A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (author of the Kite Runner) is a compelling novel which follows two Afghan women through the last thirty years of Afghanistan's turbulent history. It chronicles life under Taliban rule and shows the impact of war and civil unrest on ordinary--yet very extraordinary--women. The stories of Mariam and Laila intersect when they find themselves married to the same harsh man. This book is recommended for Women for Peace because it shows vividly the impact of culture and war on women and widens the horizons of our awareness. Frankly it is a novel that is hard to set aside. It make keep you reading all night!
The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East by Sandy Tolen provides the deep context of the Israel/Palestine confilct, through the portrait of two families who have occupied the same house. One sees first the Palestinian family, their love for the house and the lemon tree, and how they were forced to flee their home. Then one meets the Israeli family that come to love the same house. When Bashir (the Arab) visits his former home and meets Dalia ( a Jew) , a very unsual friendship begins. The efforrts of both families for peace are remarkable. The role of the house and lemon tree in this peace quest illustrates the hope and the despair of the two cultures.
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I finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" and was struck that Laila's children were born in the same year as mine(1993 and 1997) Her life of course is much different. When her first is born, I think she is 15! I was twice her age. It made me think about US History leading up to 9-11 as well. As we were worrying about Monica Lewinsky, the Taliban was taking control in Afghanistan.
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