And here it is. The final 2013 Rebecca Caudill Nominee. I have crossed the finish line once again. I am so excited to pick some of my own books for a change!
I will start at the end. The title never did make sense to me. Not until I’d finished the book and was still trying to make some sense of it did it occur to me. When I see “shooting” Kabul, my mind automatically turns to weapons and shooting to harm. That is war. So I will clarify here, not implying that you are as dense as me, but just to set the record straight for those who might consider reading this novel. This is the kind of “shooting” you do with a camera. Our young protagonist likes to take pictures. The pictures he takes in the present of the novel are of San Francisco. The pictures he took in Kabul are in the past. So little action actually occurs in Kabul. I find the title misleading.
Second, if it were not for the last chapter of the book, I would have been angry as a hornet. In reading some of the reviews, summaries and descriptions of the book, I found, again, I was misled. I was left with the impression that our protagonist was going to return to Kabul on his own to rescue his sister who was left behind. This never happens. So you can keep waiting for it, but nope, it won’t happen.
Which leads me to more agony. Our protagonist, Fadi, his older sister, Noor, and his younger sister, Mariam, live with their parents in Afghanistan. It is before 9/11 and the Taliban has taken over the government. It is no longer safe for people who oppose the Taliban to live there. Fadi’s family has made arrangements to return to America. Yes, return. Fadi and his sisters were born in Wisconsin while Fadi’s father was earning his Doctorate in Agriculture. Against their better judgment, the family returned to Kabul, hoping to bring a better future to the people of Afghanistan.
At the beginning of this story, the family is packing and preparing to leave the country. Fadi’s father has made arrangements to be smuggled across the border into Pakistan. In Peshawar, they will meet up with relatives who work with refugees and begin a longer journey towards the U.S. They go to America not only to escape the Taliban, but also to seek medical treatment for Fadi’s mother. She cannot receive the proper medication in Kabul.
The night they are to be smuggled, they are not alone. Many people are trying to escape and there is limited room. When the transport vehicle arrives, the many people rush to board it. Fadi’s father gets there first and loads their baggage. Then he assists Fadi’s mother and Noor to get into the vehicle. Fadi is in charge of 6-year-old Mariam. And they almost make it. At the last moment, someone screams that the Taliban are coming. Mariam drops her precious, and illegal, Barbie doll. The vehicle’s driver guns the engine as Fadi boards and Mariam’s hand is wrenched from his grip. There is no way they can go back without getting arrested or worse.
As a mother, I had a very very very hard time digesting this. I cannot imagine leaving my baby behind for any reason. I would have stayed to protect and face the consequences together.
Having said that, the rest of the book covers Fadi dealing with his guilt over losing Mariam and trying to find a way to get her back. Of course, Fadi is not the only person dealing with the guilt. All members of the family blame themselves.
And then 9/11 happens and the whole ball game is changed. Fadi must deal with the bullies at his American school who call him a terrorist or turban head. Luckily, there are many Middle Eastern boys to stick together against the bullies and there are friendships and brotherhoods to be made.
I appreciate the book most for the education I received about the Afghan and Muslim side of things. At the same time, I felt like I was being educated. I was being fed specific information to ensure that I would be sympathetic. Readers don’t like that.
Done! Cheers!
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