Breadwinner

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Summary: AN UPLIFTING TALE OF RESILIENCE AND STRENGTH
Review: Accomplished actress Rita Wolf ably reads "The Breadwinner," an affecting story of childhood in a repressive land.
As difficult as it may be for those of us who live in a free country to imagine, there are parts of the world where women and girls are not allowed to leave the confines of their homes without a man, and they must wear clothing that covers every part of their bodies. A bizarre look back at some nether region? No, it is a way of life in Taliban ruled Afghanistan.

Parvana, an 11-year-old girl, lives with her family in Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan during the days when the Taliban held sway. Her home is one room in a bomb damaged apartment building.

Parvana's father, a former history teacher, now earns the family's living by sitting on a blanket in the marketplace and reading correspondence for those who cannot read or write. While the pittance he earns is negligible, it is something. That is taken away when he is arrested. The charge? He has a foreign education.

Now, there is no one to earn a living for the family or even to leave the house to shop for food.

Before long it is evident there is only one solution if the family is to survive - Parvana must disguise herself as a boy and become the family's breadwinner.

Listeners will be astounded at the strength and courage displayed by Parvana and, quite possibly, be reminded of the bravery evidenced by thousands of youngsters in ravaged countries. "The Breadwinner" is, indeed a sobering story. It is also an uplifting tale of stamina and strength in the face of apparently insurmountable obstacles.

- Gail Cooke

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Summary: The Breadwinner
Review: After the United States began bombing Afghanistan, I looked for books about the region that might be appropriate for my 9 year old son to read. A friend found The Breadwinner and recommended that I read it before giving it to my son. While the book is very readable and tells a compelling story, it describes the brutality suffered under the Taliban in such a matter-of-fact way that I worry about the images children would carry around with them. Parents should know that Ellis' book describes the cutting off of thieves' hands, the killing of another girl's family, the arrest and disappearance of Parvana's father, the gathering of human bones to earn money, and the beating of Parvana and her mother. None of these are described in an unneccessarily graphic way. But I know that my own son, who has been very anxious about the state of the world since September 11, would internalize many of these images and be quite distressed. While I believe in being open with children about the truths of the world, I worry about the effects of this fictionalized account at this time. I also wonder how differently I might have reacted to this book before the events of September 11 and before the recent Western attacks on Afghanistan. While I have my concerns about the brutal images in the book, I recognize that this book may be very helpful to some children in gaining more of an understanding of the recent history of Afghanistan and may help some western children develop compassion for the children of Afghanistan.

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Summary: The Afghan Mulan
Review: Consider this a modern-day Mulan story, set in a Taliban-dominated Afghanistan rather than a Mongol-invaded China. The tale is historical fiction, based on true events recounted to the author during visits to Afghan refugee camps in the late 1990's. At that time, women had to be concealed in burqas and escorted by men whenever they went outdoors. So when the father of eleven-year-old Parvana is jailed by the Taliban, she is the only member of the family who can pass as a boy, and work outside to support the family. Told without any sense of sorrow or pity, the events are described on a level that children can appreciate: the matter-of-fact daily inconveniences of Parvana's life, like going to the well for water every day; the complications of the whole family living in a single room; the mother who cannot go outdoors keeps herself busy by continually rearranging the family's dwindling possessions; the teen-aged sister, bored and frustrated, amuses herself by teasing and insulting Parvana; the difficulty of finding anything to read, much less having enough light to read by; and the sudden realization that children don't have any toys or friends. Not threatening or overpowering because it seems a universe away from a comfortable American life, it has that Roald Dahl sense that children have innate common sense and power to solve grown-up problems. Also, Parvana's indomitable spirit will find a way to survive and overcome repression and cruelty. An excellent choice for young readers, and especially good for children's reading groups or school, as it raises so many issues for discussion.

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Summary: The Breadwinner
Review: Have you been in Afghnistan? You will feel like you have when you read the book The BreadWinner. The main character is Parvana. She is 11. She lives with her parents, her sisters, and her little brother. Women and girls have to were burqas outside. Parvana's father lost his leg in an explosion. He can read and write,so can Parvana.The Taliban ruled Afghanistan during is story .One day two soldiers took their father to jail. Mother and Parvana went to jail to get father released but the soldiers beat Parvana and her mother. Pavana had to dress as a boy so she can make money for her family. One day Parvana finds a girl also she knows dressed as a boy. Together they find ways to make money for their famlis. Will Parvana's father come back home? if you want to know, then read this fantastic called The Breadwinner, by Deborah Ellis.

