The Bookseller of Kabul
by Asne Seierstad
List Price:
Our Price: $5.44
You Save: $8.55 (61%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Asne SeierstadTranslator: Ingrid Christophersen
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-10-26
ISBN: 0316159417
Number of pages: 288
Publisher: Back Bay Books
Book Reviews of The Bookseller of Kabul
Book Review: A Glimpse in the Life of an Afghani Family
Summary: 4 Stars
This is the depiction of a real Afghani family written by a journalist that wound up in bookstore and developed a "friendship" with the store's owner. The journalist decided that it would be interesting to live with a family in Afghanistan and this bookseller opened his home to her. Previously, I used the word "friendship" lightly because as the depiction progresses, the reader gains insight into that traditional role of the male head of the family, and the journalist does not portray the bookseller in the best light.
The bookseller, Sultan, is the ruler of his family and also reigns over his siblings as well. His wife, Sharifa, is a good wife, but has gotten on in years, so Sultan decides to take a young 2nd wife. I found that most of the book underscores the struggle and surrender of women in this culture. As told by the author, women could not leave their homes except to visit relatives. Women hide when company comes over because they cannot be seen by any man who is not within the family. Girls are raped, powerless. If they scream, then the act would be seen and the girl would be ruined, a disgrace. One woman tries to seek freedom by enrolling in school, only to find that she must ask for permission, which she will never receive, so she remains a slave to her family.
The book is written during the transition after Taliban control. The Taliban destroyed Sultan's books time and time again and even through him in jail because of his illegal books. (Any book with pictures of living creatures was considered a violation.) One admirable trait in Sultan I must say is that although he may not have agreed with the message in many of his books, he thought that people should have access to others' ideas.
I found this book very insightful, an eye-opener. It is a book that I am very glad to have experienced. It gave me a glimpse of a life much different than my own.
Asia Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Asia Books
All the Shah's Men: An American Coup and the Roots of Middle East Terrorby Stephen Kinzer
Wiley; Published: 2008-01-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.99
Price in other shops:
The Atomic Bazaar: The Rise of the Nuclear Poorby William Langewiesche
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; Published: 2007-05-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $0.21
Price in other shops:
The Imperial Cruise: A Secret History of Empire and Warby James Bradley
Little, Brown and Company; Published: 2009-11-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
China: Empire of Living Symbolsby Cecilia Lindqvist
Da Capo Press; Published: 2008-05-06; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
China: Empire of Living Symbolsby Cecilia Lindqvist
Addison-Wesley; Published: 1991-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $33.00
Price in other shops:
What Stalin Knew: The Enigma of Barbarossaby Mr. David E. Murphy
Yale University Press; Published: 2006-12-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.15
Price in other shops:
Sky Train: Tibetan Women on the Edge of Historyby Canyon Sam
University of Washington Press; Published: 2009-10-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.50
Price in other shops:
In Light of Indiaby Octavio Paz
Mariner Books; Published: 1998-04-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.74
Price in other shops:
The Laws of Manu (Penguin Classics)by Anonymous
Penguin Books; Published: 1991-01-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.00
Price in other shops:
The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War IIby Iris Chang
Penguin (Non-Classics); Published: 1998-11-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $8.00
Price in other shops:
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
Issues of Gender (A Longman Topics Reader)by Ellen G. Friedman, Jennifer D. Marshall
Longman; Published: 2003-11-23; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.90
Price in other shops:
Comma Sense: A Fun-damental Guide to Punctuationby Richard Lederer, John Shore
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 2007-07-10; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
The Caliph's House: A Year in Casablancaby Tahir Shah
Bantam; Published: 2006-12-26; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.97
Price in other shops:
Fountain and Tomb: Hakayat Haretna (Three Continents Press)by Naguib Mahfouz
Passeggiata Pr; Published: 1990-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.95
Price in other shops:
One Day of Lifeby Manlio Argueta
Vintage; Published: 1991-01-09; Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.24
Price in other shops:
Compact Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writingby Laurie G. Kirszner, Stephen R. Mandell
Wadsworth Publishing; Published: 2009-01-22; Paperback; Book
Best price: $70.00
Price in other shops:
Kaffir Boy: An Autobiography--The True Story of a Black Youth's Coming of Age in Apartheid South Africaby Mark Mathabane
Free Press; Published: 1998-10-07; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.54
Price in other shops:
The Gendered Society Readerby Michael Kimmel, Amy Aronson
Oxford University Press, USA; Published: 2010-01-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $44.86
Price in other shops:
The Swallows of Kabulby Yasmina Khadra
Anchor; Published: 2005-04-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $5.98
Price in other shops:
Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veilby Deborah Rodriguez, Kristin Ohlson
Random House Trade Paperbacks; Published: 2007-12-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.34
Price in other shops: