i listened to this because a patron who chats about good books to read recommended this one highly to me. the last time she recommended a book, i wasn’t really crazy about it, so i’m not sure why i listened to her this time–maybe because i’d just finished listening to the kite runner and was interested in hearing more about that part of the world? anyway, this is basically the story of one family in afghanistan and their not particularly exceptional lives. i mean, their lives are very different from ours, but apparently not all that different from other afghans with similar financial situations. it was interesting to listen to (sometimes the differences between their attitudes and beliefs — especially about women and love–and our can be shocking and frustrating) but i wouldn’t say i looooved the book and i’m not sure i’ll be taking recommendations from that patron again.

Didn't love, and probably wouldn't recommend it, but did finish it.

I truly enjoyed this book and am putting it on my favorite book shelf. This book needs to be read now, although it’s too late as we have pulled out of Afghanistan. It is terrifying to know what will be happening to women now that the Taliban is back. In that sense this book is like a horror story.

We shared many good times, but I have rarely been so angry as I was with the Khan family, and I have rarely quarrelled so much as I did there. Nor have I had the urge to hit anyone as much as I did there. The same thing was continually provoking me: the manner in which men treated women.

That's it. That's the book.

An interesting and compelling story. A journalist living at the heart of an Afghan family tells it like it is (more or less in the words of the family). The brutality is there and the inequalities bestowed on women both by the men of the family and by the regimes and Islamic rule.
The book was a page turner for me during flights to and from the UK and I read it in less than 24 hours altogether.

This book tells about the struggles of a bookseller's family living in Afghanistan, a country torn apart by several wars and oppressive regimes. The focus moves from the uphill battle of the bookseller to save Afghan culture to the incredibly brutal treatment of women and the conflicts arising from the patriarchial family structure. The appalling injustice and tragedy left me horrified more than once. Seierstad's attentive description of small details shines from every page and helps the reader to imagine what life was like in Afghanistan.

However, several passages made me wondering whether everyone involved was aware of what had been written about them in the book. Seierstad states the family she lived with knew that she was there to write a book, and that she was told if something she heard about shouldn't appear in it. Nonetheless, a little bit of online research revealed an intricate aftermath following the book's publiciation and translation into the local language.

In conclusion, the book is a compelling read; still, it made me feel uneasy about the consequences for everyone involved.

Great insights into the every day lives of normal Muslims living in Afghanistan.

A heartwarming, and at times heart wrenching read!