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Summary: Fabulous
Review: I had to read this book for my English class, but I didn't want to in the beginning. It didn't sound very good from the description. I couldn't have been more wrong! I read it in less than a day, and have read it about 3 times since then. It's soooooo good!!!! The only thing I didn't like was the end, because you want to know what happens. I SOOOOO reccommend Parvana's Journey, which is the sequel. It's better than this!

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Summary: Breadwinner
Review: I really liked the book The Breadwinner. It had some exciting moments that just made me want to keep reading. Every day Parvana dressed up like a boy and went to sell things in the market place. While she was sitting on her mat a mysterious lady would drop little presents down to her from her room above Parvana. I always wanted to find out what she would give Parvana the next day and the next day. There were also some sad parts to this story about Parvana and her life in Afghanistan. Women and girls had to wear turbans on their face and they couldn't show any skin. Girls could only go outside with men. She had a hard time being a girl in Afghanistan. Her father was in jail and she had to act like a boy and work the family jobs. Parvana is a very smart and courageous girl with a strong mind.

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Summary: Fabulous
Review: I taught this book to my sixth grade class last year-an easy read technically but mature ideas, but easily 90% of the students loved it so much that I had to order the next book-and then the next one as well! Thought provoking for everyone who has grown up with all the necessities and more. A great perspective on the real world right now. Even though it is about a young girl, boys thoroughly enjoyed reading about her adventures. The best part? All proceeds go to Women for Women, a charitible organization in Afghanistan.

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Summary: Snapshot of life under Taliban regime.
Review: Life for women under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is not the stuff of which happy children's books are made. There is no happy ending here, regardless of the obstacles which are overcome, because the real-life ending has not yet come.
This book, while fiction, is the result of interviews with women who escaped from Kabul and who were living in camps in Pakistan, including one mother who disguised her daughter as a boy. The setting is true to time and place as it captures life for one family in one short period of time. (Ellis is donating the book sales to an organization dedicated to educating girls in refugee camps.)

It is a simple story, and engaging, as the reader follows the daily life of a fictional family as they struggle to survive the imprisonment of the father. His absence from the home means that they no longer have food, or communication outside the home because the female members of the family cannot go out unescorted by a male. Parvana, who is pre-adolescent, surrenders her long hair to help her family, and disguised as a boy earns a little money by selling things from their home or reading for the largely illiterate population. Thus she is able to shop for food. Her bravery is the focal point of the story and the reader is reminded of the courage and strength of children everywhere who survive against incredible odds.

Ellis has done well to write this as a story for children/young adults. While she doe not gloss over the hard parts of life in Kabul under the Taliban with executions, dismemberment, and imprisonment without a trial or a public charge neither does she dwell on them at length. Being without food or a father is hard enough for one story; living in fear adds more trauma. Everyday hardships such as the closing of school, the absence of music, and the difficulties of communication add to the realities of the story. But Ellis allows Parvana to see a Taliban soldier as human when she reads a letter for the illiterate man and watches his eyes fill with tears. To see the enemy as human is a triumph of the human spirit and gives this book its hope.

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Summary: The Breadwinner
Review: The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis is the story of an eleven-year-old girl, Parvana, who lives in Afghanistan under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. After her father's imprisonment (for having a foreign education), she must disguise herself as a boy in order to safely leave the bombed out apartment she shares with her mother and siblings and be her family's "breadwinner".
While the plot is based on stories from the author's interviews with Afghan women in refugee camps, the reader senses that the story is little more than a stringing together of incidents. The characters are so underdeveloped that, even though one is surely sympathetic to their horrible situation, it is difficult to feel an emotional attatchment to any of them, even Parvana. If there is value in reading this book it is that the horrors of Taliban rule, as recounted in the lives of Parvana and her family, serve to remind us that we must never allow any group that seeks to limit the freedom of others to gain power.

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Summary: The Breadwinner
Review: The BreadWinner is a fantastic book.It is full of adventure.It's about a little girl, named Parvana, who lives in Afghanistan during a time when girls weren't allowed to go outside without a man to work and get money. But one day her father went away to prison wich meant they had no other boy to go out and get the food and milk they needed. Soon they needed food so badly they shaved Parvana's hair off so she could look like a boy and could get the food.This was a new experience for Parvana. Every day she would go out and earn money by selling things or reading and writting letters for the people. Then she would buy the food for the family. If you want find out more about this book I think you should read it.