▁including ▁Anna ▁De a vere ▁Smith , ▁to ▁write ▁the ▁document ary ▁play ▁Seven Each ▁play w right ▁conducted ▁inter views ▁with ▁a ▁woman ▁who ▁had ▁overcome ▁obst acles ▁in ▁her ▁hom eland ▁and ▁had ▁made ▁important ▁contributions ▁to ▁her ▁community . Y ank ow itz ▁interview ed ▁M uk jar ▁Mai ▁and ▁wrote ▁the ▁segment ▁about ▁her ▁experience . M ai ▁had ▁been ▁ra ped ▁by ▁a ▁gang ▁in ▁Afghan istan , ▁and ▁she ▁successfully ▁had ▁her ▁attack ers ▁pro sec uted . ▁She ▁" signed " ▁her ▁criminal ▁compla int ▁with ▁her ▁thumb print , ▁as ▁she ▁was ▁ill iter ate . M ai ▁used ▁the ▁mon ies ▁that ▁she ▁received ▁to ▁start ▁schools ▁for ▁girls , ▁and ▁she ▁became ▁a ▁student ▁on ▁of ▁those ▁schools . Y ank ow itz ▁has ▁also ▁written ▁libre tt os ▁and ▁lyr ics ▁for ▁musical s ▁and ▁oper as . The ▁opera ▁Ch eri ▁is ▁based ▁upon ▁the ▁Co lette ▁novel , ▁the ▁musical ▁S lain ▁In ▁The ▁Spirit ▁rec ount s ▁the ▁Jam est own ▁mass acre ▁and ▁the ▁opera ▁Th umb print ▁tells ▁the ▁story ▁of ▁Mai . ▁ ▁According ▁to ▁Y ank ow itz , ▁the ▁to ps y ▁tur vy ▁world ▁of ▁a ▁play w right ▁is ▁best ▁illustrated ▁by ▁her ▁ab orted ▁efforts ▁to ▁collabor ate ▁on ▁the ▁book ▁for ▁the ▁ 1 9 8 3 ▁Broadway ▁musical ▁Baby . Y ank ow itz ▁and ▁her ▁co - writer ▁had ▁a ▁divis ive ▁dispute ▁about ▁certain ▁language ▁proposed ▁to