Publisher: Back Bay Books
Authors: Asne Seierstad
List Price: $12.95
Amazon Price: $9.97
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Reviews:
Summary: Impartial observer?
Insightful, moving, if not inspiring. My one qualm with the book is its fiction novel format, in which the author is an omnipotent third person narrator. I think the book would be more effective if her relationship to each person in the family was more obvious in the text, and her mention in the epilogue (I believe) that she did her best to remain an impartial observer who did not meddle in the family affairs but merely transcribed them seemed unbelievably cruel given the circumstances of the youngest daughter. It seems inhumane of the author to not have exerted some influence in order to ensure the girl have some chance at a happy life, but instead--for the sake of science! control!--she allowed the girl's opportunity at a decent husband slip by with nary a whisper.
Summary: A cultural eye-opener
The lives of average Afghanis have been unbearable for decades with all the various countries and religions that have overtaken them. This author spent time with a family and really got "behind the scenes" to create a portrait of desperation and humiliation, as well as cruelty. A well-told recollection of events and cultural change in Afghanistan -- something we all need to know.
Summary: grateful to live in the Western world
This book gives a brief glimpse into the life of a well-off family in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. I read with disbelief the role that women play within the society. The burka is just the beginning. It seems that if women were not needed to perpetuate the species, they would be eliminated totally. The Islamic laws that are quoted in the book seem fair and good; however, the way that they are administered is frightening.
One particular young woman in the book haunted me. She was a virtual slave to her family, cooking and cleaning for everyone in the household of 13 people. She is lowest in the social hierarchy in the household. A young man begins to show an interest in her becoming his wife (based on having a glimpse of her in public and knowledge of her family). He is one of 4 men who are interested in her. She weighs all her prospects in terms of how the remainder of her life will be with the husband her uncle chooses for her. She looks at who is the lesser of all evils and life with the young man looks to her as a possible escape from the drudgery of this life. She begins to know what it feels like to hope. He questions her about what her response will be if he proposes. She is not at liberty to answer him. He asks her what she wants. Her response is that she cannot have a desire. He asks if she likes him. She responds that her family will decide whether she likes him or not. Complete obedience is her fate.
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