The Breadwinner (13 page)

Afghanistan is a small country that lies between Europe and Asia. It
contains mountain ranges, fast-flowing rivers and golden deserts. Its fertile valleys
once produced an abundance of fruit, wheat and vegetables.

Throughout history, explorers and traders have passed through Afghanistan
and tried to control it for their own interests. The country has been more or less
continuously at war since 1978, when American-backed fighters opposed the
Soviet-supported government. In 1980, the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, and the war
escalated, with the United States backing Afghan freedom fighters, many of whom were war
lords. The fighting was fierce, cruel and prolonged.

After the Soviets were defeated in 1989, a civil war erupted, as various
groups fought for control of the country. Millions of Afghans became refugees, and some
still live in huge camps in Pakistan, Iran and Russia. Many people have spent their
whole lives in these camps, and millions of Afghans have been killed, maimed or
blinded.

The Taliban militia, one of the groups that the US and Pakistan once
funded, trained and armed, took control of the capital city of Kabul in September 1996.
They imposed extremely restrictive laws on girls and women. Schools for girls were
closed down, women were no longer allowed to hold jobs, and strict dress codes were
enforced. Books were burned, televisions smashed, and music in any form was
forbidden.

In the fall of 2001, al Qaeda, a terrorist group based in Afghanistan and
protected by the Taliban, launched attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center in
New York City. In response, the United States led a coalition of nations into bombing
Afghanistan and drove the Taliban from power. Elections were held and a new government
and constitution were set up. A number of schools for boys and girls were opened, and in
some parts of the country women were allowed back into the work force.

However, Afghanistan is far from being a nation of peace, for many
reasons. The Taliban has returned to fight a very effective guerrilla war against the
government and foreign forces. Afghanistan has become a major producer of opium, from
which heroin is made. There is a great deal of corruption at all levels of government.
Finally, Afghans, like people around the world, are uncomfortable with foreign forces
fighting in their country. Struggles for women's rights continue as well, with girls'
schools being burned and women activists being assassinated.

There are no easy answers for the people of Afghanistan as they face such
a difficult situation. Learning more about this beautiful, tragic country and its
wonderful people is one small way to try to avoid the many mistakes outsiders have made
that have brought Afghans to this difficult time in their history.

burqa
– A long, tent-like garment worn by
women. It covers the entire body and has a narrow mesh screen over the eyes.

chador
– A piece of cloth worn by women and
girls to cover their hair and shoulders.

Dari
– One of the two main languages spoken in
Afghanistan.

Eid
– A Muslim festival coming at the end of
Ramadan, the month of fasting.

karachi
– A cart on wheels, pushed by hand,
used to sell things in the market.

kebab
– Pieces of meat on a skewer, cooked
over a fire.

land mine
– A bomb planted in the ground,
which explodes if it is stepped on.

nan
– Afghan bread. It can be flat, long or
round.

Pashtu
– One of the two main languages spoken
in Afghanistan.

pattu
– A gray or brown woolen blanket shawl
worn by Afghan men and boys.

shalwar kameez
– Long, loose shirt and
trousers, worn by both men and women. A man's shalwar kameez is one color, with pockets
in the side and on the chest. A woman's shalwar kameez has different colors and patterns
and is sometimes elaborately embroidered or beaded.

Soviets
– The Soviet Union before its
break-up, including Russia and other Communist countries.

Taliban
– An Afghan army that took control of
the capital city of Kabul in September 1996, and was forced from power in the fall of
2001.

toshak
– A narrow mattress used in many Afghan
homes instead of chairs or beds.

“. . . a great kid's book . . . a graphic geopolitical brief that's also a
girl-power parable.” —
Newsweek

“. . . a book . . . about the hard times — and the courage — of Afghan
children.” —
Washington Post

• Hackmatack Award
• Middle East Book Award
•
Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Award
• Swedish Peter Pan Prize
•
YALSA PPYA

A war is raging in Afghanistan as a coalition of Western forces tries to
oust the Taliban by bombing the country. Parvana's father has died, and her mother,
sister and brother have gone to a faraway wedding, not knowing what has happened to the
father. Parvana doesn't know where they are. She just knows she has to find them. She
sets out alone, masquerading as a boy, her journey becoming more perilous as the bombs
begin to fall. Making her way across the desolate Afghan countryside, she meets other
children who are strays from the war. The children travel together because it is easier
than being alone. And, as they forge their own family in the war zone that Afghanistan
has become, their resilience, imagination and luck help them to survive.

“Through spare and affecting prose, Ellis . . . makes the children's
journey both arduous and believable.” —
Booklist

“This sequel . . . easily stands alone . . . An unforgettable read.” —
School Library Journal
, starred review

• Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children Award
Honor Book
• Governor General's Literary Award Finalist
• Ontario
Library Association Golden Oak Award
• Ruth Schwartz Award
• YALSA
BBYA

Parvana's best friend, Shauzia, has fled Afghanistan and is faced with
surviving on her own on the streets of Peshawar, Pakistan. With her dog as her only
friend, she must scrounge for food, beg for money and look for a safe place to sleep
every night. But could it be worse than a lifetime spent living in a refugee camp? This
is a powerful and very human story of a feisty, driven girl who tries to take control of
her own life.

“. . . bristles with transparent urgency . . . the question of autonomy in
childhood, and the violation of it are addressed face on.” —
Globe and Mail

“. . . a fine, strong addition to Ellis' growing list of novels. Highly
recommended.” —
Toronto Star

• Hackmatack Award
• Lamplighter Award
• New
York Public Library Books for the Teen Age

FICTION

Looking for X

The Breadwinner

Parvana's Journey

Mud City

The Breadwinner Trilogy
(Anthology)

A Company of Fools

The Heaven Shop

I Am a Taxi

Sacred Leaf

Jackal in the Garden: An Encounter with Bihzad

Jakeman

Bifocal
(Co-written with Eric Walters)

Lunch With Lenin and Other Stories

No Safe Place

NONFICTION

Three Wishes: Israeli and Palestinian Children Speak

Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk

About Aids

Off to War: Voices of Soldiers' Children

Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees

DEBORAH ELLIS
has achieved international acclaim with her
courageous and dramatic books that give Western readers a glimpse into the plight of
children in developing countries. She has won the Governor General's Award, Sweden's
Peter Pan Prize, the Ruth Schwartz Award, the University of California's Middle East
Book Award, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A
long-time feminist and anti-war activist, she is best known for The Breadwinner Trilogy,
which has been published around the world in seventeen languages, with more than a
million dollars donated to
Street Kids
International
and to
Women for
Women
, an organization that supports health and education projects in Afghanistan.
She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.