By Deborah Ellis
5 Stars
Historical Fiction
Teen to Adult
My
children have recommended a number of books they read from their
homeschooling library. I am slowly working my way through them. The
Breadwinner is another of these books. They are all good, thought
provoking and have important educational value. I enjoy them but to
read them all one after another is emotionally draining. All
royalties for this book incidentally are donated to Women for Women
in Afghanistan. It is a fictional account based on the stories shared
with the author in the refugee camps.
Our
heroine is Parvana, who is a young Afghan girl, living in Taliban
controlled Afghanistan. Women and girls are denied education and even
the right to go out of the home without male accompaniment or escort.
Her father is thrown in prison and to enable the family to survive
Parvana gets a haircut and pretends to be a boy so she can work and
provide for the family.
We get
to go along with Parvana as she encounters horror and humanity along
the way. For me it is difficult for me to comprehend this kind of
oppression of women so it was quite educational. The message the book
gives is very important.
The
book ends in a rather open ended way. Afghanistan's problems are not
resolved. Parvana's family is not all reunited. It does end on a
hopeful note and I think it is an effective end.
I of
course highly recommend this particular book and give it a full five
stars.
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