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.
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