The news recently has been full of war stories happening in Afghanistan. For many young people the part of the world is unfamiliar. Unfortunately stories out of this country will make headlines and news probably for many years to come. To fill in the gaps for young readers I would highly recommend SHOOTING KABUL by N.H. Senzai (A Paula Wiseman book, Simon and Schuster Book for Young Readers, 2010. $16.99. June 2010).
This story opens as eleven year old Fadi is staring out a cab backseat window one starry night. Fadi, his parents and two sisters are fleeing from Kabul, Afghanistan, heading to Jalalabad in the eastern part of the country. Fadi’s father has given him a charge to watch over his six year old sister, Mariam. The taxi leaves the family at an abandoned site where they will be collected and taken the final part of their journey into Pakistan. When the truck arrives, other refugees hiding at the site rush to board. Fadi refuses to put his sister’s Barbie doll in his jacket and in the confusion she slips out of his hand. She is swept into the crowd and, when they arrive, Mariam is not with them. She has been left behind.
After trying valiantly to locate the child, the family continues on its flight to America where they will seek asylum. Fadi is stricken with guilt over his minor role in the sister’s disappearance.
His father with a PHD in agriculture lands a job driving taxi; the older sister, Noor, starts working at MacDonalds and Fadi starts middle school in Freemont California. His mother is not well over worry about Mariam. As one might imagine Fadi faces multiple problems adjusting to school. Conflicts arise and get resolved in a variety of ways
The particular importance of this book to me was in the blending of the coming of age of Fadi and the history of Afghanistan. At no time does the author ever interrupt the narrative to give the reader a history lesson. Instead history is brought out naturally as the characters talk, react to each other, and generally go about their daily living. Concerns over Osama, the Taliban , President Karzai all surface especially after the terror attack in New York and Washington. Now the concerns over their Muslim faith surfaces and must be confronted.
The story is captivating and will hold any readers’ interest. A Glossary of terms and suggested other writings are included at the end of the book. One writing in particular I know is very helpful in explaining the Taliban’s effect on the country. Ellis, Deborah PARVANA’S JOURNEY , Groundwood Books, 2004. Appropriate for any reader grade 5 and up.