The Breadwinner

by Deborah Ellis

A. Ellis, Deborah. 2001. THE BREADWINNER. Berkeley, CA: Publisher's Group West. ISBN 0-88899-416-8

B. PLOT SUMMARY

This realistic fiction work is set in the war-torn city of Kabul, Afghanistan in current times. Parvana, an 11-year old girl, is the protagonist in this story of life under the oppressive rule of the Taliban. Her father, weak with illness, is suddenly imprisoned for having "foreign ideas". The family has to face trying to live in a country where females are not allowed to be outside the family home without a male escort and traditional Burqa covering. Desperate for money and food for her family, Parvana disguises herself as a young boy in order to go to the marketplace and work. With this transition, Parvana is able to take care of her family and in essence, becomes "the breadwinner" for her family.

C. CRITICAL ANALYSIS (WITH CULTURAL MARKERS)

Parvana's story is one of so many young girls in any war-torn country, Afghanistan in this case. She represents women and girls around the world in their desperate attempt to survive both the ravages of war as well as oppression from a male-dominated belief system and culture. Parvana's story, even though a work of fiction, gives the reader a terrific glimpse of what life is like under the rule of the Taliban. With the setting and the culture come many new vocabulary words for the reader (a glossary is located at the end of the book) such as burqa, karachi, nan, and toshak. Parvana's mother was a writer and her father a history teacher pre-Taliban. It is in his telling stories to his children that the reader learns of the rich history of Afghanistan and its people. Another noted cultural marker are the names of the characters: Parvana, Maryam, Ali, etc. These are definitely middle-eastern as are some of the other daily habits such as sitting on around a plastic cloth on the floor to eat instead of a table and chairs. The tradition of females wearing their hair long, never cutting it, is a tradition that is forced to be broken in order for Parvana and her family to survive.

Deborah Ellis, the author, interviewed many young girls and women who had to endure Afghan refugee camps and the cruelties of the Taliban. It is this experience that allows her to write with great authenticity and realistically tell the story of these brave people who remain full of optimism and hope for a better future in Afghanistan. Althought initially this story appears to be heart-breaking, in the end, Parvana endures and triumphs - beating the system that works so hard to keep her down.

D. EXCERPT REVIEWS

Booklist: "The Breadwinner is a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive conditions."

Publisher's Weekly: "The topical issues introduced, coupled with this strong heroine, will make this novel of interest to many conscientious teens."

School Library Journal: "The Breadwinner features a brave heroin in troubled times and offers a sense of hope."

E. CONNECTIONS

1. Have students work in pairs to complete this pre-reading webquest to become familiar with life in Afghanistan and associated vocabulary. http://www.literacynet.org/cortez/index.htm

(A rubric and teacher's notes are included.)

2. Write a journal entry in the voice of Parvana's mother, father or other character in the book.

3. Students will create a Venn diagram comparing their life with Parvana's and discuss as a class.

F. PERSONAL REFLECTIONS

I read this book with great interest because I have a brother-in-law currently on active duty in the U.S. Army just outside of Kabul. He has sent home photos of the surrounding countryside and some of the people. It was easy to picture a young girl going to such extreme measures just to take care of her family under the rule of the Taliban. After reading this book, I have a much different view of how life is over there. Without getting political, I just don't understand how anyone can oppose a war where we are trying to restore the way of life, traditions and culture of people like Parvana and her family.