https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt A Multicultural, Young Adult novel by Deborah Ellis en-us 2017-11-06 22:15:57 UTC 2025-09-25 04:55:29 UTC hello@padlet.com rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150267 11 year old Parvana is growing up in 1990s Kabul, Afghanistan when the country is under Taliban control.  Girls and women are not allowed to work, be educated, or even go outside without being completely covered from head to foot.  She and her family are dependent upon her father, but he is arrested and taken away for being too educated.  Parvana decides to cut her hair and pass for a boy in order to make money for the family.  Eventually, her mother escapes to Pakistan (to a town which later gets taken over by the Taliban, unfortunately), and Parvana insists on staying behind in hopes of her father’s release.  When her father is finally free, the two make their way to Pakistan hopeful for a family reunion.]]> 2017-11-06 22:30:36 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150267 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150306 This book is about Survival and Strength. Parvana is pushed into a corner and not only has to protect herself, she must protect her family. She does what she needs to do to survive an impossible situation and demonstrates unlikely determination, maturity, strength, and intelligence far beyond her years. ]]> 2017-11-06 22:30:47 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150306 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150363 The Taliban, and groups like it, are still very much a threat to families like Parvana’s in real life — and a threat to the entire world.  This book allows for great discussion about middle eastern culture and the role women play in it, or don’t play.  The class can discuss things like women’s rights and equality, not to mention the refugee situation.  By seeing the world through Parvana’s eyes, students can better understand a foreign perspective and be empathetic toward the current global situation.

The book is beautifully written and really allows the reader to feel things that Parvana feels -- feelings they may have no prior experience with and ones that will broaden their cultural awareness. Secondly, the book is very realistic and should be applauded for not having a typically happy, feel-good ending. It allows readers to understand how harsh life can be, especially in the Middle East, and gives them a chance to compare and contrast their own situation with those people oppressed under Taliban control. ]]> 2017-11-06 22:30:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204150363 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156127 2017-11-06 22:59:49 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156127 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156232 2017-11-06 23:00:20 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156232 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156293 2017-11-06 23:00:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156293 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156339 2017-11-06 23:00:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156339 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156411 2017-11-06 23:01:15 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156411 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156458 2017-11-06 23:01:31 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156458 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156517 2017-11-06 23:01:54 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156517 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156600 2017-11-06 23:02:23 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156600 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156670 2017-11-06 23:02:49 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204156670 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157079 2017-11-06 23:04:53 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157079 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157150 2017-11-06 23:05:16 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157150 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157511 2017-11-06 23:07:44 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157511 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157577 2017-11-06 23:08:15 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204157577 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204158056 2017-11-06 23:11:58 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204158056 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204160157 2017-11-06 23:29:52 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204160157 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204161923 2017-11-06 23:44:57 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204161923 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204161954 2017-11-06 23:45:14 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204161954 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204189381 Sample Passage]]> 2017-11-07 02:53:41 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204189381 rrthompson https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204189628 2017-11-07 02:55:31 UTC https://padlet.com/rrthompson/zwci0xjp3uxt/wish/204189628