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Shabanu #1
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind
Life is both sweet and cruel to strong-willed young Shabanu, whose home is the windswept Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The second daughter in a family with no sons, she’s been allowed freedoms forbidden to most Muslim girls. But when a tragic encounter with a wealthy and powerful landowner ruins the marriage plans of her older sister, Shabanu is called upon to sacrifice everything she’s dreamed of. Should she do what is necessary to uphold her family’s honor—or listen to the stirrings of her own heart?
240 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published September 23, 1989
About the author
Suzanne Fisher Staples
16 books125 followersSuzanne Fisher Staples is the author of six books addressed to children and adolescents. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.), she grew up in a small community around Northwestern Pennsylvania. She had three siblings, a sister and two brothers. Suzanne went to Lakeland High School in Scott Township, Pennsylvania. Later, she graduated from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She got a job for 10 years being a news reporter and editor for the United Press International. She worked in many places across the U.S.A. and Asia, including Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, New York, and Washington DC. In 1985, she returned to Pakistan to assess the conditions of poor, rural women and report back to the United States Agency for International Development.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 641 reviews
March 27, 2020
kinda feel like this was not appropriate for the intended age range, and also..... you should maybe not write a novel whose primary purpose is social critique of a society you don't belong to? just my opinion
December 22, 2018
Read this one when i was 14 and it really made a big impression on me. I loved learning about the other culture and still thought it was highly relatable. I still remember it well to this day. Didn't know it was a series. Will check those out!
January 6, 2015
Shabanu: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Female Servitude.
Imagine that you are a woman, and you are living in a large house with several female roommates. You all have your own room, and you share the common areas amicably. All is well.
But then, suddenly, you have another roommate: The Male Gaze.
Male Gaze moves into your house. He doesn't have a room of his own, so he takes over the common areas, and slowly the rest of the house. M.G. eats all your food, drinks milk from the carton, leaves his laundry everywhere, and never pays his rent on time. Moreover, he has a strange way of making you all feel physically and mentally inferior, unwanted save for that one biblical purpose, and all in all less of a woman. Obviously, M.G. is a shitty roommate and a shitty person.
But here's the really shitty part: you do nothing about it.
The Male Gaze is not questioned or disrupted, or kicked out of your house. Perhaps you stop him once or twice to say, "Hey, please don't scour my Teflon pans with steel wool," or, "Hey, could you please stop beating me with sticks because I'm a woman?" but no big change ever takes place. In fact, you learn how to swallow your hopes, dreams, and yearnings, and just sort of wallow in a contemptible life with ol' M.G.
My friends, that insufferable allegory is my summary of this book. Shabanu, a nomadic "Daughter of the Wind" who loves her camels and her family (in that order) more than her life, learns that she is nothing more than a pawn in the Marriage Game. And she does nothing about it, except learn to live with it.
I really wanted to like Shabanu as a character, especially as a strong female character in a hyper-traditional Pakistani setting. However, as the narrative builds, Shabanu is left in the dust. She mocks her sister Phulan for being a vapid wannabe baby-maker, but I don't see much more from her. Initially horrified by her arranged marriage to Murad, she conveniently falls head-over-heels in love with him right before tragedy rearranges all the arranged marriages in the family, and Phulan is reassigned from her dead fiance Hamir to Murad. Shabanu is devastated, not only from losing the Love of Her Life (i.e., the last two days), but also because she is now to become the fourth wife of Rahim, a man at least 40 years older than her. And everyone is totally cool with it.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Arranged marriage is a part of Pakistani culture, and Shabanu's circumstances should come as no surprise. But this is a dying custom, and one that the author purportedly makes attempts to overcome. Shabanu is up in arms against it, certainly. And there's her crazy aunt Sharma, who is offered to readers as a modern Pakistani thinker: she is widowed and a landowner, and hates the whole arranged marriage thing. Sharma gets into several shouting matches with Shabanu's family over the arrangement, accusing them of selling their daughter for camels and land (which is LITERALLY WHAT THEY DID). She is even kind enough to offer Shabanu a home if Rahim or his wives mistreat her.
But here's the bitch of it: Sharma buries her feminist leanings and human kindness by THEN encouraging Shabanu to swallow her misgivings and try to make the loveless marriage work. Which is exactly what Shabanu does. (Spoilers? Whatever. Also, I haven't told you how this all happens, exactly.)
