The Bookseller of Kabul Blurb

In this captivating portrayal of Sultan Khan’s family living in the war-torn region of Afghanistan, The Bookseller of Kabul provides insight to the daily struggles and triumphs of each family member’s personal life. While each member’s experiences differ, they all share the improbable goal of personal freedom. Leila hides a forbidden relationship, Mansur attempts to escape the dictations of his father, and Bibi Gul copes with the long lonely days without her children. From Afghanistan’s political regimes to the burden of the burka, this charismatic account will leave readers with a refreshed and knowledgeable perspective of the modern-day Afghan culture.

Journal Entry 4

            All in all we thought this was a great book and enjoyed reading it.  We thought it was very refreshing to here things from a new perspective, and it has opened our eyes to the world in a variety of new ways.  Many books try to depict the poverty of the Middle East and leave you feeling sad, and sympathetic.  However, in this book the author told us the story through the eyes of a family who is well respected and has enough money to live more than adequately, especially by Afghani standards.  It was also interesting that the author actually lived with this family and experienced some of the events of this book.  This is different from a boring memoir written by someone who has never actually met the people who they are writing about.

            Something that really surprised us in this section was when Tajmir came into the picture and his life is completely ruled by his mother.  Since he was a boy he has obeyed her every wish because otherwise she will hit him.  Now, he is a man and he still comes home and gives her his salary.  His mother then does as she pleases with it, leaving him some spending money to buy things with.  This would be odd even in our society, but in theirs it is particularly odd because of the role gender plays in Afghanistan’s daily life.  Throughout the book we have seen countless women be ruled, overruled, and abused by men simply because of their traditions of men making the decisions.  Men are wanted as children.  Men decide whom they will marry.  Men make the money.  Men have the power.  Now it appears the tables have turned and this man’s old mother completely rules his life even though he is the one paying the bills.  That was something that really surprised us in this section.   

            One assumption that I had coming into the book was that the main character would be a very poor old man who sold books.  This was wrong because Sultan is somewhat old, but he has a good amount of money.  One thing that I should have assumed coming in, but did not was that women are treated as second-class citizens in Afghanistan.  In this section especially this reoccurring theme is brought out.  Leila has had three suitors, or people who wish to marry her, for some time.  In this section a new young man comes along and falls in love with Leila.  He writes her love letters and tries to see her in any way he can.  Leila knows she should not accept the letters according to their traditions, but she reads them anyway and then tucks them away in her safe.  This young man find out that Leila needs to meet with the minister of education to get a job as a teacher (something she has always wanted), and he uses this as his way to get to talk to her at last.  Leila likes the young man because she knows that marrying him she will not remain simply a servant girl, which would be the case if she married her other suitors.  She also likes how he is kind enough to try to get her a teaching job although he fails at it when they deny her a teaching permit.  After a long day of trying to get the permit and just when she is starting to like him, her mother asks her something.  She asks is Leila will marry one of the other suitors who has a family of over 30 people.  Leila refuses to argue with her mother and in doing so throws away her chance at a happy life.  This important ending to the story shows the gender roles that are so evident in everyday life in Afghanistan.  Leila’s tragic story is similar to that of many other young Afghani women, many of whom the author talks about in the book. 

            This was a great book and we are all glad we chose to read it.  We learned a lot about a culture that we knew little about prior to reading this book, and we saw the struggle that people around the world go through on a daily basis just to meet their basic needs.  This is our last journal entry and we would encourage anyone who has not read it to read The Bookseller of Kabul.

            

Discussion Leader Luke Anderson 12/8/2010

Why did Tajmir stop working for the charity?

After 9/11 when journalists were streaming into Kabul and American magazine picked him up.  They offered to pay him in one day, what he was usually paid in two weeks.  Tajmir, thinking of his poor family, reluctantly accepted their job offering as an interpreter.  Tajmir is the sole provider for his family so when the better job came along he felt compelled to take it, even though he rather enjoying helping feed people with his old charity job.

Explain what is unusual about Tajmir’s home life.

His mother was strict with him since he was a boy.  She always hit him hard when he disobeyed her.  He always came straight home from school when he was a child and was rarely allowed to play with the other children or leave the house outside of school.  Even now that he is a man Tajmir still comes home from work and hands his salary over to his mother who dispenses him out some spending money.  This is weird because in all the other relationships between men and women in this book the man has the power.

Why is the fighting in the region that Bob and Tajmir visit?

Those who oppose president Karzai have taken over this region and everything goes according to their rules.  They are led by Padsha Khan who seems only to desire power for the sake of having it.  In this area those who have weapons make the rules.  Mustafa supports Karzai and is leading a rebellion against the Khan clan.  He and his men are holding up in an old police station that is heavily fortified. 

Why is Bob really interested in traveling to this region?

Bob is an American journalist who writes for an American magazine.  He goes to this region to find out what is happening between the warlords.  But what he is really interested in is the whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden, or one of Bin Laden’s senior officers.  He hopes that these people will be able to help him, but, as they find out, some of the men do not even know what Osama Bin Laden looks like.    

