afghanistan

Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because Parvana's father has a foreign education, he is arrested by the Taliban. Women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, go to school, or work outside the home, so the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan.

Conscious of the strict limitations imposed by the Taliban rulers of Kabul, Afghanistan, on women's freedom and behavior, eleven-year-old Parvana disguises herself as a boy in order to earn money so that her family can survive after her father's arrest.

Since its publication in 2000, hundreds of thousands of children all over the world have read and loved The Breadwinner. By reading the story of eleven-year-old Parvana and her struggles living under the terror of the Taliban, young readers came to know the plight of children in Afghanistan. But what has happened to Afghanistan's children since the fall of the Taliban in 2001? In 2011, Deborah Ellis went to Kabul to find out. She interviewed children who spoke about their lives now. They are still living in a country torn apart by war. Violence and oppression still exist, particularly affecting the lives of girls, but the kids are weathering their lives with courage and optimism: "I was incredibly impressed by the sense of urgency these kids have--needing to get as much education and life experience and fun as they can, because they never know when the boom is going to be lowered on them again." The two dozen or so children featured in the book range in age from ten to seventeen. Many are girls Deb met through projects funded by Canadian Women for Women in Afghanistan (http://www.cw4wafghan.ca), the organization that is supported by royalties from The Breadwinner Trilogy. Parvana's Fund provides grants toward education projects for Afghan women and children, including schools, libraries and literacy programs.--Publisher description.

Text and color illustrations explore the culture of Afghanistan, including the country's food, religion, and lifestyle.

Presents the true story of Zakia and Ali, who grew up as close friends on neighboring potato farms in the mountain province of Bamiyan. As they grew up they fell in love, and as Afghan and Islamic law forbade them marriage, they decided to elope. In the process they met American journalist Rod Nordland, who wrote about their story and accidentally exposed them to their family members, who vowed to hunt Zakia down and conduct an honor killing on her. Zakia escaped and gave birth to a daughter, Ruqia, but Ali was captured and forced to return and live in Afghanistan. However, both still hope to escape the country and live together.

"Sonita was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan after her family fled Afghanistan during the war in the early 2000s. Unwelcome in Pakistan, her family returns to Afghanistan, where Sonita and her family face new challenges. Interspersed with facts about Afghanistan and its people, this narrative ... [teaches readers] about the decades of conflict in Afghanistan and how they can help refugees in their communities and around the world who are struggling to find permanent homes"--Provided by publisher.

Text and photographs presents a guide to the physical features, religion, and people of Afghanistan.

As letters flow back and forth--between the prairies of Illinois and the mountains of Afghanistan, across cultural and religious divides--sixth-grader Abby, ten-year-old Amira, and eleven-year-old Sadeed begin to speak and listen to each other.

"In 1952 Afghanistan, Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and step-mother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters"--Provided by OCLC.

Amir and Hassan are good friends growing up together in Afghanistan but when the Soviets invade the country, Amir and his family use their wealth and influence to flee to California, but Hassan and his impoverished family, who are also a shunned ethnic minority, stay and suffer.