This is the part that I just cannot swallow, especially for this book's Lexile level and intended readership. Perhaps Staples meant for this book to be a statement, with Shabanu's hardships demonstrating the suffocating realities of Pakistani women. But, I think the total lack of an alternative is unrealistic, even with the cultural significance of arranged marriage. The book offers survivors/opponents to arranged marriage, such as Sharma, but then transforms them into complacent pawns in the current system. Teaching young readers that inaction, subjugation, and real human suffering are the only options, especially for women, is inexcusable.
Imagine that you are a woman, and you are living in a large house with several female roommates. You all have your own room, and you share the common areas amicably. All is well.
But then, suddenly, you have another roommate: The Male Gaze.
Male Gaze moves into your house. He doesn't have a room of his own, so he takes over the common areas, and slowly the rest of the house. M.G. eats all your food, drinks milk from the carton, leaves his laundry everywhere, and never pays his rent on time. Moreover, he has a strange way of making you all feel physically and mentally inferior, unwanted save for that one biblical purpose, and all in all less of a woman. Obviously, M.G. is a shitty roommate and a shitty person.
But here's the really shitty part: you do nothing about it.
The Male Gaze is not questioned or disrupted, or kicked out of your house. Perhaps you stop him once or twice to say, "Hey, please don't scour my Teflon pans with steel wool," or, "Hey, could you please stop beating me with sticks because I'm a woman?" but no big change ever takes place. In fact, you learn how to swallow your hopes, dreams, and yearnings, and just sort of wallow in a contemptible life with ol' M.G.
My friends, that insufferable allegory is my summary of this book. Shabanu, a nomadic "Daughter of the Wind" who loves her camels and her family (in that order) more than her life, learns that she is nothing more than a pawn in the Marriage Game. And she does nothing about it, except learn to live with it.
I really wanted to like Shabanu as a character, especially as a strong female character in a hyper-traditional Pakistani setting. However, as the narrative builds, Shabanu is left in the dust. She mocks her sister Phulan for being a vapid wannabe baby-maker, but I don't see much more from her. Initially horrified by her arranged marriage to Murad, she conveniently falls head-over-heels in love with him right before tragedy rearranges all the arranged marriages in the family, and Phulan is reassigned from her dead fiance Hamir to Murad. Shabanu is devastated, not only from losing the Love of Her Life (i.e., the last two days), but also because she is now to become the fourth wife of Rahim, a man at least 40 years older than her. And everyone is totally cool with it.
Now, I know what you're thinking. Arranged marriage is a part of Pakistani culture, and Shabanu's circumstances should come as no surprise. But this is a dying custom, and one that the author purportedly makes attempts to overcome. Shabanu is up in arms against it, certainly. And there's her crazy aunt Sharma, who is offered to readers as a modern Pakistani thinker: she is widowed and a landowner, and hates the whole arranged marriage thing. Sharma gets into several shouting matches with Shabanu's family over the arrangement, accusing them of selling their daughter for camels and land (which is LITERALLY WHAT THEY DID). She is even kind enough to offer Shabanu a home if Rahim or his wives mistreat her.
But here's the bitch of it: Sharma buries her feminist leanings and human kindness by THEN encouraging Shabanu to swallow her misgivings and try to make the loveless marriage work. Which is exactly what Shabanu does. (Spoilers? Whatever. Also, I haven't told you how this all happens, exactly.)
This is the part that I just cannot swallow, especially for this book's Lexile level and intended readership. Perhaps Staples meant for this book to be a statement, with Shabanu's hardships demonstrating the suffocating realities of Pakistani women. But, I think the total lack of an alternative is unrealistic, even with the cultural significance of arranged marriage. The book offers survivors/opponents to arranged marriage, such as Sharma, but then transforms them into complacent pawns in the current system. Teaching young readers that inaction, subjugation, and real human suffering are the only options, especially for women, is inexcusable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 8, 2008
An amazing look at the life of a Pakistani girl who has grown up in the desert. When she reaches marriageable age, content with the knowledge that she will marry one of her cousins, family tragedy and upheaval leads to her being used as a bargaining chip to settle a feud. The author lived among the camel-herding people of Pakistan for several years, and bases her characters on real people she knows.
July 20, 2020
An American author's novel of the lives of Pakistan's desert nomads.
An interesting description of the lives and customs of nomads in Pakistan's wind swept Cholistan desert.
For me personally,the Cholistan desert is unfamiliar territory and so are the lives of the nomads.