  

Melissa Stalowski: Summarizer 12/8/2010

In the final section of The Bookseller of Kabul, Tajmir and an American journalist travel throughout Afghanistan in search of information on Osama bin Laden. The author starts off the chapter by listing what Americans have done in Afghanistan in search for Osama bin Laden. Throughout the section, the author portrays the United States' involvement in Afghanistan in a negative way as she lists that their operatins have interrogated the Afghans, blown up their land, and killed innocent civilians. Tajmir and the American journalist, Bob, meet with opposing parties throughout Afghanistan and the American journalist reports his findings back to the United States. Back in Kabul, Leila continues to receive love letters from Karim. The author speaks of Karim as a character that could free Leila from her home life. Leila's home is compared to a prison and marrying Karim is an act that could free her from that prison and provide her with multiple opportunities. However, the family finds out about the romance and Leila is unable to marry Karim. At the very end of the book, Sultan's family has broken up and half of the family has moved in with Sultan's brother. Emphasizing the constant struggle that every member of Sultan's family faces every day in Afghanistan, the author ends the book with the line "Another little catasrophe in the Khan family" (288).

Abby Husfeldt: Vocabulary Builder/Article Finder 12/8/2010

Vocab

Taleb (249): A member of the Taliban

Vociferous (253): Crying out noisily

Kalashnikovs (252): A type of machine gun made in the U.S.S.R.

Constable (258): An officer of the peace, having police and minor judicial functions, usually in a small town, rural district, etc.

Spurious (258): not genuine, authentic, or true; not from the claimed, pretended, or proper source; counterfeit

Fawning (258): To seek notice or favor by servile demeanor.

Reconnaissance (262): A search made for useful military information in the field.

Gesticulate (265): To make or use gestures, esp. In an animated or excited manner with or instead of speech.

 Article Finder

         Here is an article from November 29 of this year that goes along with the section of the book that we read this week.  In the chapter titled My Mother Osama, it discusses the hunt for Osama and other al-Qaida leaders.  This article, Close Calls for al-Qaeda's No. 2, from Time magazine discusses the updates on the possible whereabouts of Bin Laden and his right hand Ayman al-Zawahiri.  The article pays close attention to the CIA’s attempts to capture the two men and also other forces as well that are looking for them.  In The Bookseller, Tajmir is working closely with a group that is in search of Bin Laden and others such as Zawahiri who are associated with al-Qaida.  I thought that this article would be an interesting connector between the book and current events.

Graphic Organizer: Heather Sandberg 12/8/10

I made Leila the center of this graphic organizer because she seemed to be the main focus in the last section of the book.  Each of the men listed above have asked her Leila's hand in marriage and she has turned them all down.  I thought this would be beneficial because there are so many mens' names being thrown around in these chapters, so I figured I would make it clear as to who her suitors were.  Karim is at the top because he has gone to every length to have Leila and in the end he still failed along with the other three men.  This gives a good representation of many women's lives in Afghanistan because most women have many suitors before they or their family agree on any one man.

Discussion Leader: Heather Sandberg 12/6/10

1. Why does 12 yr. old Aimal have to suffer twelve hour days working when the family is a middle class family?
A: Aimal has to work at the shop because it is the son's duty to carry on the family tradition of a store they own.  He is only twelve, but the head of the household ( the father or oldest son) wants the younger boys to get used to working at a very young age.  His shop is in a shabby war-torn hotel and I didn't quite understand it at first, but i think the reason it is located there is so that he can say he goes to work, but doesn't have to deal with the hectic customers all day.  The hotel doesn't get many customers and therefore Aimal only has to deal with occasional journalists and the janitors.

2. Why do children and young adults in the Afghan community beg their parents to let them go to school instead of make money at an easy job?
A: Children in this community in the book really want to become educated because they realize that more people succeed if they can read, write, and exchange money without being ripped off.  The kids and young adults in the family would rather go to school than work and carry on their families shops because they are under control of the head man in the family.  These children have no freedom with how they want to live their lives if they are forced to work in the stores because they are told exactly what to do with it.

3. Why did Sultan get so upset over the stolen postcards when he knew how much the carpenter truely needed the money for his family?
A: Sultan got so angry that some postcards were stolen out of his shop because he had worked so hard to get it all started.  He felt like he had to uphold his family's honor by punishing the man who stole from the shop.  I think that Sultan wanted to show his authority to everyone by not letting the carpenter go without getting in trouble because he wanted to make sure that they all knew who was in charge.  Sultan didn't understand how much the man truely needed money in order to keep his family from starving nor did he really care.  All he cared about was getting his postcards back, which makes him a greedy person.

4. What does Sultan mean when he tells Mansur, "Don't be soft Mansur; don't you start to buckle," ?
A: Sultan says this twice in this section and then the author makes it recurrent in Mansur's thoughts so it must be an important quote to remember.  I think it is stated multiple times because Sultan wants to test Mansur to see if he can handle being the head of the store one day.  Mansur knows that his father watches his every move and therefore, he goes along with everything Sultan says even though he might not agree with it all.  Mansur doesn't want to let Sultan down and Sultan wants to make sure that he is one day leaving the shop to someone who can show no mercy and run it right.

