Kids of Kabul

Kids of Kabul

Four young girls gaze at us from the cover of Deborah Ellis'
Kids of Kabul: Living Bravely Through A Never Ending War. In the
text many children, some as young as ten and eleven, tell their photo
accompanied stories. You'll get to meet;
*Aman who lost fifteen members of his family in a Taliban killing spree
*Saoaf who lived through the rocket strike that destroyed her home and
killed her family
*Ajmal who begs on the streets with his sister
*Shyah who at fourteen is crippled from broken legs sustained in infancy
*Nilab who has lived with her mother in prison
*Sukina who at FIFTEEN has been on the run for several years after
escaping from an abusive forced marriage
It is quite the experience to read about these horrific experiences
told in the voices of the very young. It is amazing that one of the
threads running through the book is that of hope. Things that would
be commonplace for us are sources of joy for them: the chance to
learn to read, rescued relics from Afghanistan's past, sports, a safe,
fenced in garden, a library with ten shelves... Despite having
experienced the worst life has to offer they believe in a bright
future for themselves and their nation. Talk about the resilience of
the human spirit!
I think this book should be widely read. However, I have one
caveat. Not all children are ready for it. More sensitive kids might
find it much too disturbing. Middle schoolers might not be able to
handle the idea of kids their age being forced into often abusive
marriages to much older men.
On a personal note, this sure puts the stuff I kvetch about into
perspective.
A great big shout out goes out to the incredibly brave children and
families who must live through never ending wars and all who work to
help them.
Julia Emily Hathaway


Sent from my iPod