Young Shahbanu's hand is pledged in an arranged marriage.But when her older sister's marriage plans are ruined,it is Shahbanu who is called upon to sacrifice everything.
It is the sort of story which would make a good drama series for Pakistan Television.The author spent years in Pakistan and observed the nomads very closely.She seems to have formed quite a bond with them,the sense of place is terrific.
There is also a pretty good sequel,Haveli.
An interesting description of the lives and customs of nomads in Pakistan's wind swept Cholistan desert.
For me personally,the Cholistan desert is unfamiliar territory and so are the lives of the nomads.
Young Shahbanu's hand is pledged in an arranged marriage.But when her older sister's marriage plans are ruined,it is Shahbanu who is called upon to sacrifice everything.
It is the sort of story which would make a good drama series for Pakistan Television.The author spent years in Pakistan and observed the nomads very closely.She seems to have formed quite a bond with them,the sense of place is terrific.
There is also a pretty good sequel,Haveli.
June 17, 2011
I will admit that I had a really hard time getting into it. The pace was extremely slow until about page 150, when the action started. I also wonder if American teenagers would really be able to relate in any way to this book. Though some might be able to make the connection of Shabanu's desire for freedom to their own lives, so many of the details seemed a little difficult to relate to. After all, we're talking about a culture where girls get married as soon as they get their first period and are expected to bear children as teenagers. It's a culture where fathers beat their daughters and it's considered normal, and children have no say in their own lives. It certainly is eye-opening to read about this sort of culture. I'm just not sure if teenagers would really appreciate it. As far as whether it is authentic or realistic - I personally don't know this culture very well, so that's a very hard thing for me to judge.
I suppose the thing that bothers me a little is that I’m not sure how we are supposed to interpret the culture based on this book. Are we supposed to like and appreciate it? Or are we supposed to dislike the culture because of how it robs Shabanu of her freedom and most of her happiness? There were certain, maybe I'd say stereotypes, that were unsettling to read. Many people do have the idea that Muslims are very strict, the women are obedient, and the men cruel. While we saw some great men in this story, I'm not so sure about some of the other implications for other characters. Phulan is portrayed as a girl that is stupid and empty headed, but she is also the obedient one that does what her culture wants of her. Auntie is portrayed as a mean character, and she is also the one who is described as fat - and people are cruel to her because of it. I worry that this book almost puts this culture in a bad light. I'm not sure. I just know that it really had me thinking about this way of life.
June 13, 2016
Since I started reading again, I always try to read as diverse as I can to expand my reading. And it is indeed very interesting to read about the life of an 11-year old Pakistani girl who's got a lot on her plate at a very young age.
Shabanu is the daughter of a camel farmer. Her family grows and takes care of camels as a means of living. She has an older sister (13 years old) who is to be married very soon. In a year, Shabanu is also to be married. As the story goes on, the original plans for Shabanu and her sister change as things go wrong and Shabanu soon finds herself needing to make a choice: to obey her parents' decision for her even if that decision doesn't make her happy or to disobey and claim her freedom.
I don't know much about Pakistani culture and it's very refreshing to read about. There are a lot of things in their culture I am so confused by or found myself disagreeing with (marrying at the age of 13!) and I don't think I'll ever get used to that idea.
There were a lot of times I felt so frustrated while reading this. I feel for Shabanu. She was forced to grow up and make very hard decisions very early in her life. She's a girl one can describe as a "wild child" — being more boyish than she needs to be and is closer to the animals her family takes care of than to people. A lot of times, I feel her emotions when she feels betrayed or when she feels like there's no one looking out for her.
I'd say this was a pretty interesting read as I haven't read anything like it before. My only complaint is that at times, I feel it's too fast-paced. It lacks on world building. One event is dropped after another too quickly without giving its readers enough time to analyze what's been given to them. My favorite thing about it probably is Shabanu's aunt Sharma and Fatima and Shabanu's relationship with the camels and her puppy — I find something genuine in human-animal relationships I can't find in anything else.
Shabanu is the daughter of a camel farmer. Her family grows and takes care of camels as a means of living. She has an older sister (13 years old) who is to be married very soon. In a year, Shabanu is also to be married. As the story goes on, the original plans for Shabanu and her sister change as things go wrong and Shabanu soon finds herself needing to make a choice: to obey her parents' decision for her even if that decision doesn't make her happy or to disobey and claim her freedom.
