Scan barcode
A review by kitsuneheart
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi
4.0
It's been a couple month since I finished this book, so I had to refresh myself about the plot. I pretty vividly recalled the plotline of Shekiba, the woman from the early 20th century who eventually became a guard of a harem. But Rahima had escaped me. I recalled she was a bacha posh, a young girl who functions as a boy for the benefit of her family. But I'd forgotten the rest.
Then I saw the word "warlord" in a review and it all came back, harshly. This is an often uncomfortable book, but sadly realistic. And, while it deals with sexual abuse and the subjugation of women, it still manages to go so many places, and through many eras. Seeing Afghanistan develop its democracy, and from the point of view of women inside of the parliament, was fascinating.
Shekiba's complete functioning as a man seemed almost unbelievable, given the problems the U.S. is having about just our bathrooms, but this isn't the first book about gender identity issues in the Persia Gulf. If you want another, check out "If You Could Be Mine" by Sara Farizan.
Then I saw the word "warlord" in a review and it all came back, harshly. This is an often uncomfortable book, but sadly realistic. And, while it deals with sexual abuse and the subjugation of women, it still manages to go so many places, and through many eras. Seeing Afghanistan develop its democracy, and from the point of view of women inside of the parliament, was fascinating.
Shekiba's complete functioning as a man seemed almost unbelievable, given the problems the U.S. is having about just our bathrooms, but this isn't the first book about gender identity issues in the Persia Gulf. If you want another, check out "If You Could Be Mine" by Sara Farizan.