Luke Anderson Summarizer 12/6/2010

Luke Anderson

            The first chapter of this section follows Sultan’s youngest son, Aimal.  He is a shopkeeper in one of Kabul’s hotels.  Unfortunately, he hates his jobs and spends the majority of his day dreaming of getting an education.  The next chapter is about how some postcards get stolen from one of Sultan’s shops.  Sultan is keen to know if the thief was stealing the cards to give to some one else.  By the end of the section it gets to the point where the man who stole from Sultan can either go to jail for 6 years, or tell the police who he sold the cards to.  Eventually, when he is at the central jail, he tell the police that he was asked to steal the postcards by a shopkeeper who used to buy them from Sultan, but always complained about the prices.  The section ended with the police apprehending the shopkeeper and getting back Sultan's stolen merchandise.  This section is used by the author to explain how quickly your luck can change when you own a shop in Afghanistan if you don't keep your eyes open.  It also illustrates the level of poverty of some people who are forced to steal, when they were brought up to be morally good people.          

Abby Husfeldt: Graphic Organizer 12/6/10

~This week I decided to create a Family Tree of the family that we are following in the book.  It is important that we understand and follow the family throughout the book.  It sometimes gets quite confusing.  Visuals help us follow storylines better so that is another reason I decided to create a family tree.  The women in the family are labled in a pink color and the men are labled in black.  I have also added characters who are no longer living, but were still mentioned in the book.

Melissa Stalowski: Vocabulary Builder 12/6/2010

1) Futile (adj): useless, vain (page 208)
2) Monstrosity (n): an evil (page 208)
3) Steppes (n): plains of Southeast Europe or Asia, having few trees (page 209)
4) Sallow (adj): sickly, pale-yellowish complexion (page 210)
5) Charlatan (n): fraud (page 211)
6) Teeming (adj): swarming (page 212)
7) Bemoan (v): to lament (page 219)
8) Enigmatically (adv): perplexing or baffling (page 221)
9) Sanctimonious (adj): pretending to be holy (page 225)
10) Virulent (adj): extremely poisonous or infectious (page 227)

Journal #3 12/3/10

So far, in The Bookseller of Kabul, we have all quite happily enjoyed the book.  The book is different from most other books that we have read.  The author, Seierstad, does a phenomenal job with her writing techniques to keep us interested throughout each section.

One of her techniques that she incorporates within her writing is slipping in historical information about Islam and Afghanistan.  Her storylines seem to fall perfectly with her information.  The way that she does this is terrific because it does not seem like we are reading a history book or learning a boring lesson.  Extra information that has been fused into the stories of the characters, which adds more in depth understanding of the characters and more generally the people of Afghanistan or of Muslim religion.  At some points, we agreed that the history aspects get a little long, but overall it provides great background to the story. 

Seierstad also does a great job at the descriptions in the book.  Her words draw the readers in wanting more with each page.  One example of this is written on page 176 where she writes, “She has been brought up to serve, and she has become a servant, ordered around by everyone.  With every new order, respect for her diminishes.  If anyone is in a bad mood, Leila suffers.”  Not only does this passage make you want to keep reading on, but it also makes you feel for the character Leila.  The character Leila sees herself as a servant, a slave to everyone’s wishes.  The rest of her story is found in the chapters of The Smell of Dust and An Attempt where the reader is able to experience the hidden emotions of a woman in their culture.  Seierstad writes with this creative spark with all of her characters and she does a good job with it.

Not only does she write creatively, but her writing is also not written at too difficult of a level.  This helps draw all different types of audience members to read this book.  This ease also helps you fly through the book while enjoying it nonetheless. 

            One thing that has surprised us so far in the book was how she has written the book as a full story.  The synopsis at the back of the book makes it seem like the main focus of the story will be about Sultan and how he is able to run his bookstore and run his family at the same time.  However, Seierstad has chosen to dedicate a few chapters to each individual character.  She does this in such a way that it is not disorienting but very interesting.  By focusing on a character for a specific amount of time helps the reader see different aspects of their culture and how the family lives their life on a daily basis.  We believe that she did not want the book to look like it was only in the eyes of Sultan, and also not only in the eyes of Seierstad herself.  By keeping her identity secret and putting the perspective on the others in the family was very creative.  It helps the focus be upon the family and their struggles or delights.  

            Relating this book to class discussion is not very difficult because one of the main things that is focused on in this book is the roles/characteristics of males and females.  How we, as Americans, perceive these aspects in each other is very different to the characters in the book.  The cultural barrier creates these differences.  Americans see females as sexual characters in the media.  In Afghanistan, if there are woman presented in multiple media forms then those items are blackened out.  Women are supposed to keep themselves hidden under their burkas where only close relatives are able to see.  While men are seen differently in the two cultures, they also have some similar characteristics as well.  Americans tend to see men as strong and loyal but the similarities in the two cultures with men involve being protective.  We are able to see in The Bookseller that men are very protective of their family and the women in the family.  The men make sure that they are well provided with money to run the family and also keep the woman safe by wearing their burkas (even if we (Americans) see burkas as evil tools). 

            We cannot wait to keep reading!

Abby Husfeldt: Summarizer 12/3/10

          At the beginning of this section starts with story or perspective of Leila.  The chapter, The Smell of Dust, deals all with Leila’s jobs around the house.  The chapter goes on to tell how Leila is treated by her other family members, especially her nephews (who are only a few years younger than she is).  She is not treated with respect at all from any of the males in the family.  However, Leila is seen as a good woman around the house.  She is very good at the chores around the house, which included cooking.  The next chapter also follows Leila story when she wants to become a teacher so she attempts to take an English class.  It turns out that the class had boys attending and she would have to reveal her face, which she did not want to do and her family disagreed with.  She ultimately ended up not attending class anymore.  To follow with more stories involving school, the next chapter follows Fazil.  Fazil has a hard time remembering his Islam history in school.  He does try really hard and knows the information, but when he is picked on, he gets so nervous he forgets the information.