I don't know much about Pakistani culture and it's very refreshing to read about. There are a lot of things in their culture I am so confused by or found myself disagreeing with (marrying at the age of 13!) and I don't think I'll ever get used to that idea.
There were a lot of times I felt so frustrated while reading this. I feel for Shabanu. She was forced to grow up and make very hard decisions very early in her life. She's a girl one can describe as a "wild child" — being more boyish than she needs to be and is closer to the animals her family takes care of than to people. A lot of times, I feel her emotions when she feels betrayed or when she feels like there's no one looking out for her.
I'd say this was a pretty interesting read as I haven't read anything like it before. My only complaint is that at times, I feel it's too fast-paced. It lacks on world building. One event is dropped after another too quickly without giving its readers enough time to analyze what's been given to them. My favorite thing about it probably is Shabanu's aunt Sharma and Fatima and Shabanu's relationship with the camels and her puppy — I find something genuine in human-animal relationships I can't find in anything else.
December 18, 2019
This is one of those books that I thought was SOOOOO GOOOOOD....when I was 12. I'm afraid to read it again, as my taste has probably changed since then. I like keeping in my childhood capsule of memory- untarnished and still favored. You know what I'm talking about. I watched Flight of the Navigator the a few years back. It was SOOOOO GOOOOD, too. Uh, no. Lame, annoying and I'll never watch it again. I should have left well enough alone.
Though, if memory serves, I think it gives a fairly accurate account of Pakistanian life. And, I remember making my mom read it (who does not read) and she loved it, so I won't write if off completely. Maybe when I'm in my rocking chair I'll reread it.
Though, if memory serves, I think it gives a fairly accurate account of Pakistanian life. And, I remember making my mom read it (who does not read) and she loved it, so I won't write if off completely. Maybe when I'm in my rocking chair I'll reread it.
February 4, 2024
"Phulan, your beauty is great. But beauty holds only part of a man, and that for just so long. Keep some of yourself hidden. You can lavish love and praise on him and work hard by his side...But the secret is keeping your innermost beauty, the secrets of your soul, locked in your heart so that he must always reach out to you for it."
—Sharma, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, P. 217
You can add Suzanne Fisher Staples to the list of authors I've discovered whose writing I absolutely love. Her style is sprawling and spacious, relaxed when that is the tone called for but able to turn on a dime and become very intense, too, within a surprisingly short space. There were times in Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind that the beginning of a paragraph seemed perfectly languid and calm, but by the paragraph's end all chaos had broken out, and Shabanu's serious, highly structured world descended into disarray. Suzanne Fisher Staples writes with moving compassion and total respect for her Pakistani characters, not holding up their behavior to American cultural standards, but rather recognizing that the way society works in the Middle East is very different. There are no overtones of judgment on the actions of the characters, even when those actions seem uncaring, cruel or overtly oppressive by American sensibilities. It may be hard to swallow the lack of appreciation, objectified personal status and absence of any real control over their own lives that the female Pakistanis have to endure in deference to their male counterparts in this book, but I think that we can all identify to some extent with being controlled and mistreated, and this sympathy allows us to draw closer to the characters and better understand their feelings about the strict Muslim culture in which they live. Regardless of the vast differences between American life and that of the Pakistani Muslims of which Shabanu is a member by birth, I found that this book resounded deeply in my soul, the echoes of its sweet strains reminding me even after turning the final page just how much I have emotionally in common with Shabanu. This life can be rough no matter where one is born, managing everyone else's expectations for you while trying to keep in stride with where you think your heart's calling you to go, and there are times when outside pressure coalesces to push you down a path that's wrong for you before you even get a chance to find out what you really wanted. Shabanu's life is almost destined to proceed down such an incorrect path, in a culture that expects her to be married by the time she turns thirteen and has no intention of letting the choice of who the bridegroom will be fall to her. It's a hard thing to be valued by society only for the productivity of one's body, the pursuit of one's own happiness pushed aside as something that should be no more than an afterthought. Yet this is the culture in which Shabanu lives, a paradigm that many of us can relate to at least partly in our own lives, and there's little to do but work within the culture and try to pursue one's dreams and happiness in its framework. It's surprising, the places in which a happy ending can be found.
