It's 2021, and the Taliban have regained power in Afghanistan. Parvana
and Shauzia, the brave protagonists of The Breadwinner, must now flee
to escape new dangers from an old enemy.
In Kabul, 15-year-old Damsa runs away to avoid being forced into
marriage by her family. She is found by a police officer named Shauzia,
who takes her to Green Valley, a shelter and school for women and girls
run by Parvana.
It has been 20 years since Parvana and Shauzia had to disguise
themselves as boys to support themselves and their families. But when
the Taliban were defeated in 2001, it looked as if Afghans could finally
rebuild their country. Many things have changed for Parvana since then.
She has married Asif, who she met in the desert as she searched for her
family when she was a child. She runs a school for girls. She has a son,
Rafi, who is about to fly to New York, where he will train to become a
dancer.
But Shauzia is still Parvana's best friend. And Parvana is still
headstrong, bringing her in conflict with her spoiled sister Maryam.
While Asif tries to get Maryam and Rafi on one of the last flights out
of Kabul, the Taliban come to the school, and Parvana must lead the
girls out of Green Valley and into the mountains.
All royalties will be donated to Canadian Women for Women in
Afghanistan.
Key Text Features
dialogue
literary references
multiple POV
alternating narrative
Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language
Arts:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.3
Describe how a particular story's or drama's plot unfolds in a series of
episodes as well as how the characters respond or change as the plot
moves toward a resolution.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.6.6
Explain how an author develops the point of view of the narrator or
speaker in a text.
