Deborah Ellis' The Breadwinner Trilogy is a novel about
the challenges women and children have to face in Afghanistan and Pakistan. The book actually combines three novels, namely The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey and Mud
City. Deborah Ellis wrote the book after traveling to Pakistan to help
at an Afghan refugee camp.The Breadwinner Trilogy tells the story of Parvana and Shauzia. War has been going on for over a decade in Afghanistan due to the September 11 attacks on the United States in 2001. Life for Parvana, Shauzia and many other girls is extremely tough. There are many restrictions imposed by the Taliban militia. There is mistreatment of women and girls, and a complete ban on their activity outside the home, unless accompanied by a mahram i.e. male relative. Girls are forbidden to go to school, and women are not allowed to work. Also, there is frequent whipping, beating and verbal abuse of women not clothed in accordance with Taliban rules. Non-covered ankles, bright clothes, high heels and even laughing loudly could lead to harsh punishment. No stranger should hear a woman's voice or footsteps!
Parvana and Shauzia's families struggled to earn money for food. They sold everything they were able to save after the bombs and rockets destroyed their homes and most of their possessions. Since Parvana's father was taken to prison and Shauzia's father had recently died from a heart disease, the 11-year old girls were both forced to be the breadwinners for their families.
They had to pretend to be boys! That was the only way they were able to move in and out of the marketplace without being stopped. Parvana and Shauzia were forced to be brave. Parvana watched her father being beaten and dragged to prison by the Taliban. Also, both girls accidentally entered a stadium where they saw the Taliban cutting off arms of thieves.
Both girls work together and try to figure ways and means to earn more money. They become very close friends. But eventually they have to travel their own paths. After her father died, Parvana embarks on a journey to find the rest of her family who were in Mazar-e-Sharif to get her eldest sister, Nooria, married. But Mazar-e-Sharif was attacked and taken over by the Taliban and all the surviving victims retreated to a refugee camp. Meanwhile, Shauzia travels to Pakistan to seek work; she dreams of seeing the ocean and eventually making a new life in France.
The plight of women and children in Afghanistan and Pakistan has been the subject of many remarkable stories. A compelling example is Malala Yousafzai’s. She was shot by the Taliban because she was writing a blog detailing her life under Taliban rule and describing her view on girl’s education. The assassination attempt sparked a national and international support for 14-year-old Malala.
Many books and films have been created to capture the struggles of women and children in these countries. The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini are among bestselling novels that describe these struggles. The Breadwinner Trilogy is yet another remarkable book on this topic.
The Breadwinner Trilogy is one of the most inspiring books I have read. It is interesting to have a different perspective of what a child's life could be in a country torn by war. This book is beautifully written in a simple language, and it is impossible to put down. I hope you like it too.
