Well, I finished A Thousand Splendid Suns last night, and slightly upset my husband in the process. Why, you ask? Well, because I was weeping during the last 1/8th of the book. I had to put the book down for a short time before continuing on. He didn't understand why I would want to read a book that made me cry. Maybe it is a girl thing. I like movies that make me cry, too. Beaches was one of my favorite movies when I was a teen.
This book was amazing. It is a tale of the enduring strength of love, the hardships of living in a war zone, and the tribulations suffered by women in Afghanistan. It follows the life of two women growing up in Afghanistan since the 1980's. The book tells the story of the Soviet occupation, the wars that broke out between Islamic factions after they left, and the ruling of the Taliban.
What made the book so moving for me was that I knew that the saddest parts of the story were actually based on true stories. I attended a lecture during Women's Day in 2001 on the plight of women in Afghanistan. Women from RAWA told stories of their work in both the Afghani refugee camps in Pakistan and their secret schools in Afghanistan. One woman told us how she teaches women to read, even though she would be executed for doing so if found out.
The public could not take pictures at the event because it would actually endanger the lives of some of the presenters. We were told that women in Afghanistan are forbidden to work. Women cannot be seen outside the home without being accompanied by a man. We saw what a burka looked like and were encouraged to try it on. I saw pictures of the punishments and executions held in arenas for various crimes. One that still sticks in my mind was of a young boy holding up a string of decapitated hands from thieves.
Needless to say, this book is not an easy read. But, it is still a worthwhile read. I am looking forward to my book club discussing it this afternoon.
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5 comments:
**shivers** I've seen burkas. I don't think I could wear one. Although it's hard to make that assessment as a westerner woman who has never been in the position of the Afghan women.
I find it atrocious how acceptable it is to dehumanized women in our society, and in our world. It makes me sad and angry.
It sounds like an amazing story. It's written by the same man as the Kite Runner, right?
I agree on the burkas. I'd be tripping on it if I wore one, and I would hate the sensory deprivation.
Khaled did write the Kite Runner. I couldn't get into that book, though. The story starts slow, and I didn't care about the characters. Maybe I'll see the movie instead.
Yeah, I found the excerpt on amazon, and read the woman's perspective...loss of peripheral vision would scare me. Wearing a scarf over your hair/ face is different. The burkas are really scary, to me.
Also the loss of the art. I went to the author's website and he described the oppression of the art. I take it so for granted that art is part of my life.
Ah. I've heard about the Kite Runner, but the story didn't call to me. However, I just ordered a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns from ILL today. The story grabbed my attention.
The art and historical landmark destruction really bothers me, too. I hope you like the book as much as I did.
Yeah. How can someone consciously destroy such amazing history? People do weird things when they feel threatened.
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