The Breadwinner

Bibliography

Ellis, Deborah. 2001. THE BREAD WINNER. Toronto: Doulas & McIntyre. ISBN 0888994192.

Summary

Kabul, Afghanistan, once a beautiful and thriving city was over taken by the Taliban. All of the freedom Parvana and her family were use to had been taken away. The Taliban forbade girls to go to school and the women were not allowed out in public unless they were completely covered with a burqa and accompanied by a male.

Everyday Parvana assisted her father to the market where he would read and write letters for the Afghans. One evening while the family was together, the Taliban came to the family’s home and took their father away. Since their father was the only male in the family besides their baby brother, her mother decided to cut off Parvana’s hair and dress her like a boy so that she could go out and make money for the family.

Each day Parvana would go to the market and read and write letters for the Afghans. To make even more money, she and another girl decided to go and dig up bones. With this new secret identity, Parvana was able to provide for the family and be out in the sun and fresh air each day.

While Parvana’s family was off to Mazar-e-Sharif for her sister’s arranged marriage, Parvana’s father returned home. Parvana was happy to see her father, but when the two learn that the rest of the family was in danger of the Taliban, the two decide they must go out and search for them.

Critical Analysis

Set in Kabul, Afghanistan, The Breadwinner is a fictional story about how one family deals with the hardships and rules enforced by the Taliban militia. A map of Afghanistan, glossary, and an author’s note has been included. Ellis gives a brief history of this once thriving place.

There are many cultural markers immersed throughout the story. Ellis has used Middle Eastern names, described what the Afghans wear, what foods they eat, and the rules that were enforced by the Taliban. Readers may struggle with the harsh realities of the Afghans. Ellis describes how many people were killed by land mines and fake legs were sold on the streets of the market.

When Parvana’s father is arrested and taken to prison, Parvana’s family is left trapped in their home. Unable to go out into public without a male present, Parvana must cut off her hair and dress in a shalwar kameez so that she looks like a boy. She is the only one that can go out and make money for the family. Parvana is nervous at first, but soon finds that it is nice to be needed by her family. Although she seemed to thrive on being the breadwinner for her family, she just wanted things to go back to normal. “I just want to be an ordinary kid again. I want to sit in a classroom and go home and eat food that someone else has worked for. I want my father to be around. I just want a normal, boring life.”

Children will be able to connect with the sibling rivalry between Parvana and her older sister Nooria. Nooria is very close to her mother and often bosses Parvana around, but when Parvana takes on the responsibility of providing food and money for her family, Nooria begins to leave her alone.

Reviews

Booklist review: “The Breadwinner is a potent portrait of life in contemporary Afghanistan, showing that powerful heroines can survive even in the most oppressive and sexist social conditions.”

School Library Journal review: “Based on a true story (Ellis interviewed girls and women while volunteering at an Afghan refugee camp), the novel tells of a brave 11-year-old girl named Parvana who remembers life before the Taliban took over Kabul. Now her reclusive family lives in fear. After Taliban soldiers imprison her father, Parvana disguises herself as a boy and becomes the family's breadwinner, encountering friendship and horrors on the streets.”

Connections

Other books by Deborah Ellis include:

Ellis, Deborah. 2003. PARVANA’S JOURNEY. ISBN 978-0888995193.

Ellis, Deborah. 2004. MUD CITY. ISBN 978-0888995421.