The Breadwinner
by Deborah Ellis

A Groundwood book, 2001, 170 pp., $8.95
ISBN-0-88899-416-8

Do you wonder what it’s like to be a young child risking life to work for your family?

The Breadwinner is a story about a young girl named Parvana who lives in Afgahnistan with her family. She is very restricted due to the Taliban. She cannot leave the house without a man, must cover her whole body with clothing, cannot get education One day her father was jailed. Her whole family became worried and did not know what to do. Her mother decided to have Parvana disguise herself to trick the Taliban and work until father came back.

Parvana is a very mature girl, she is only eleven years old and she is working at a man’s job.  Her father is a good man; he had a good education and teaches Parvana many things.  Mother is loving; she treats Parvana differently from everyone else because Parvana is really smart and much more knowledgeable then everyone else in the family, mother tries to help too, but she cannot, because she knows their little family cannot afford to lose another member.

The Taliban will take Parvana if they figure out her disguise.  But Parvana must work in order to help her family survive. Are they going to make it?

Deborah Ellis’ writing is very detailed, like when she describes how Parvana saw a Taliban killfest.  She is also very knowledgeable about Afghani culture and tradition which helps her in her writing. There were significant conflicts which I like, for example Parvana risking being taken away by the Taliban to make money for the family.  I loved this book because it was cool to see what it’s like in other cultures and I liked that it wasn’t all action; it just had the perfect amount of key moments.

I would recommend this book for readers who are interested in life outside of the United States. I would recommend this book to be read if you’re over 11 years old because you have to know enough to understand it. The overriding theme in this book is overcoming oppression.  Any gender would like this book .This book is a prequel to Parvana’s Journey.

~ reviewed by Henri