Beneath My Mother's Feet

Reviewed by Cat for TeensReadToo.com

Which path should you take when faced with the choice between your own dreams and the needs of the people you love most?

That is precisely the dilemma facing Amjed Qamar's fourteen-year-old protagonist, Nazia, in her debut novel, BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET. When her father is injured on the job, Nazia's world is thrown into chaos when she must quit school to help her mother clean houses in order to earn a living for her family. Nazia is forced to deal with ever-increasing burdens, leading her to question beliefs she once accepted as absolute and confront an unknown future that previously seemed so certain.

The best stories are those with universal themes to which anyone can relate, with enough unique show more details and fresh perspectives to keep the reader's interest, and Qamar does this with an expert's grace. Her writing is spare and elegant, giving readers an insider's view into daily life in modern-day Pakistan. The characters are like any flesh and blood human being -- loving, devoted, but not without their flaws, and anyone looking for a young female lead boasting a driving force beyond boys, designer labels, or social status will be thrilled with Qamar's central character.

BENEATH MY MOTHER'S FEET is a spectacular, thought-provoking work of fiction that will stay with the reader long after the story's end. show less

If there is an enemy in this book beyond endemic poverty, it’s men. Men are consistently portrayed as lazy and inconsiderate, taking wives and having daughters so the women can do all the work and they can reap all the benefit. I have no idea how accurate this is, but at least it’s coming from a woman who is at least partly inside the culture. (Full review at http://www.parenthetical.net/2011/03/04/review-beneath-my-mothers-feet-by-amjed-...

Whilst this book gave an interesting insight into the life, culture and limitations placed on girls living in Pakistan, I found the plot fairly slow and struggled to connect with the main character. I'm not sure that this book will have wide appeal to readers despite it's eye-catching front cover.

All I can say is, wow, is this really life for some women around in the world? I loved how it showed that no matter our material circumstances, there are always choices we can make.

Highly Recommended

Nazia is fourteen years old and her family is fairly well off in Karachi, Pakistan. He father supports the family and Nazia attends school and is getting ready for an arranged marriage. When Nazia’s father get hurt and can no longer support the family, Nazia and her mother start cleaning houses for the rich. It is a secret because Nazia would be unmarriageable with her fall from status. Another blow to Nazia happens when her older brother steals the dowry intended for her marriage and she has to rewrite her future. Nazia gets an offer from Ms. Haroon to come stay with her and Nazia agrees.

This is the author’s debut novel and is well written. She won several writing/author prizes for this book, when it was show more published in 2008. There are not many YA novels written by Pakistani-American women, so I think this would make a good school library addition for cultural diversity. I have a difficult time reading about girls who have no say in their life. They go to school with the eventual outcome being marriage; a marriage that the family has to pay dearly for. Reading about cultures where the females are a burden is not at the top of my list. I like that this story has a strong female character, trying to make a good life for herself. I like that she gets to make her own path in life. The reader is left with a feeling of empowerment.

I think this would be a good book for our World Studies teachers to promote Islamic culture or modern day life in Pakistan. I have a lot of books written by Indian-American women authors in my library and this might be my first Pakistani-American author. We have a large community of Muslim girls, so I think some of them would enjoy reading this book. None of the content is objectionable, so it would appeal to conservative readers. I will also share this book with our 10th grade literature teachers as they have a novel of choice assignment for immigrant American authors. We also have a Pakistani Student Association that might be interested in this book, so I will post it on their Moodle page. show less

This was a well written book, being that it was the author's first. I like the character Nazia and how she had to learn what it is to stand up for yourself. I can connect with her in the fact that I am a beti in my own way; I follow my parents just as faithfully. I was not satisfied with the ending; there were too many loose ends. I would like to have seen an epilogue.

I liked the book a lot. It was surprising the way men in Pakistan were portrayed, not at all when I have read in other books. I was a little disappointed that they plight of the gatekeeper was not set to rest. But the author ended the book well. I was glad the mother was redeemed in the end.