            The author, Asne Seierstad, did a great job while describing Leila’s situation including her specific chores, teaching pursuits, and the cleaning scene.  The imagery and dialogue that the author uses is so vivid that you are able to connect with the character and became the most memorable parts of this section.  The part where the author explains that Leila is the first to wake up to complete her chores in the morning for the rest of the family and the last to go to bed, and still does not deserve any respect from the males in the family.  It is hard to read that and not feel bad for Leila and all of her hard work that she does for everyone else.  Then, when she wants to go to school, she is dedicated enough to say that she would have to wake up even earlier to get her chores done and go to school but then in the end she is unable to pursue her dreams is very sad.  The author did a phenomenal job at connecting the audience with the characters and their stories.

Vocab Finder: Heather Sandberg 12/3/10

picturesque- visually charming or quaint (p.163)
hammam- a communal bath house (p.164)
prattles- to talki na foolish or simple minded way (p.165)
peevish- showing annoyance, irritation, or a bad mood (p.169)
pewter- a container or utinsel made out of tin (p.177)
loutish- awkward, clumsy, or boorish (182)
coagulated- to change from fluid to a thickened mass (p.190)
plods- to walk heavily or move laboriously (p.192)
latrines- a toilet or something used as a toilet as a trench in the earth in a camp or bivouac area (p.198)
depicting- to represent by or as if by painting; portray (p.190)

Melissa Stalowski: Discussion Leader 12/3/2010

1) How is Leila's work valued compared to the work that Sultan and her male relatives do?
A: Leila's work day starts at the break of dawn and ends late at night. Her work is primarily domestic and it is primarily her responsibility to manage Sultan's household. Her responsibilities include cleaning, cooking, and washing. Without the work that Leila does, Sultan's house would be a mess and people would not have good food to eat. However, Leila's work is not highly valued by her male relatives, who treat her poorly and can command her to do anything and she will need to comply. Although she has the longest work day of them all, Leila's work is considered petty when compared to the work her male relatives do. The males who bring home money for their families are considered as harder workers who have the harder jobs.

2) On page 167, the author writes: "The smell of dust never leaves the flat. She never gets rid of it, it has settled on her movements, her body, her thoughts." What can dust be a symbol of in Leila's life?
A: Leila carries around the unspoken burden that comes with being an Afghan woman, which can be represented by the dust. No matter how hard she tries to educate herself or to improve her situation, she will always be an Afghan woman. Her responsibility to her family will always remain, even if she tries to gain more opportunities for herself, because she is the youngest girl of the family. Similar to the dust that fills the household, the burden and limitations of being an Afghan woman will never go away for Leila.

3) What are the educational opportunities for women in Kabul, as presented in The Bookseller of Kabul?
A: When the Taliban took control of Afghanistan, education for women was banned. Because many women were not accustomed to receiving a formal education during the rule of the Taliban, many did not seek education after the fall of the Taliban. Education for women is available in Afghanistan now, but the quality of the schools is questionable. Also, many classes are now co-ed and girls and boys are in the same classes, making it uncomfortable and looked down upon. When Leila goes to register for school, the classrooms are in run-down buildings with bullet holes through the walls. She is in a class with boys and is so uncomfortable that she cannot focus on her education and only wants to leave.

4) What is the role of religion in the educational system in Afghanistan? How does it differ from the role of religion in the educational system in the United States?
A: In the schools that we have seen so far in The Bookseller of Kabul, Islam has been a major part of the education children receive in the classroom. The teachings of Islam take up the majority of the lessons. When Fazil does not remember the answers to the questions his teacher asks about Islam, his hands are beaten with a ruler. Thus, Islam is a highly valued part of education in Afghanistan. In the United States, unless one attends a private school, religion is barely taught in the schools. It is possible that religion is not taught in the classrooms because the United States is so religiously diverse, as opposed to in Afghanistan, where Islam is the sole dominant religion.

Luke Anderson Graphic Organizer 12/3/2010

Luke Anderson

Leila is in a difficult position as a member of the Khan family.  She is only a young teenager and she is forced to do all of the housework.  Sonya is Sultan’s new wife and Leila’s mother is too old so she is forced to do all of the heavy chores.  She must cook and then her meals are unsatisfying to the men who continuously complain about them.  And she must sweep the house several times a day because of all the dust and nothing ever stays clean.  All in all she seems to have the roughest life in the Khan family thus far.

Journal #2 11/29/10

In this section of the book, the author does not make it very clear about why Mansur wants to go to Ali’s grave so bad.  We know that Mansur wants to get away from the bookstore his family owns, but she does not explain why he wants to travel so far away.  The author tries to make the tone of this piece sound desperate because as we read, we can feel the anxiety that Mansur has at the bookstore all day.  We can feel the loneliness he goes through while waiting for the young female student to return to the shop and we feel the pain Mansur goes through when she does not return.  She does, however, make it very clear about the tension between Mansur and his father, Sultan, because the way she describes their relationship can make the reader’s blood boil and we aren’t even in the story!

            This section directly relates to what we talked about in class with the hero and healing myths because Mansur is looking for a quest to break free from his family’s store and go out to explore on his own.  He feels lost and desperate for a new fresh start so he begs his dad to let him travel with the Iranian journalist to Ali’s grave in Mazar.  There, Mansur feels free and renewed, which is exactly what he needed.  Along the journey, his heart also heals from the pain he went through of losing the young student.  The author does a great job of using the hero/ healing quest to set up this section because it is a plot that almost anyone can relate to because in today’s society, many movies and books are based off one of these two plots.  This makes it easy for the reader to follow what is happening throughout the story.

            From reading these chapters, we can see that the author assumes that everyone in Afghanistan does not like working for their families whether it be in the home or in a business because she only writes about the wives not wanting to cook and clean anymore or Mansur not wanting to work for his father anymore.  She does not yet talk about how much the family may enjoy each other’s company or how much a couple really loves each other.  She assumes that every family is the same way, but in reality, many families may truly enjoy being together.  She talks about young girls being abused and raped by older men and how it is perfectly ok in their society.  She also talks a lot about how women are violently punished (never the man's fault) for simply meeting up with a boy in a local park or on the street, or even making eye contact with certain people.  The author does not make any point of the joys the families in Afghanistan might have except for the fact that they can sing and dance at weddings again because the Taliban is no longer in power. 

            The ideal audience for the entire book is for anyone wanting to learn about the Muslim culture or anyone who wants to perhaps compare it to a different culture.  However, if you break the book down into certain sections, it becomes a book for many different audiences.  In this week’s reading, the ideal audience is for anyone feeling lonely or anyone looking for a fresh start because just like in the healing quest, the main character needed to leave home in order to find himself again.  He needed to travel afar with people he is not very close to, which forced him to be independent and do what he wanted without anyone telling him otherwise. 

            This section was a great reference to the discussion we had in class today and we are looking forward to reading the rest of the book because so far, the author does a great job of entertaining us with a new culture and helping us understand our own culture in new ways.  She helps us open our eyes to how diverse our world truly is and we hope to learn more new things throughout the book.

Melissa Stalowski: Graphic Designer 11/29/2010

The graphic design discusses the section about Mansur's pilgrimage during the Afghan New Year. Mansur believes that he is called by Ali (God) to travel and ask forgiveness for his sins so he can be cleansed and purified. The journey is long and the three men travel through warn-torn Afghanistan, where the remains of the war with the Soviet Union and other civil wars have left the land very unsafe. At the end of the religious pilgrimage, Mansur prays to be freed from his father's control and to one day be proud to be an Afghan when Afghanistan finally becomes a respectable country.

Abby Husfeldt: Discussion Leader 11/29/10

1) Is the history of Afghanistan that is mentioned throughout the book overwhelming/ inconvenient or is it insightful and helpful information?

 *This question is solely based on the reader.  However, so far in the book it has been useful for learning about the Muslim/Afghanistan history.  Sometimes in the book it flows farely well and I hardly notice it.  Other times it seems to drag on for a while.  Overall, the history that is put in is a very helpful tool to use to understand why they live the way they do and I believe that is the main reason as well that the author put it into her book.

2) How come in the Afghani/Muslim culture, and other cultures as well, is the blame for sexual interactions heavily weighted on the woman?

 *I believe that this goes back, at least for Christians, to the Adam and Eve story.  In that story, Eve is seen as a temptress.  Also, many see the woman using seduction to lure the men.  However, in this book, it is mentioned that Afghan woman would be the only one to blame and not the man.  This seems to be a cultural idea that has stuck through the years.

3) What were some reasons why Afghanistan disliked the Muslim terrorists? Did you know that Afghani’s view terrorists with false/negative outlooks?

 *In the book it is mentioned that there is a passage in the holy book stating: "You must not pray in a mosque built by terrorists."  The author also goes on to add that Real Muslims are not terrorists, because Islam is the most tolerant of religions.  "Terrorists are false Muslims."  I did not know that Afghanistan had this view upon terrorists or at least the Afghani's who were mentioned in this book believe this.  It is an interesting viewpoint to bring up in the book.

4) When Mansur prays at Mecca, why does he focus on the country’s prosperity's instead of individual prayers?

*It turns out that Muslim's love their country of origin.  They take great pride in their country and their country's prosperity's as well as their own.  It seems that when Mansur prayed he wanted to show his love and dedication to his country, religion, and family because they are all one.  It may be something that us, as Americans, seem to simply overlook if and when we ever pray.

Luke Anderson Vocab Builder 11/29/2010

Luke Anderson

Vocab Builder

Somber - dark or dull in color or tone; gloomy pg.123

Mantu – Afghan noodles filled with meat and pilau pg. 124

Exorbitantly - (of a price or amount charged) unreasonably high pg. 125

Bollywood - the Indian movie industry, based in Bombay pg. 128

Hammam - Turkish bath pg. 129

Nauroz – Afghan New Year pg. 132

Heathen - a person who does not belong to a widely held religion (esp. one who is not a Christian, Jew, or Muslim) as regarded by those who do pg. 132

Zoroastrian – worship of fire pg. 132

Caliph - the chief Muslim civil and religious ruler, regarded as the successor of Muhammad. The caliph ruled in Baghdad until 1258 and then in Egypt until the Ottoman conquest of 1517; the title was then held by the Ottoman sultans until it was abolished in 1924 by Atatürk pg. 133

