The Learning Umbrella

This book was visceral for me to read.  I was wincing, clenching my gut, holding my breath - all sure signs that this is well written fiction that “sucked me in”.

The author of The Kite Runner turns his attention to the story of women in Afghanistan and follows two women through 30 odd years of their lives and the Soviets, civil war, and Taliban rule.  The tragedy and brutality is hard to take in some parts of the story, but in the end this is a celebration of women and mothers and how much they can suffer through held up by the strength of their love for their children.  Both women do not survive, but the end does pull together a hopeful prospect for the future and leaves us with a “happy ending”.

I loved The Kite Runner also, so I’ll definitely be watching for more from Hosseini.  Read A Thousand Splendid Suns , and if you are moved by this story, consider going to Women For Women International and learning how you can help a woman survivor of war.