The author, a journalist, lives with Sultan Khan and his family for three months. She lives as a traditional Afghan woman would, yet is allowed to follow the men and observe things that other Afghan women would not be able to. She writes that there were times when Sultan made her so angry she wanted to hit him. I felt that same way.
I admire Sultan for his love of books and his desire to see Afghanistan return to the arts and culture it once enjoyed before the Russians invaded and before the Taliban. He goes to great lengths to protect his books, even spending time in jail. He is a successful businessman and provides better for his family than most. However, as forward-thinking as he is in some ways, Sultan is also steeped in tradition and adheres to the idea that he is king in his family and household. His word is law. No one dares contradict him or argue with him and as a result several of his family members lead oppressed lives, with crushed dreams and hopes, particularly his youngest sister Leila. Her story was heartbreaking.
The chapter titled "Suicide and Song" was all about the heartache and anger of women. They are forced to marry whomever their family chooses for them. Most of them are denied an education. They must put aside all feelings and opinions. They are to be seen not heard, and often times not even seen. They rebel through their poetry and song.
This book was also a good look at the Taliban. The religious restrictions they imposed upon the people were stifling. To read about how life is now (or at least how it was in 2002) versus how it was when they had a king and music, dance, and culture reigned is depressing. You feel like these people have lost all hope and merely exist from day to day. They are steeped in the traditions of their fathers, most of which are not good. It makes you grateful to be a woman in America, yet wishing there was something you could do to help the women of Afghanistan.
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