Polemic - a strong verbal or written attack on someone or something pg. 133

Summerizer 11/29/10: Heather Sandberg

In this section of the book, Mansur, Sultan's eldest son, is working at the family's bookstore day after day and is getting very sick of it.  He meets a young student who comes into the store and takes her on a date, but then she never returns.  Later, Mansur asks Sultan if he can travel to the prophet Ali's grave with the Iranian journalist in town and Sultan allows it.  They take a twelve hour dangerous drive to get to the city of Mazar where Mansur finally feels free and independent.  He buys gifts for all his family and has them blessed at Ali's grave and then tours around the city. 
Throughout these chapters, the author reallyt does a great job of helping the reader visualize what the city and sights look like.  She talks about the Taliban camps and the bodies that remain on the side of the road. She also describes the ill people at Ali's grave waiting to be healed and how sickly and mentally retarded they were.  Another way she helps the reader understand how the characters feel is in her use of descriptive words because as Mansur, Said, and Akbar are traveling in the car, she explains the nerves, tension, and headaches they have in such great detail that we as readers can almost feel the same thing while reading.  This book is a great account of Afghanistan because it explains their struggles, their pride, and their challenges during every day life and how they deal with each aspect of their lives.

Heather Sandberg: Graphic Organizer 11/24/10

This graphic organizer is all about Afghan weddings and the traditions that go along with it.  The top circle means that when the couple gets married they must look into a mirror at the same time to represent the first time they will look into each other’s eyes.  The right circle is a tradition that includes the bride and groom walking around two chairs and the bride must sit before the groom otherwise it means the woman will be in charge of the whole relationship, which is bad luck.  The bottom circle means that the couple must not show emotion at their wedding because it is a serious occasion, so they must only watch everyone else dance while they sit and stay quiet. Lastly the left circle is a tradition where the bride must hammer a nail into her and her groom’s new room to symbolize that she has nailed her destiny to the new house.

Melissa Stalowski: Summarizer 11/24/2010

At the beginning of this section of The Bookseller of Kabul, Shakila and her sisters are shopping in the markets of Kabul out of preparation for her upcoming wedding. The author describes the traditional burkas that are worn by Afghan women and encourages the readers to examine the strict rules placed on women. Shakila and her sisters continue the preparation for her wedding. Shakila's wedding takes place in the section titled "A third-rate wedding", implying right away that the marriage and wedding might be a negative experience as opposed to a positive and romantic life event. The wedding between Shakila and Wakil takes place and is a long process that seems more depressing than joyful. The author describes the bride as a doll and as property of the groom stating that Shakila's destiny is "nailed" to the house of her in-laws. In the section titled "The Matriarch", Bibi Gul reflects upon her life as a mother and wife. Again, the author makes the lack of opportunity for women a focal point of the chapter through the description of Bibi Gul's life. She portrays Bibi Gul as a pathetic woman who has only lived her life raising children and serving her husband. For her life to be considered successful, she will have raised her children and married them all off.

Luke Anderson Discussion Leader 11/24/2010

Discussion Leader

When the Taliban prohibits women without the proper dress from getting into cars what does it mean?  It means that men who are driving cabs are not supposed to let in women without the proper dress.  In addition the woman’s family will be affected and she may be hurt or imprisoned.  This message is geared towards cab drivers because they are probably some of the only people who have radios. 

Why does the author refer to the women as burkas rather than by name or sex?  She does this in order to make a point.  By people on the street the women are just seen as a bunch of clothes.  This is because they have everything else covered up, so the only way they can be identified is by clothes.

           

Why do the vendors at the market place not seem worried about selling their products?  They are into talking with friends or gossiping.  I believe that this is because they think that people are not at the market simply looking around.  They have come for something specific.  Because of this, they do not need to be salesmen because the people who will stop by their shop will come either way. 

Why have the women’s rights associations failed in Afghanistan?  They have tried to form since the fail of the Taliban, but all have failed.  This is because the men do not allow them to succeed.  When the protest the men stop it or when they stand up for themselves the men make fun of them.  The main reason is simply the tradition that men decide all.

Abby Husfeldt: Vocabulary Builder 11/24/10

Vocab

1) Pakora: Indian dish consisting of pieces of vegetable, chicken, itc. Dipped in spice batter and deep-fried. (p. 85)

2) Coquettish: A woman who makes teasing sexually; flirt (p. 86)

3) Coriander: An aromatic annual Eurasian herb in the parsley family (p. 87)

4) Kohl: A cosmetic preparation that’s powdered antimony sulfide, used to darken the rims of eyelids (p. 95)

5) Replete: Abundantly supplied (p. 96)

6) Mullah: A male religious teacher or leader (p. 102)

7) Cortege: A ceremonial procession (p. 103)

8) EID: The three-day Muslim holiday marking the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting (p. 103)

9) Peckish: Ill-tempered; irritable (p. 107)

10) Enmity: Mutual hatred (p. 117)

Journal Entry One: 11/22/2010

Before reading The Bookseller of Kabul, we assumed that the culture we would read about was going to be very different from our own.  We also thought that the book would mainly focus upon Sultan and his bookstore. However, the story accounts in detail the experiences of Sultan’s individual family members in Pakistan and Afghanistan.  We also thought that the story would have the author as one of the main characters, narrating the story from her point of view. Instead, the author decided to narrate the story as if each family member was telling it from their own point of view. This writing technique was a suitable choice for the book because the author was required to report more information than she would if she was narrating the story about her personal experience. It forced the reader to step into the shoes of each character and be submerged in their everyday lives.

