistan, but also for the sensitive way Ravitz portrays the complex psychology of Aesha who is (how could she not be?) a damaged soul.

As Ravitz puts it, Aesha, who "was given away by her father to settle a family score," "seems starved for attention, and cannot get enough cuddling." The portrait that follows is of an unforgettable personality -- wild, tempestuous, as full of joy and rage as the most capricious toddler. According to Ravitz, "She has had to learn far more than language. Aesha didn’t know there are days of the week...In many ways, Aesha is at a crossroads -- somewhere between a wide-eyed and innocent child, a young woman who has a lifetime ahead of her, and a survivor who’s already experienced more than anyone should."

Read the whole moving essay and watch the video to learn more about Aesha, including the unexpected turn her story has taken. As I weepily read, I can't help thinking how one of the saddest (and most beautiful) parts of this story is how with everything that has happened to Aesha, all she wants is a family. What she's missing most seems to be a chance to be, belatedly, a kid. How the simplest things in life -- a cuddle, swinging at the playground, feeling safe and loved -- are, so often, the most elusive.

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