Book Review: The Breadwinner
A. Bibliography
Ellis, Deborah. 2001. The Breadwinner. Groundwood Books. ISBN 0-88899-419-2.
B. Plot Summary
Parvana lives in Afghanistan with her father, mother, older sister, younger sister, and younger brother. Her older brother, Hossain, was killed when he was 14 from a land mine. The family lives in a one room apartment. They have moved several times because of the many bombings in Kabul. Parvana and her older sister are no longer able to attend school because of the Taliban's rules toward women and girl. Her father was a professor until he lose his leg in a bombing and was unable to teach. Now, he and Parvana head to the market each day so her father can read and write letters for people who cannot read and write. When her father is arrested by the Taliban, Parvana is the only one who is able to go out and make money for the family to survive. She has to alter her appearance to look like a boy in order for her to move freely around Kabul so she can support her family.
C. Critical Analysis
The Breadwinner is a jolting view of what women and girls endure under the Taliban rule in Afghanistan. Parvana must change her appearance to look like a boy in order to support her family. She is faced with many difficult challenges and decisions for such a young girl of eleven. Dressed in her dead brother's clothes, pretending to be a distant cousin, Kaseem, she continues her father's work and translates and writes letters for people who cannot read and write, but she knows she needs to make more money. This realization takes her to the next job opportunity which would challenge her physically, but mentally as well. She collects human bones from graveyards, which pays better than translating letters, but also takes a toll on her emotionally.
Parvana as a child is exposed to many things we as adults cannot fathom: war, violence, death, destruction, loss of education, strict rules from imposed rulers, her father being taken away to prison for no apparent reason, sibling rivalry, and depression. Her spirit is strong and unwavering because of the commitment she has towards her family. She exemplifies what it means to be a hero.
D. Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly: 09/19/2001, Vol. 248 Issue 12, p100, 1/4p.
Ellis bases her contemporary novel on refugee stories about the oppressive rule of Afghanistan by the Taliban. Eleven-year-old Parvana must masquerade as a boy to gain access to the outside world and support hew dwindling family. Parvana's brother was killed years earlier by a land mine explosion and, for much of the story, her father imprisoned, leaving only her mother, older sister and two very young siblings. The Taliban laws require women to sheathe themselves fully and ban girls from attending school or going out unescorted; thus, Parvan's disguise provides her a measure of freedom and the means to support her family by providing a reading service for illiterates.
School Library Journal; January 2003, Vol. 49 Issue 1, p84, 1/6p.
Grade 5-8 - Before the Taliban came to Kabul, 11-year-old Parvana's parents worked as teachers. When her father is arrested, she cuts her hair, dons her deceased brother's clothes, and goes to work, in her father's place. With the freedom granted only to males, Parvana earns money to keep her mother and siblings alive. The family's determination to remain faithful to their beliefs while struggling to survive under a repressive regime give this novel its power.
E. Connections
Ellis, Deborah. 2002. Parvana's Journey. Groundwood Books.
ISBN 0-88899-514-8.
The Breadwinner Extension Activities/Websites:
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