So far in the book, we can assume that the ideal audience is for anyone who does not have basic knowledge about the Islamic culture.  The book can be used as pleasure reading for the people of that culture, but it can be used as a learning tool into the culture also.  The audience is geared toward a more mature and adult age group. 

One of the things that have surprised us thus far in the book would be the treatment of women in their culture.  We had some common knowledge about the limited opportunities offered to women, but we were surprised to learn that the rules are much stricter. A woman is at full mercy to a man, whether it be her father, husband, or other male relative. One example of the strict rules for women is when Saliqa sent and received notes from a young boy and went to a park to meet with him. A family member saw the two at the park and as a result, Saliqa was brutally beaten by her uncle. As stated in the discussion, a similar “crime” committed in the United States would simply be considered typical teenage behavior.

Women’s role in Afghanistan is a focal point in The Bookseller of Kabul and the information provided about it is the most important thing that we have learned thus far. In the first section, the author discusses a typical Afghan proposal and marriage. By showing the emotions of the woman who needs to accept the proposal, the author teaches that a woman has little freedom in her marriage and life. For example, the husband’s family chooses who he will marry, while the bride cannot pick who she marries. The bride’s parents are the ones who accept the proposal based on the bride price, and she cannot show emotion or her opinion in the proposal. The lack of freedom that the Afghan women have in their marriages and lives make us appreciate the freedom that we do have. For the most part, we are able to choose who we date and marry. Typically in the United States, if a man asks a woman to marry him, she has the ability to accept or decline. While family approval is valued, the family’s input is not as extreme as in typical Afghan marriages.

The section titled “Suicide and Song” was particularly sad to read and forced us as readers to sympathize with women of Afghanistan. When we think of love, we think of passion, intimacy, and romance between two people. To be loved is something that everyone desires. However, the author refers to a woman’s desire for true love as a taboo in Afghan culture. The section states that for a woman to love is a serious crime and that love has little to do with romance. As a result, Afghan women will kill themselves or set themselves on fire as a way to escape their lonely and abusive lives.     

Summarizer by Heather Sandberg 11/22/10

In this section of the book, Sultan travels to Pakistan to visit his first wife Sharifa and to print schoolbooks for the boy students because they are supposed to have better books than girls.  While in Pakistan, Sultan visits each of Sharifa's relative's houses and finds a girl to marry his brother who is seeking a wife.  When Sultan returns to Afghanistan, he fnds out that his sister is marrying a man named Wakil.  At the end of the section, the Taliban invade Kabul and make sixteen strict rules for everyone to follow.
The author wrote this section to show us some of the scenery in Afghanistan because she explains the landscape as Sultan travels from Afghanistan to Pakistan.  The tone of this section is very serious because the culture is so strict that consequences can be made for the littlest action such as meeting someone in the park to talk.  This book explains a lot about the priviledges of men and the few rights that women have.  It helps readers understand the Muslim culture better because many people do not know the specific rules that are entitled to being apart of this culture.  The author does an excellent job of explaining to the reader the different points of view from an Afghan man and an Afghan woman.

Abby Husfeldt: Discussion Leader 11/22/10

11/22/10

1) Why is there not a universal copyright/regulations to follow? Why do you think some countries stricter?

**Some countries simply have more money to put into regulations.  Another reason, following the same aspect of money, would be that they have more money to put into the authorities to help enforce those rules.  It would seem to be better to have a universal copyright law.  Other countries probably have similar regulations to follow but again do not enforce the laws like other countries including America, who seem to have strict regulations.

2) Why do you think Sultan only does his pray practices once a day?  How long do you think he has had this thinking?

**I think it started at a younger age when he started to get into his business.  He is just not strict with his religion.  Many others do not attend church services every Sunday, etc.  Sultan believes he must work hard for his money instead of praying to his God for all that he has accomplished.  He had mentioned once that going to Mecca should not be for prayer, but should be attended to thank Allah.  I believe that this deals with his thinking towards regular prayers as well.

3) Do you think any of the arranged marriage regulations/ideas go too far?

**There are many different aspects that you could choose from including: the women not being present in the room while discussing the marriage proposal, rarely choice of marriage partner, women appearing cold and distant until they are married, and if a bride is unwilling is a good sign and indicates a pure heart.  The two aspects regarding the women’s feelings toward the marriage and husband seem odd.  To have a bride that is unwilling does not seem to have a good sign, at least not in America. Otherwise, arranged marriages usually do not take in consideration of the females interests so the aspect of the girls not being present seems “reasonable”. 

4) Which of the Taliban’s 16 rules do you think go too far? Which ones are silly/bizarre? Why?

**Prohibition against kite flying, playing drums,and British and American hairstyles seem silly.  These three rules seem to just be about what you can and can’t do for enjoyment or freewill.  One rule that seems to go too far would be for shaving one’s beard.  It seems harsh to have a rule that regulates how one should maintain their presence with one’s facial hair.  If it were simply just a rule to not shave it could have been a little more reasonable, however, it specifies that it should be the length of a clenched fist.  Another one that goes too far is the prohibition against female exposure and what it entitles.  It states that females who are not decently covered and accompanied with a close male relative is also implied and seems a bit over the edge.

