Currently Reading

Reading: My Two Polish Grandfathers, by Witold Rybczynski.
Listening to: Blasphemy, by Douglas Preston.

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Best Books of 2009

The year is drawing to a close, and that means that the "Best Books" lists for 2009 are beginning to appear. The first one I've seen is from Publishers Weekly. Here's the link: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/CA6704595.html

Saturday, November 7, 2009

Review: Under the Persimmon Tree

Staples, Suzanne Fisher. Under the Persimmon Tree. (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.)

This story engaged me from page one. The author combines a compelling story with informative and illustrative scenes of war and life in the mountains of Afghanistan, in refugee camps, and in Peshawar, Pakistan.

We learn about the unpredictability of life under Taliban rule and of the random horror of American bombing raids from the story of Najmah. The young Afghani girl loses her family and finds herself reluctantly fleeing her home and her country to seek safety in Pakistan.

At the same time, we hear the story of Nusrat, an American woman (nee Elaine) who fell in love with an Afghani doctor in New York. She converts to Islam, marries him, and returns with him to Pakistan, where his family has sought refuge from the war. When he leaves to staff a medical clinic in embattled Afghanistan, Nusrat stays behind, where she teaches refugee children and grows ever closer to her husband's family.

Eventually, these two stories connect, but not before the author takes the time to explore the different ways that the two protagonists react to family, loss, and love. Najmah is defined by her strong connection to her family and to her mountain home. She is determined to return there, despite incredible dangers, no matter what. Nusrat, on the other hand, leaves behind the family she knows to create a life with her husband and his family in a new land.

Under the Persimmon Tree was named an ALA Notable Children's Book for Older Readers. Highly recommended.