Though she is but eleven years old and her older sister Phulan thirteen, Shabanu (pronounced "Shah-bah-noo") is nearly at the stage of life when a girl in her culture begins serious planning for her wedding day. Phulan is already set to be married within the next several months, and Shabanu's own bridegroom has been chosen long ago: he is the younger brother of the seventeen-year-old who is to marry Phulan, and Shabanu wonders what he looks like now. All she remembers from what she saw of him years ago is that he was a boy with funny-looking ears poking out from beneath his hat, as if he hadn't yet grown to fit them. The boy is fifteen now, though, and surely grown taller and stronger, but will Shabanu's future bridegroom have finally grown into his physique, or will he still have the bodily awkwardness that marked his earlier years?
Life in the Cholistan Desert can seem grueling and very unfair, as can growing up in a strict Muslim family that never gives Shabanu much slack (even though her parents' treatment of her is actually quite permissive in comparison to that of most Muslim families), but Shabanu learns to live with the severe restrictions surrounding her and blossom nonetheless. Life for an eleven-year-old girl in Pakistan isn't all serious, after all; Shabanu is given the opportunity to play and to take the family's animals out on short excursions, exercising both herself and them as the volatile desert weather permits. Even Phulan is sometimes allowed to join Shabanu, though Phulan is considered a growing young woman now and no longer a child who needs to frolic and play to be happy. Nevertheless, it is when Shabanu and Phulan are riding camels out on their own that they finally run into trouble too serious to be sidestepped or ignored, trouble that could undo all the careful preparation of the last dozen years for the girls' futures and put their entire family in the path of grave danger. The trouble could hardly be called Shabanu's fault, but in Pakistani culture these matters are viewed so differently than in America, and it can be very easy for a young girl to be saddled with the blame when well-laid plans go awry and her family's future is placed in major jeopardy. Is it possible that the future for which Shabanu has waited so long has already gone up in smoke, drifting out of her grasp and fading to nothingness before she ever had the chance to hold and cherish it?
"No matter what happens, you have you. That is the important thing. And as long as you have you, there is always a choice."
—Sharma, P. 217
While there is good to point out about virtually every area of this book, I think that what will stay with me most indelibly years after having read it is the influence of Sharma on the story. In a Pakistani nation and culture that seems to downplay the value of females as anything but potential wives and mothers, Sharma exists freely on the outskirts of society with her daughter, Fatima. Sharma may live by her own rules, operating outside the boundaries of traditional Muslim culture that bind most Pakistanis so intransigently, but she has a surprisingly keen understanding of that culture, and of what it means to be a girl under such conditions. Her advice to Phulan on the morning of her wedding, though it appears to go over Phulan's preoccupied head, is as heartfelt, genuine and affecting as I could have imagined, as if they were words spoken right to me just when I needed to hear them most. Sharma has a way of speaking truth at the exact moment when it needs to be heard, whether or not the listener is prepared to accept and internalize it. "Fold your happiness deep in your heart," she tells Shabanu, as the troubled girl awaits the day that will change both her and Phulan's lives forever. Sharma speaks not merely to pacify, or to feed into stereotypes about gender roles and the marriage system in Pakistan, but to prepare Shabanu for the battle coming up just ahead, not worrying about future struggles that may or may not occur after that point. Shabanu's options within her family's Muslim society may be limited, but Sharma's wise council shows her that it's a life that can be managed if she's willing, and though the many tomorrows to come will undoubtedly bring their own worries, Shabanu can be ready for whatever happens by using her intelligence and making good choices today. And if all else fails, Sharma's unconventional lifestyle is always right there for Shabanu to run to, offering protection and comfort from an uncertain world.
I'm not sure what goals Suzanne Fisher Staples had in mind while writing Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. Whatever they were, though, I have to believe that she was supremely successful in accomplishing them. A book that sensitively introduces readers to the ins and outs of a vastly different culture, tells a well-plotted story with plenty of twists and turns to keep even those with very short attention spans satisfied, and gracefully leads us in a procession of wisdom and understanding toward a greater realization of the meaning of our own lives, is a book that I would read anytime, and one surely deserving of the Newbery Honor bestowed upon Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by the 1990 Newbery Committee. I'm left with a strong desire to read the author's other books, as well as the feeling that I got even more out of the experience of reading this book than I realize. I highly recommend Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, and would consider giving it three and a half stars.
