Afghan Dreams

Afghan Dreams: Young Voices of Afghanistan by Tony O'Brien and Mike Sullivan is a powerful book. Readers are introduced to children who have grown up in a country devastated by war. The photographs provide a connection to the people whose stories are shared. Most of the children featured have lost friends or family to the war. Many do not attend school. Their lives are so different than what Americans are used to, yet they look like they could live next door to us. My book group just finished reading The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. Parvana, the main character is a girl growing up in Afghanistan. Her father is arrested and for a time her family is paralyzed by his arrest. My students enjoyed this book a lot, even though they found it very sad. They also realized this was a story, so I am not sure they quite understand that there are truly people like Parvana living in Afghanistan right now. I think that Afghan Dreams will impact them now after reading The Breadwinner because they will be able to see and read about real people.