The Breadwinner (Unabridged)
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2.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, whenever you go out.
In this powerful and realistic tale, eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city during the Taliban rule. Parvana's father- a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed- works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food. As conditions in the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden by the Taliban government to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy and become the breadwinner.
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
When the Taliban take control of Afghanistan, families are torn apart, neighbours spy on each other, and women are subject to harsh new limitations. After her father's arrest, a young girl named Parvana must dress like a boy to provide for her family. Canadian author Deborah Ellis based her instant classic on extensive interviews with Afghani refugees. Actress Rita Wolf's matter-of-fact narration describes the daily horrors of their lives, but it also underscores how the human spirit can overcome even the darkest circumstances. The warmth and humanity of Parvana and her friends and family are deeply inspiring.
