Siba Shakib

This is not an easy novel to read, but it felt necessary to me, given the war that my country is waging in this country. It’s written simply and fluidly, with no analysis or explanation. Each character’s actions explain everything.

It’s the story of Shirin-Gol’s life, beginning when she is a child, and ending when she is a grandmother. It describes how she lives during the Russian invasion, during the tribal wars, and during the rule of the Taliban. It shows how she gives in, show more resists, escapes, wanders, finds homes, and loses homes.

In her family, there are separations and reunions. Sometimes there is something to eat, sometimes not. Sometimes she is confined to a room, sometimes she is free to work. Sometimes she finds solidarity with other women, sometimes she has no way to connect with anyone, and cannot even see their faces. It’s a haunting book, terribly sad. Shirin-Gol has nothing but a little hope to lean against. Yet still she survives. show less

Uy, hard to know what to say about this book. Yes, it's fictional, but it's also the truth for millions. It's embarrassingly painful to know that your own country, your own tax dollars are at work destroying countries, lives, every day.

Shirin-Gol is a woman who becomes a bride at the age of 14. Her brother sold her to a man for his gambling debt. Because the government doesn't protect its people by giving them access to birth control, she had baby after baby after baby, a husband who, though show more he became an opium-head, still managed to impregnate her time and again. Most of their lives, they went hungry. Her story has a happy ending; if only it were so for the billions of overpopulated humans in this world. show less

it's crucial for americans to hear from people whose lives are affected by our wars. this really gives the reader a sense of what life is like in a war-torn country and in refugee camps. you'll also learn a lot about the extraordinary history of afghanistan.

After reading the bookseller of Kabul I wanted to read more about Afghanistan. The premise sounded really intriguing but was poorly executed. It is supposedly based on a true story of the daughter of an Afghan tribal leader who is raised as a boy. However unlike The Bookseller of Kabul which was a true story which reads like fiction it comes across as completely made up and unreadable. The style was extremely difficult to read and lack of speech marks made it hard to tell whether something show more was being said or just thought. Also the repetition of certain phrases and images became more and more irritating as the book went on.

The most enjoyable part of the book for me was when she met her Grandfather as I felt I could really visualize him and he was an interesting character. However that is just a small section of the book.
I was really dissapointed that such an interesting story was told it such an unenjoyable way. When I finished it, which was an achievement in itself, I sold it which is something I never do. I got less than I paid for it but I was happy to get at least some of my money back. I would advise loaning this book from a library before you think of buying it to see if you enjoy the unusual style and aren't bothered by the things that spoiled the story for me. show less