For more than 20 years, Sultan Khan defied the authorities - whether Communist or Taliban - and supplied books to the people of Kabul. He was imprisoned by the Communists and had to stand by and watch as illiterate Taliban soldiers burned his books in the street. Award-winning journalist Åsne Seierstad spent four months with Khan and his family observing how his beloved books became a symbol of freedom.
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"Fascinating look at an Afghani family post 9/11. The patriarch has somewhat liberal political views because it would help him be successful and he sees the potential for peace. But in his home he is more like the family patriarch the West imagines when thinking of a Muslim family in Afghanistan. Reads like a series of short stories." — Nicole (4 out of 5 stars)
"Fascinating look at an Afghani family post 9/11. The patriarch has somewhat liberal political views because it would help him be successful and he sees the potential for peace. But in his home he is more like the family patriarch the West imagines when thinking of a Muslim family in Afghanistan. Reads like a series of short stories."
" I now want to read more non-fiction bc of this book. It was a good read, but multiple storylines with no real conclusion. Just kinda ended. "
" another interesting read that brings you closer to understand a very foreign culture "
" an interesting peek inside afganistan - not much beauty - inside or out. while the content is disturbing, the writing isn't graphic (thank you) just bleak "
" Mandatory reading at school. Ended up over-analyzed. Not of any literary merit. "
" Simple writing, good metaphors, still be able to express crisply. But there are better books on Afghanistan. "
" I felt as though I'd read it all before; Seierstad's portrayals seemed rather simplistic. "
" This book was a fantastic read. Reading about the cultural & gender differences was fascinating. It definitely read like fiction, although it's not. "
" Very interesting portrait into an Afgan family. Easy to read but sometimes hard to follow, at the start of a couple of chapeters. I still have a hard time with how much they devalue women and that the women do not stand up for themselves more often. Ethier I still enjoyed this book. "
" I love to read about Afghanistan. Perhaps it is because my heart is always with those who are struggling as the woman are in many theocracies. "
" I should mark this -mostly- read. I was REALLY enjoying this book until - out of the clear blue nowhere - it began describing unspeakable things between humans and ... animals? Why? Stopped reading right there, would've trashed it if it wasn't a library book. Shame. "
" So far this book has made me extremely glad that I was born and continue to live in Australia... "
" This was a great book, eye opening to say the least. "
" I liked the way this book was about Afghanistan on a day to day basis. I had never really been able to picture it before. "
" Would recommend to anyone who wants an insider's account of life inside the burqa, the Taliban, and life in Kabul. And, yes, this is not a definitive book on any of those things because there is no such book on anything. "
" Very interesting account of life in Afghanistan written after the author lived with a fairly wealthy, educated family. Some of the information is a bit dated but most is probably still relevant to what it would be like to live in such a different culture. "
" Loved this book, it's been sitting around waiting to be read. Don't let it sit there. "
" Eye opening account of the lives of women and men in some parts of Afghanistan and Pakistan. As much as I am anxious for more social change and liberation in the US it made me think twice about freedoms I take for granted and my growing belief that everyone has the right to self-determinism. "
Åsne Seierstad is an award-winning journalist and writer who has reported from such war-torn regions as Chechnya, China, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq. The author of A Hundred and One Days as well as The Bookseller of Kabul, she lives in Norway.
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