—Sharma, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, P. 217
You can add Suzanne Fisher Staples to the list of authors I've discovered whose writing I absolutely love. Her style is sprawling and spacious, relaxed when that is the tone called for but able to turn on a dime and become very intense, too, within a surprisingly short space. There were times in Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind that the beginning of a paragraph seemed perfectly languid and calm, but by the paragraph's end all chaos had broken out, and Shabanu's serious, highly structured world descended into disarray. Suzanne Fisher Staples writes with moving compassion and total respect for her Pakistani characters, not holding up their behavior to American cultural standards, but rather recognizing that the way society works in the Middle East is very different. There are no overtones of judgment on the actions of the characters, even when those actions seem uncaring, cruel or overtly oppressive by American sensibilities. It may be hard to swallow the lack of appreciation, objectified personal status and absence of any real control over their own lives that the female Pakistanis have to endure in deference to their male counterparts in this book, but I think that we can all identify to some extent with being controlled and mistreated, and this sympathy allows us to draw closer to the characters and better understand their feelings about the strict Muslim culture in which they live. Regardless of the vast differences between American life and that of the Pakistani Muslims of which Shabanu is a member by birth, I found that this book resounded deeply in my soul, the echoes of its sweet strains reminding me even after turning the final page just how much I have emotionally in common with Shabanu. This life can be rough no matter where one is born, managing everyone else's expectations for you while trying to keep in stride with where you think your heart's calling you to go, and there are times when outside pressure coalesces to push you down a path that's wrong for you before you even get a chance to find out what you really wanted. Shabanu's life is almost destined to proceed down such an incorrect path, in a culture that expects her to be married by the time she turns thirteen and has no intention of letting the choice of who the bridegroom will be fall to her. It's a hard thing to be valued by society only for the productivity of one's body, the pursuit of one's own happiness pushed aside as something that should be no more than an afterthought. Yet this is the culture in which Shabanu lives, a paradigm that many of us can relate to at least partly in our own lives, and there's little to do but work within the culture and try to pursue one's dreams and happiness in its framework. It's surprising, the places in which a happy ending can be found.
Though she is but eleven years old and her older sister Phulan thirteen, Shabanu (pronounced "Shah-bah-noo") is nearly at the stage of life when a girl in her culture begins serious planning for her wedding day. Phulan is already set to be married within the next several months, and Shabanu's own bridegroom has been chosen long ago: he is the younger brother of the seventeen-year-old who is to marry Phulan, and Shabanu wonders what he looks like now. All she remembers from what she saw of him years ago is that he was a boy with funny-looking ears poking out from beneath his hat, as if he hadn't yet grown to fit them. The boy is fifteen now, though, and surely grown taller and stronger, but will Shabanu's future bridegroom have finally grown into his physique, or will he still have the bodily awkwardness that marked his earlier years?
Life in the Cholistan Desert can seem grueling and very unfair, as can growing up in a strict Muslim family that never gives Shabanu much slack (even though her parents' treatment of her is actually quite permissive in comparison to that of most Muslim families), but Shabanu learns to live with the severe restrictions surrounding her and blossom nonetheless. Life for an eleven-year-old girl in Pakistan isn't all serious, after all; Shabanu is given the opportunity to play and to take the family's animals out on short excursions, exercising both herself and them as the volatile desert weather permits. Even Phulan is sometimes allowed to join Shabanu, though Phulan is considered a growing young woman now and no longer a child who needs to frolic and play to be happy. Nevertheless, it is when Shabanu and Phulan are riding camels out on their own that they finally run into trouble too serious to be sidestepped or ignored, trouble that could undo all the careful preparation of the last dozen years for the girls' futures and put their entire family in the path of grave danger. The trouble could hardly be called Shabanu's fault, but in Pakistani culture these matters are viewed so differently than in America, and it can be very easy for a young girl to be saddled with the blame when well-laid plans go awry and her family's future is placed in major jeopardy. Is it possible that the future for which Shabanu has waited so long has already gone up in smoke, drifting out of her grasp and fading to nothingness before she ever had the chance to hold and cherish it?
"No matter what happens, you have you. That is the important thing. And as long as you have you, there is always a choice."
