The Breadwinner

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Summary: A chilling story of life in Afghanastan
Review: This book will emotionally change you. I read it this summer in a Graduate class and I am thankful to the Professor for exposing us to this incredible piece of writing. Some of us read this on our own in reading rooms for 1hr. sessions while other read "The Cay". The story grags you and takes you there. It is so well written that I was in the market place, the soccer field, and in the cemetary. It mixes passion with extreme hardships and faith. At the end when I returened to the clasroom, others asked how did I like the book. I couldn't talk, I was so choked up. I had to leave the classroom for 5-10 minutes to gather my emotions. By the way, I am a 50 year old male. We take life for granted and we never get to see how others live in this world and the injustices perptrated on mankind. This book should be required reading for all students. I am going to use it in my classroom this year and the school librarian now has it in the library.

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Summary: An Unbelievable Story
Review: This story reached out to my heart when I read and excerpt of it in a collection. It is a story that truly paints the picture of what it was like to be a girl living in Afghanistan, and the suffering they and their families had to go through. Truly a book to read.

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Summary: A Must Read
Review: This story takes place in Afghanistan. It's an amazing book. It's so realalistic that you're imagining it in your head. The main Character is Parvana. She goes on an adventure to find money to buy food and belongings for her family. When you are done reading this book yoou will want to read more and more of the book. Also, It tells you alot about the things they do in Afghanistan. I recommend this book to everyone to read because it's so good!!

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Summary: Interesting but Not Rich in Detail
Review: While Ellis' story is engaging enough, I question its accessibility to today's youth, namely because I think Ellis does not do a good enough job painting a portrait about what Kabul is like. I recognize that Ellis may be sparing some readers unnecessary horror, but there are certainly places--such as the marketplace where Parvana goes to sell her wares--where Ellis could have infused much richer detail in the sights, sounds, and experiences of the average Afghan. I also think it would have been better to define the unknown terms (chador, nan) and elements of history within the narrative itself, rather than wait until the end of the book, since most young Americans will be unfamiliar with these terms, and the whole notion of Soviet occupation. Still, I am happy to see children's literature about this region springing up, and hope that this book encourages other writers to tell these stories.

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Summary: Important book for youth
Review: Young readers in the Western world will find the horrifying circumstances of Parvana's life hard to believe. This book can serve as an eye-opening introduction to the situation in Afghanistan, and a springboard to further investigation. The allegations of inaccuracy (by reader-reviewer tenzing) are a bit harsh. The official years of the occupation are 1979-1989. Maybe since it was late December 1979, the author rounded up by a week--a regrettable but not unforgiveable choice.