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[CCBC-Net] Books about the Middle East
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From: Aline Pereira <aline>
Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 10:43:00 -0700
The first thing that comes to mind on this topic is Canadian Deborah Ellis' "The Breadwinner" Trilogy, set in Afghanistan and inspired by her time helping at an Afghan refugee camp at the Pakistan border, in 1997. During that time she interviewed women and children whose stories became the inspiration for the three books: The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey and Mud City (12 and up).
Parvana (the main character in the first two books) and Shauzia (from Mud City), are two very resilient young girls who, among other things, must cross-dress in order to cope with the harsh and unthinkable circumstances of their surroundings. The books help put real faces to people we only read about on newspapers or see on the news. All three paint a real and devastating portrait of life in refugee camps, but they also succeed in portraying the people's hope, resourcefulness and strength.
Ellis is famous for never shying a way from hard topics, and some of her books are considered controversial, in particular her "Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak", which has been both promoted and removed from reading lists in Canada. Whereas I am a firm believer that children should have access to all sorts of stories, I do think that, in regards to these particular titles, unless we are talking about an unusually mature young adult, an adult
(teacher, parent, etc) should also read the books and follow up on them. I think most teens would welcome (or should I say "put up with"?) some help in processing the straightforward information and the unsettling emotions the three stories give rise to. I also think such a joint exploration would lead to a more enduring and multilayered learning. Not everything can be conveyed in a classroom or gleaned from a book, but A LOT can, when it comes to these books.
(Royalties from The Breadwinner and Parvana's Journey go to the Canadian not-for-profit organization "Women for Women" (formed just after the Taliban take-over of Kabul), which among other things promotes education for women and girls in Afghanistan and in refugee camps. For stories of women who survived the decades of war leading up to and including the Taliban check out her adult book, Women of the Afghan War.)
************************************************ Aline Pereira Managing Editor, PaperTigers Pacific Rim Voices 300 Third Street, #822 San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 648-4528
PaperTigers - A colorful website devoted to young readers' books, with a special focus on the Pacific Rim and South Asia
PaperTigers Blog- Speaking of multicultural books for children and young adults
Visit our Pacific Rim Voices family of websites
************************************************
Received on Wed 07 May 2008 12:43:00 PM CDT
Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 10:43:00 -0700
The first thing that comes to mind on this topic is Canadian Deborah Ellis' "The Breadwinner" Trilogy, set in Afghanistan and inspired by her time helping at an Afghan refugee camp at the Pakistan border, in 1997. During that time she interviewed women and children whose stories became the inspiration for the three books: The Breadwinner, Parvana's Journey and Mud City (12 and up).
Parvana (the main character in the first two books) and Shauzia (from Mud City), are two very resilient young girls who, among other things, must cross-dress in order to cope with the harsh and unthinkable circumstances of their surroundings. The books help put real faces to people we only read about on newspapers or see on the news. All three paint a real and devastating portrait of life in refugee camps, but they also succeed in portraying the people's hope, resourcefulness and strength.
Ellis is famous for never shying a way from hard topics, and some of her books are considered controversial, in particular her "Three Wishes: Palestinian and Israeli Children Speak", which has been both promoted and removed from reading lists in Canada. Whereas I am a firm believer that children should have access to all sorts of stories, I do think that, in regards to these particular titles, unless we are talking about an unusually mature young adult, an adult
(teacher, parent, etc) should also read the books and follow up on them. I think most teens would welcome (or should I say "put up with"?) some help in processing the straightforward information and the unsettling emotions the three stories give rise to. I also think such a joint exploration would lead to a more enduring and multilayered learning. Not everything can be conveyed in a classroom or gleaned from a book, but A LOT can, when it comes to these books.
(Royalties from The Breadwinner and Parvana's Journey go to the Canadian not-for-profit organization "Women for Women" (formed just after the Taliban take-over of Kabul), which among other things promotes education for women and girls in Afghanistan and in refugee camps. For stories of women who survived the decades of war leading up to and including the Taliban check out her adult book, Women of the Afghan War.)
************************************************ Aline Pereira Managing Editor, PaperTigers Pacific Rim Voices 300 Third Street, #822 San Francisco, CA 94107
(415) 648-4528
PaperTigers - A colorful website devoted to young readers' books, with a special focus on the Pacific Rim and South Asia
PaperTigers Blog- Speaking of multicultural books for children and young adults
Visit our Pacific Rim Voices family of websites
************************************************
Received on Wed 07 May 2008 12:43:00 PM CDT