—Sharma, P. 217
While there is good to point out about virtually every area of this book, I think that what will stay with me most indelibly years after having read it is the influence of Sharma on the story. In a Pakistani nation and culture that seems to downplay the value of females as anything but potential wives and mothers, Sharma exists freely on the outskirts of society with her daughter, Fatima. Sharma may live by her own rules, operating outside the boundaries of traditional Muslim culture that bind most Pakistanis so intransigently, but she has a surprisingly keen understanding of that culture, and of what it means to be a girl under such conditions. Her advice to Phulan on the morning of her wedding, though it appears to go over Phulan's preoccupied head, is as heartfelt, genuine and affecting as I could have imagined, as if they were words spoken right to me just when I needed to hear them most. Sharma has a way of speaking truth at the exact moment when it needs to be heard, whether or not the listener is prepared to accept and internalize it. "Fold your happiness deep in your heart," she tells Shabanu, as the troubled girl awaits the day that will change both her and Phulan's lives forever. Sharma speaks not merely to pacify, or to feed into stereotypes about gender roles and the marriage system in Pakistan, but to prepare Shabanu for the battle coming up just ahead, not worrying about future struggles that may or may not occur after that point. Shabanu's options within her family's Muslim society may be limited, but Sharma's wise council shows her that it's a life that can be managed if she's willing, and though the many tomorrows to come will undoubtedly bring their own worries, Shabanu can be ready for whatever happens by using her intelligence and making good choices today. And if all else fails, Sharma's unconventional lifestyle is always right there for Shabanu to run to, offering protection and comfort from an uncertain world.
I'm not sure what goals Suzanne Fisher Staples had in mind while writing Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind. Whatever they were, though, I have to believe that she was supremely successful in accomplishing them. A book that sensitively introduces readers to the ins and outs of a vastly different culture, tells a well-plotted story with plenty of twists and turns to keep even those with very short attention spans satisfied, and gracefully leads us in a procession of wisdom and understanding toward a greater realization of the meaning of our own lives, is a book that I would read anytime, and one surely deserving of the Newbery Honor bestowed upon Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind by the 1990 Newbery Committee. I'm left with a strong desire to read the author's other books, as well as the feeling that I got even more out of the experience of reading this book than I realize. I highly recommend Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, and would consider giving it three and a half stars.
July 8, 2008
Shabanu and the sequels are important books for the world we live in because they describe a proud, independent people who are now in the midst of what will be a long, horrible war. The image of Pakistanis as either terrorists or helpless refuges are popular with news and entertainment (just watch Ironman...for all that I love movies with explosions I was horrified and saddened by that movie).
Shabanu is the youngest daughter of desert people - her description of her family. She loves the desert, loves her camels and through her eyes I grew to love them too. She describes a world with little water, little comfort and yet rich with life. And a life foreign to my own. I read this to my kids years ago and my daughter, then about 10, was horrified to hear the matter-of-fact way in which the 12-year-old Shabanu talked about her marriage, which would take place in a year.
The books are well-written - which I think means that I believe them, even though they are fiction. I worry when writing is good and I believe the story, especially when the subject is real. In this case, the author was a reporter who covered India, Pakistan and Afghanistan for a number of years.
Shabanu is the youngest daughter of desert people - her description of her family. She loves the desert, loves her camels and through her eyes I grew to love them too. She describes a world with little water, little comfort and yet rich with life. And a life foreign to my own. I read this to my kids years ago and my daughter, then about 10, was horrified to hear the matter-of-fact way in which the 12-year-old Shabanu talked about her marriage, which would take place in a year.
The books are well-written - which I think means that I believe them, even though they are fiction. I worry when writing is good and I believe the story, especially when the subject is real. In this case, the author was a reporter who covered India, Pakistan and Afghanistan for a number of years.
June 18, 2016
I read this when I was ten or eleven, all I remember was her comparing her plum sized boobs to her sister's mangos... in all realness though, this book is rife with "eastern girl in uncivilized east with western attitude battling for her life" which is all too real sometimes but fails in Shabanu at the hands of an elderly white woman.
September 9, 2010
This is a very good YA book and a fascinating look at nomadic life in India. Shabanu is a pre teen. She prefers to take care of her family's camel herd rather than sit around, cover herself, and talk about weddings like her older and very much engaged sister. Most of the novel is about her sister's upcoming wedding and the gathering of a dowry. Things go terribly awry and the ending is a major change of plans.
Also, some great stuff about camels. I had no clue they had huge tongues that enlarged to impress females or that the males fought to the death sometimes, or that they could dance. Truly interesting stuff.
However, I HATED the ending. I get that it is appropriate for Indian culture and custom, but I was expecting more fight from Shabanu. Instead, she goes along with her parent's wishes (which I felt were just awful!!!). I was expecting more spit and vinegar from what I thought was a smart girl.
Also, some great stuff about camels. I had no clue they had huge tongues that enlarged to impress females or that the males fought to the death sometimes, or that they could dance. Truly interesting stuff.
