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A review by realpageturner
The Secret Sky by Atia Abawi
3.0
Summary: Fatima is a Hazara girl, raised to be obedient and dutiful. Samiullah is a Pashtun boy raised to defend the traditions of his tribe. They were not meant to fall in love. But they do. And the story that follows shows both the beauty and the violence in current-day Afghanistan as Fatima and Samiullah fight their families, their cultures and the Taliban to stay together. Based on the people Atia Abawi met and the events she covered during her nearly five years in Afghanistan, this stunning novel is a must-read for anyone who has lived during America's War in Afghanistan.
Review: I became interested in this novel because of the author's backstory--the author's parents fled Afghanistan for their children's sake. Atia Abawi grew up in the US but also went to an Afghan school to learn the language and culture. She ended up living there for five years as she covered the breaking news stories on the ongoing war. During that time she fell in love as she meet her future husband. "Afghanistan is a land of contradictions"...full of beauty and ugliness Abawi writes. Which I think is a intriguing way to describe a place that many U.S. citizens do not understand.
The "Secret Sky" is very much a modern Romano and Juliet so in that sense it is a very easy and predictable read. However, what makes the novel more interesting than a simple Romano and Juliet retelling is that it, in some ways, trying to humanize the terrorist. Some of them, for example, have unwittingly become who they are.
This novel is great for anyone looking for a fast read that is also a touching love story. Teens curious about the middle east will also vastly enjoy this book.
Review: I became interested in this novel because of the author's backstory--the author's parents fled Afghanistan for their children's sake. Atia Abawi grew up in the US but also went to an Afghan school to learn the language and culture. She ended up living there for five years as she covered the breaking news stories on the ongoing war. During that time she fell in love as she meet her future husband. "Afghanistan is a land of contradictions"...full of beauty and ugliness Abawi writes. Which I think is a intriguing way to describe a place that many U.S. citizens do not understand.
The "Secret Sky" is very much a modern Romano and Juliet so in that sense it is a very easy and predictable read. However, what makes the novel more interesting than a simple Romano and Juliet retelling is that it, in some ways, trying to humanize the terrorist. Some of them, for example, have unwittingly become who they are.
This novel is great for anyone looking for a fast read that is also a touching love story. Teens curious about the middle east will also vastly enjoy this book.