The Breadwinner

Ellis, Deborah

ISBN 10: 1439506167 ISBN 13: 9781439506165

Synopsis

The Breadwinner brings to life an issue that has recently exploded in the international media -- the reality of life under the Taliban. Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because he has a foreign education, her father is arrested by the Taliban, the religious group that controls the country. Since women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, or go to school, or work outside the home, the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. She cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family. Parvana's determination to survive is the force that drives this novel set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism.

Deborah Ellis spent several months talking with women and girls in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Russia. This suspenseful, timely novel is the result of those encounters.

About this title

Review

'This is an easy read about a difficult subject...’ -- Guardian

‘We’ve heard and read millions of words about living under the Taliban, yet it remains a distant horror. [The Breadwinner] brings everything to poignant life.’ -- Independent

‘While the story is bleak, Parvana’s courage and determination to survive in a man’s world is heartening.’ -- Times Educational Supplement

‘it deserves to become a bestseller...’ -- Daily Telegraph

Book Description

Starvation or survival - a girl's life under Taliban rule

About this edition

• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 1439506167
• ISBN 13: 9781439506165
• Binding: Library Binding