Lit Circle 1 - Sarah
After reading the intro and the first chapter in the Bookseller of Kabul, there becomes a clear definition of hierarchy within family ties. Even within the first pages of the foreword we can see the author feelings towards the treatment of women amongst the family and how it is everything but pleasing. We can see how they are on the bottom of the hierarchy and how little say they have in regards to anything the family can and cannot do. All of the rules were made by the head of the house, the bookseller, and only those under him had reign over the rest of the family when he was not around. It is a very strange hierarchy, but one that is common within this type of culture.
Lit Circle 2 - Lauren
For these two chapters, I found the chapter titled Suicide and Song to be most important. It is the struggles that young people go through trying to be in love. There is hardly any good feelings about it. People are killed for even trying to have a relationship. I thought the poems included in this chapter were especially important. They show the raw emotions that people, especially women, feel.
Lit Circle 3- Rachel
In the chapter "No Admission to Heaven" the author lists the sixteen decrees when the Taliban come into Kabul. Highlighted above are the decrees inflicted upon women. I thought this is important because throughout the book women have no power in the home; now when the Taliban take over they have even less power and can not even show their faces in public. Women are strictly there for feeding their families, cleaning the house, and taking care of their husbands' needs.
Lit Circle 4 - Julia
This reading section, from the chapter "A Third-Rate Wedding" to "The Smell of Dust," covers a wide range of events. The stories and events give insight into what is most valued and respected in the Afghan culture, by both the men and the women. Like all cultures, it is important to Afghan men and women to maintain a good status of dignity and respect in their society. However, the consequences by not upholding these characteristics can be quite severe and the individual and their family can be shunned for their actions. This chart is a good model and explanation of the lives of Afghan men and women, how they act, and what they value, all to sustain a good reputation in their community.
Lit Circle 5 - Sarah
In chapters fourteen and fifteen ("An Attempt" and "Can God Die?"), we are introduced to the educational standards after the civil war that changed Taliban rule. When the Mullah was in order, women were not permitted to go to school (they were undermined after many years of hard work). During this time many children were born (such as Fazil and Leila) whom, even after the war, continued under it's rule because they knew nothing else. Women were now allowed t go to school (again) but the classes were no longer segregated, which frightened Leila because she always knew that as a bad thing. Also, with many years outside of class [due to working for the family] many older students were stuck in lower classes, such as Fazil, which tended to embarrass the attendees. Because of this many people didn't bother going back to school and continued to work under family orders; illiterate and incapable of speaking other languages.Lit Circle 6 - Lauren
Lit Circle 7 - Rachel
In this chapter, you get to see what the judicial system looks like and how it runs. It is sad how justice is twisted into something dark and like payback.
Lit Circle 7 - Rachel
The chapter "My Mother Osama" is from the perspective of Tajmir, Sultan's nephew. This chapter talks about Tajmir's family life and his journey helping Bob, an American journalist. I used this graphic design because it portrays the aspects of Tajmir's life. Like Sultan, Tajmir supports his family, is married, and can put his life in danger for his job. However he is not like Sultan because Tajmir does not have the power in the family. His mother, Feroza, beats Tajmir and makes him give her all his earnings. I felt this chapter was included in the book to portray how a different family operates, rather than just getting the perspective of Sultan's family.
Lit Circle 8 - Julia
At the end of the book, Seierstad explores the relationship between Leila and Karim. This graphic organizer explores the ins and outs of relationships in Afghanistan. There are certain things vital to marrying someone and other things we can ruin a relationship or doom it from the beginning. In some cases, the outs can lead to death or shame of the family. Even possessing the majority of the ins are not a guarantee. Karim lacked only one of the ins, kinship, and this was one of the main factors for why he could not marry Leila.