Luke Anderson Graphic Organizer 11/22/10

Luke Anderson

Day 2

Graphic Organizer

Sultan must cross the border to visit his first wife.  This series of events is signifigant because it is a very dangerous road.  The Khyber Pass has guns on both sides and Sultan could have easily been killed.  Sultan visits his wife who is very lonely and the old couple has some much needed intimacy, and they talk about everything.  He fails to mention the fact that he had a lot of trouble crossing the border because he is a very humble and optimistic person.   

Melissa Stalowski: Vocabulary Builder 11/22/2010

1) Infidel (n): one who does not believe in a particular religion or has no religion (page 41)
2) Pariah (n): a member of the lowest social castes, an outcast (page 43)
3) Zenith (n): the highest point in the sky directly overhead (page 46)
4) Panzer (n): a German military tank (page 47)
5) Precipice (n): a vertical or overhanging rock face (page 48)
6) Chortle (v): to make a gleeful chuckling sound (page 52)
7) Egalitarian (adj): advocating full political, social, and economic equality for all people (page 58)
8) Superfluous (adj): excessive or unnecessary (page 63)
9) Lassitude (n): weariness (page 69)
10) Mutton (n): the flesh of a grown sheep (page 79)

Luke Anderson: Summarizer 11/19/10

            Normally I don’t read the foreword or prologue of most books, but for this one I did, and I’m glad I did because the background information in the foreword was both interesting and useful.  I found it interesting that the author stayed with a family in Kabul based solely on the fact that she met the owner of this bookstore named Sultan and liked him.  It was also very interesting that the author presented herself as just an observer of the families day to day activities and not necessarily someone who’s soul purpose is to write a book.  I found it odd that she chose to stay with an “upper middle class” family versus a normal family in Kabul.  To me this says that she clearly is interested in the ventures of this family alone and probably not the city or nation as a whole.  I think that it is disgusting that they think that it is normal and even honorable to marry your cousin.  At the beginning of the first chapter Sultan is looking for a new wife because his first wife is getting old.  He finds one, but he goes about asking for her hand in a weird way.  Normally a woman in the man’s family must ask, but Sultan goes to the house and makes a few proposals ‘for his friend’ allegedly.  Eventually he sends his aunt over and the girl’s family agrees that she will get married to Sultan.  The next chapter is about the entire life of Sultan: how he came to love books, how he met his first wife, the struggles he went through, like jail, and having his books burned.  The 3^rd chapter is about Sultan’s first wife Sharifa.  Most of the chapter is devoted to the gossip that Sharifa hears and all the so call scandalous experiences she has because apparently taking to a boy in a park is the same as adultery to these people. 

Melissa Stalowski: Discussion Leader 11/19/2010

1) What is involved in a typical Afghani proposal/How do Afghani proposals differ from typical American proposals?
A: In an Afghani propsal, a woman in the male's family is responsible for conveying the proposal and making sure that the bride is a suitable wife. It is typical for an Afghani man to propose to a cousin or extended family member. A bride price is paid as an exchange for marriage and the price is calculated by age, beauty, skill, and the status of the bride's family. A girl does not choose to accept or decline, but rather her parents decide. In America, we see proposals that are usually romantic and not a long, drawn-out process like the Afghani proposals are. In the present day, American men do not usually ask a woman's family's permission first. The couple usually tells the family the news after the engagement. An American bride commonly has the freedom to accept or decline the proposal.

2) Why was the Taliban so strict on the censorship of books, what types of books were banned, and why?
A: In Afghanistan, the Taliban required a religious police force to burn all books that portrayed living things. As Islamic extremists, they thought that any book besides the Koran was unnecessary and viewed them as heresy. Although we are not completely sure why the Taliban was so strict on the censorship of books, it is assumed that the Taliban did so out of fear that people would develop their own ideas and rebel against the force. The Taliban wanted to force their extreme Islamic beliefs upon others and not give people the opportunity to develop other beliefs.

3) What are the punishments for females in Afghanistan who commit crimes and how do they differ from punishments for similar offenses committed in the United States?
A: Women in Afghanistan face severe punishment for crimes that might seem petty to us. Some of the "crimes" that Afghani women are punished brutally for are considered normal teenage behavior in the United States. For example, Saliqa is brutally beaten, almost to the point of death, for sending and receiving notes to a boy her age and then meeting up with him at a park to talk. The Afghani women recognize that Saliqa made a mistake but they do not think she committed a serious crime. In the United States, sending notes to a boy and meeting him to talk would be considered typical teenage behavior. Another example is when Jamila has an affair with another man and it is implied that she is killed afterwards. If a married woman in the United States had an affair with a man who was not her husband or boyfriend, the relationship would most likely end but fatal punishment would not be issued.

4) What is a woman's worth in Afghanistan?
A:  In Afghanistan, women are viewed as a man's property. A woman is owned by either her father, brother, husband, or other male relative. She is measured of her worth by how capable she is in domestic life including cooking, cleaning, and being obedient. If an Afghani woman comes from a wealthy family, her worth is of higher value. Also, Afghani women are at a man's disposal. For example, when Sharifa ages, Sultan decides he wants a new and younger wife. Sharifa is then cast aside and lives alone with her daughter in Pakistan. She is expected to have a positive and accepting attitude towards the new marriage.