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Explores several angles of how awful it was to be female in Afghanistan under the Taliban. I suppose it’s necessary to be truthful historical fiction, but a little too gory for me.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Blood, Police brutality, Grief, Murder, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Police brutality
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Confinement, Death, Gun violence, Sexism, Torture, Violence, Police brutality, War, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
fast-paced
Set in 1999-ish Afghanistan, a girl watches the Taliban raid her home, beat her family, and drag away her father. The rest, all women and girls, cannot safely leave the one-room home without a male family member to escort them, so she is forced to cut her hair and pretend to be a boy, to earn money for the family to eat. We learn a lot about what their everyday world looks like, and a decent amount of culturally-specific vocabulary (with a glossary in the back).
Personal opinion: This book is worth a read when the time is right, with parental caution advised. While it was written in 2000, it gives you a more on-the-ground look at the Afghan people suffering under Taliban rule--their history, national identity, and quiet acts of resistance. I didn't get the conclusive, satisfying ending I have come to expect as a reader of primarily sci-fi/fantasy, but that's real life--one chapter closes, and another one begins. It's an emotional read, and I stayed up too late to finish reading it in a few hours.
This book obviously deals with some heavy topics and while it does not abandon hope, it does depict the realities of life under the thumb of the Taliban. The book is a work of fiction based on the experiences of real people. The main character is 11 years old, so I would use that for a guidance point, but suitability will be VERY dependent on the reader and your preferences as a family. As one character says, "in other parts of the country, girls your age are getting married and having babies" (paraphrased), so I don't think it necessarily needs to be restricted to teens and older. IMO This is a relatively safe place to be exposed to, and process, some things that are happening in our fallen world that may be new to most preteens. Despite the specific content I'll call out below, there is courage, hope, resilience, and resourcefulness.
Personal opinion: This book is worth a read when the time is right, with parental caution advised. While it was written in 2000, it gives you a more on-the-ground look at the Afghan people suffering under Taliban rule--their history, national identity, and quiet acts of resistance. I didn't get the conclusive, satisfying ending I have come to expect as a reader of primarily sci-fi/fantasy, but that's real life--one chapter closes, and another one begins. It's an emotional read, and I stayed up too late to finish reading it in a few hours.
This book obviously deals with some heavy topics and while it does not abandon hope, it does depict the realities of life under the thumb of the Taliban. The book is a work of fiction based on the experiences of real people. The main character is 11 years old, so I would use that for a guidance point, but suitability will be VERY dependent on the reader and your preferences as a family. As one character says, "in other parts of the country, girls your age are getting married and having babies" (paraphrased), so I don't think it necessarily needs to be restricted to teens and older. IMO This is a relatively safe place to be exposed to, and process, some things that are happening in our fallen world that may be new to most preteens. Despite the specific content I'll call out below, there is courage, hope, resilience, and resourcefulness.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Gun violence, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Physical abuse
Minor: Drug use, Excrement, Religious bigotry
- Religious sentiments do not appear, except for the following quote: "The word Taliban meant religious scholars, but Parvana's father told her that religion was about teaching people how to be better human beings, how to be kinder. 'The Taliban are not making Afghanistan a kinder place to live!' he said."
- Multiple beatings occur, mostly against women and children. These are not graphic, but hard to read nonetheless. The most that is "shown" from it is a nosebleed and fear.
- The eldest son of the family died prior to this story, by a land mine. Grief abounds, both from deaths and loss, as the well-educated family falls further into poverty with every bombing. The destroyed city, Kabul, is contrasted with its bright, bustling pre-war heights.
- After the loss of the father, the mother (temporarily) becomes so depressed she stays in bed for days. The children run out of water and the main character has to risk the marketplace alone to find food. A former teacher moves in and gets the family going again.
- One sister calls the other "stupid" in a moment of distress. "Ugly", just to be mean. There's some more sniping and rudeness to each other, but the relationship grows to a satisfying comradery by the end.
- "People died" in the war, but it doesn't get much more graphic than that.
- The men in town are forced into a stadium to watch the Taliban chop off the hands of several thieves. The girls see the first one accidentally, hear the screams, and hide for the remainder. This one is somewhat graphic; pic included. They learn that this happens weekly.
- The girls sell cigarettes. They also go gravedigging for bones to sell to make more money. This is a repeat occurrence. One is later haunted by the visual of a skull they found.
- One refugee describes the loss of her family in a massacre she ran away from. "they shot him in the street", "there were bodies everywhere".
- 2 arranged marriage situations. One 17 year old welcomes it as a way to get out of the region and finish her education, while another 11 year old responds by running away. A very astute reader may notice that this choice will leave her all-female family with no other ideas for how to survive.
- Missing limbs and prosthetics are shown to be a common sight in Kabul at this time. People sell their prosthetics to survive, and it is mentioned that some men sell their wives' prosthetics against their will because "they can't go anywhere anyway" (paraphrased).
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Misogyny, Sexism, Violence, Police brutality, Religious bigotry, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Mental illness