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"The Breadwinner" by Deborah Ellis was a typical type of multicultural, middle grades novel. By this I mean that it utilizes a common literary technique in which a young girl's parents are somehow
unable to perform as functional "breadwinners". The girl is the given an atypical sort of freedom and responsibility which allows the readers to have a somewhat relatable heroine to follow. I've seen this many times before, so it wasn't as if this book blew me away with its innovative story.
However, I did find some definite positive qualities in this book. The main character was a 1-year-old girl who was forced to grow up under the Taliban's rule. This book is an incredibly relevant book for us to read these days. Sympathizing with the people that stereotypes and terrorism have made to be enemies . . . always a plus. What is even cooler is that is book was not meant to be an attempt to humanize people after the tragedy of September 11th. It was made to open young, Western eyes to what horrors actually happen in other parts of the world.
This book addresses so many important discussion topics for young readers: the rights of women, the rights of people, duty, responsibility, family, and friendship. It addresses loss in the form of a lost sibling and an incarcerated father. Parvana was just trying to survive as a young girl, and was forced to deal with a difficult reality while still coping with ordinary problems. She wanted attention from her mother. Her younger siblings received more attention for less work. These are simple things that many kids experience. Parvana is an incredibly relatable character with quite a
story to tell. I really enjoyed this book and I think that any reader would be entertained and captivated by Parvana's tale.
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