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Breadwinner Review
The Breadwinner brings to life an issue that has recently exploded in the international media — the reality of life under the Taliban. Young Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan. Because he has a foreign education, her father is arrested by the Taliban, the religious group that controls the country. Since women cannot appear in public unless covered head to toe, or go to school, or work outside the home, the family becomes increasingly desperate until Parvana conceives a plan. She cuts her hair and disguises herself as a boy to earn money for her family. Parvana’s determination to survive is the force that drives this novel set against the backdrop of an intolerable situation brought about by war and religious fanaticism. Deborah Ellis spent several months talking with women and girls in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Russia. This suspenseful, timely novel is the result of those encounters. Royalties from the sale of The Breadwinner will go toward educating Afghan girls in Pakistani refugee camps. “...a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive ... conditions.” — Booklist User Submitted Breadwinner ReviewsNovember 5, 2008 The Breadwinner I thought the book was really good. I was so tempted to read more at the end! I thought the book was really sad when the Taliban took Parvana's father. But, I think it was really thoughtful when the guys were helping her father up the steps. September 23, 2008 Grandmothers are teachers too The Breadwinner is an outstanding book to give middle schoolers a feel for the lives of ordinary people in Afghanistan and that region of the world. The stark contrast comes alive for them. A powerful book, it opens the way for discussions of gender, sexuality, poverty, cultural differences especially Afghan culture, as well as radical Islamic fundamentalism. As a grandmother, and retired 6th grade teacher, I have added it to the library I am building for my grandchildren ,filled with books we can read and discuss at the appropriate time. August 25, 2008 Excellent Book I purchased this book for a college class. I was very impressed by it, certainly worth reading. Gives a very well written account of what life could be like in Afghanistan. August 23, 2008 Must Read This is a sad but seemingly true story of how one family has learned to survive in a country at war during Taliban control. The story is told from a little girl's perspective. The reader experiences the many trials and tribulations that the main character, Parvana, goes through on a daily basis. May not be a true "historical fiction" but it is an excellent novel and must read!!! April 10, 2008 J.Lally's Book Review The intriguing book The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis is about the Taliban taking over Afghanistan. There is a young girl who has no men in her family and needs to be allowed to go outside and work for money and food or her family will starve, if she gets caught she might get killed by the Taliban or go to prison and get beaten. This book makes readers want to keep reading, for example Parvana's father gets taken to prison and since women are not allowed outside without a man, her family doesn't know how they can earn money and nourish themselves, so Mrs.Weera (Parvana's mothers friend) lives with them now, she tells Parvana's mother "We'll have to think of something else." So Parvana decides to pretend to be a boy to be able to feed her family. That is just one example; there are many parts of the book like this. It also has suspense in it, like when Parvana goes outside without a boy, she gets caught by the Taliban and hit. The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis is a very intriguing book. March 27, 2008 The winner of the bread The Breadwinner book takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan. The main character is Parvana with her mom, father, her sister Nooria, and Miriam also her brother Ali. Parvana's father was recently out of jail a few weeks before Mazar-e-Shariff was conquerd. Parvana had to cut her hair and to change all her clothes to dress like a boy. Also Parvana's father had his legs cut off. All of her family are stuck in a one room house. Their houses were bombed and they became more poor each time and now live in a smaller house. Also, the law in Kabul, Afghanistan was that no women or girl could leave th e house without a man to join them outside. The genre of the book is realistic fiction because it sounds like it could be real but is not. The theme of the book is bravery because Parvana showed bravery throughout the book. The setting of the book happens to take place in Kabul, Afghanistan. The conflict of the story is that the father has been taken to jail. Since hes in jail, they can't go out to get the stuff she needed like food or other things. Also, when Nooria was going to get married all but Parvana went with and now Mazar-e-Sharif where the family went. One event was when Parvana was defending her dad when attacking the guards trying to take her father for getting an education in another country. Another event was when Parvana went digging for bones in the graveyard. I liked the book because it had some characters that show bravery in the book. I would recommend to kids all ages because they can learn something from Parvana of never giving up. Also, it's a five star book. Others will like it too like I did. March 26, 2008 discussing the breadwinner Discussing The Breadwinner The Breadwinner is a book about a young girl, Parvana, who lives with her family in afghanistan. In her family there is the Father, Mother, Nooria, and her little sister Maryam and her little bother Ali. Parvana lives in Afghanistan and moves houses a lot due to bombings. Parvana lived in many houses but all were bombed and they became poor every time there was the bombing. Now, they are living in a single room house. Parvana's dad was arrested for getting an education in a different country. The book the Breadwinner, falls under the genre of realistic fiction. The theme of Breadwinner is bravery, or hope I say this because Parvana acted brave and still had hope. Mainly, it takes place in Kabul, Afghanistan where Parvana lived. When Nooria was going to get married, her family had to leave for Mazar-e-Sharif. When the dad came back they were informed that Mazar-e-Sharif had been abducted by the Taliban. Throughout the book, there are a lot of interesting events. One was when Parvana attacked the guards trying to take her Father. Another event was when Parvana was digging up bones from a graveyard to get more money. A third event was very exciting when her father came home. I liked the book of The Breadwinner, I liked it because Parvana didn't give up after her dad was taken to jail. I also think it is good because it had a unique way and very descriptive. A strange part however, was when the criminals got their hands chopped off. In my opinion the book was good. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in books like this with historical events. I recommend this for all ages because it is a great book for kids any age interested in this book. February 28, 2007 Fifth grade review The Bread Winner The Bread Winner is a five star book about a girl, named Parvana and her family. This book takes place in Afghanistan. When her father got arrested nobody can get the food. Parvana is the only one who can because everybody else is either to old or to young. Do you think Parvana can keep the family running and not get arrested? I like this book because it was suspenseful and you never knew what would happen next. February 18, 2007 A great read! The Breadwinner was a book that, once I started, I couldn't tear myself away from the pages. Ellis' character development of Parvana is so powerful. I felt as if I knew her. There were times when I wanted to hoist her onto my shoulders and praise her and other times when I wanted to scold her for not doing what she needed to be doing, even though she was doing what she thought would be the best, easiest and quickest way to help her family, digging up bones. When I reached the end of the book, I was left with a desire to hear more about what happens to Parvana and her family. I can't wait to read the sequel! Not only does the reader learn about and develop a relationship with this character, but Ellis teaches the reader a lot of historical facts and cultural information about this area of the world. This book is extremely appropriate to use at this point in time with the way our world is. November 30, 2006 The breadwinner I think that the book The breadwinner is a very facsinating story that covers alot of issues about war and injustice. Parvana is 11 years old and she has no freedom. She can't go outside since the Taliban has ordered that no female people are allowed to go outside unless they are accompianied by a male, or have a note. Then suddenly, Parvana's life changes since her father is taken away and she has to dress up as a boy and become The Breadwinner for her family. She starts by reading letters for people who cant read, but then she finds a friend from her school doing the same thing so they dig up bones to earn money. I think The Breadwinner is a really good story and i like how Deborah Ellis has shown how much people can suffer in Afghanistan, like "There are more landmines then flowers in Kabul" This book covers alot of issues and i would rate it 4 stars. For more Breadwinner reviews click here.
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