The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis
The Breadwinner, Deborah Ellis
10 Rating(s)
List: $10.00 | Sale: $7.00
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The Breadwinner

Author: Deborah Ellis

Narrator: Rita Wolf

Unabridged: 3 hr

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 07/23/2002


Synopsis

Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, whenever you go out.

In this powerful and realistic tale, eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan's capital city during the Taliban rule. Parvana's father- a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed- works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food. As conditions in the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden by the Taliban government to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy and become the breadwinner.

About The Author

Deborah Ellis's young adult novel The Breadwinner, first published in Canada and then in the U.S. in 2001, was inspired by her work in Afghan refugee camps. Her first novel for young readers, Looking for X, was nominated for the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year Award. Ms. Ellis currently works as a mental health residential counselor in Toronto.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Tisha

I discovered this book a few days back after watching the trailer of its movie adaption. The trailer was stunning. So I searched for it on the internet to know some more about it and found out the Parvana series! Kudos to myself! :v This book highlights the story of an eleven years old girl named Pa......more

Goodreads review by Darla

Parvana's story gives the reader a window into life in Afghanistan when the Taliban took over in the mid-1990's. Her family finds themselves moving from one dwelling to the next as each gets bombed and their worldly possessions diminish each time. The children are not able to go to school. Women hid......more

Goodreads review by Jeannie

My middle school students responded so strongly to my booktalk about this book, that the library and the local bookstores ran out, and many went on to read the sequel. However, do not be quick to label this as purely young adult fiction. As an adult, I was changed and moved by Parvana and her family......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca

I absolutely LOVED this book. I read it in less than 24 hours. It is a beautifully written story about a young Afghan girl named Parvana who is growing up in Taliban-occupied Afghanistan. Her story is amazing, I know that it is fiction, but I believe that the author, Deborah Ellis, did a lot of rese......more