However, I HATED the ending. I get that it is appropriate for Indian culture and custom, but I was expecting more fight from Shabanu. Instead, she goes along with her parent's wishes (which I felt were just awful!!!). I was expecting more spit and vinegar from what I thought was a smart girl.
January 18, 2010
A surprisingly affecting and well written book. I rarely read young adult fiction, but my daughter recommended this one, and I felt I was long overdue to read some more books about Arab or Islamic culture – especially women in the Arab/Islamic world.(My other books include Palace Walk and Reading Lolita in Tehran).
This is the story of a young nomadic girl from the Cholistan Desert on the Pakistan side of the India-Pakistan border. The picture of life in a nomadic society is well drawn – the importance of water, the fragility of life, the need to take everything with you as you move, the fatalistic life view, the power of the landlords. The marriage of a girl of 13 as standard practice comes across as a fact of life, and I enjoyed the description of the nearly year-long preparation for Phulan’s wedding. One of my favorite parts was the annual pilgrimage of the nomadic women – the description of the society of women - it reminded me of some of the passages in the Red Tent and made me long for my close woman companions that I had in North Carolina. I also thought that the author presented the suggestion of changing role for women well – just a suggestion of options. The fact of death and loss were well portrayed although I would have some aspect maternal mortality in childbirth to be included.
The book has an exquisite ending or, more appropriately, non-ending. We do not know what happens to Shabanu. Is she killed for disobedience as the other girl earlier in the story? Does her father relent and allow her not to marry? Is she able to take refuge in Sharma’s house? Are there repercussions for her family because she does not marry the Rahim-sahib? Does she obey her father and marry? We are left to fill in the ending. I loved that.
The book was written in 1989 so I wonder what has changed and if the same nomadic life still exists and if and how the role of woman has changed.
This is the story of a young nomadic girl from the Cholistan Desert on the Pakistan side of the India-Pakistan border. The picture of life in a nomadic society is well drawn – the importance of water, the fragility of life, the need to take everything with you as you move, the fatalistic life view, the power of the landlords. The marriage of a girl of 13 as standard practice comes across as a fact of life, and I enjoyed the description of the nearly year-long preparation for Phulan’s wedding. One of my favorite parts was the annual pilgrimage of the nomadic women – the description of the society of women - it reminded me of some of the passages in the Red Tent and made me long for my close woman companions that I had in North Carolina. I also thought that the author presented the suggestion of changing role for women well – just a suggestion of options. The fact of death and loss were well portrayed although I would have some aspect maternal mortality in childbirth to be included.
The book has an exquisite ending or, more appropriately, non-ending. We do not know what happens to Shabanu. Is she killed for disobedience as the other girl earlier in the story? Does her father relent and allow her not to marry? Is she able to take refuge in Sharma’s house? Are there repercussions for her family because she does not marry the Rahim-sahib? Does she obey her father and marry? We are left to fill in the ending. I loved that.
The book was written in 1989 so I wonder what has changed and if the same nomadic life still exists and if and how the role of woman has changed.
Read
December 13, 2016I'm very interested in different religions and cultures, which is mainly why I chose to read this book, seeing that it was about a Muslim girl. I'm not really sure what I was expecting from it, but it ended up a bit different than I thought, I suppose. It was a coming-of-age story that was a little bit slow-paced at times but overall enjoyable, and the glimpses of culture were very interesting.
I think my favorite part of this book was the ending. I was going to rate it lower than 4 stars, but then Shabanu made her final decision. She changed, she grew up, and she became the kind of person I'd been wanting her to become the whole time I was reading, and it just left me with this nice warm feeling.
I'm not planning on reading the second and third books--I just don't feel like I need to. The ending left room for a series, yes, but it also ended in a way that contented me; it felt concluded, and I was happy with that.
I am reviewing this a bit late, so my memory may not serve me correctly, but I think my main complaint about this book was just that it seemed to move rather slowly to me. It felt as if the plot line wasn't very distinct, and yet it worked because of the style and moral of the story. It just wasn't my typical magic-wielding fantasy book, and I was a tad bit bored at times.
But those moments were few and I did enjoy this book. It taught me a few things about Islamic culture (though of course personally I would have loved to have seen more) and I really did end up loving Shabanu and how she grew throughout the story.
I think my favorite part of this book was the ending. I was going to rate it lower than 4 stars, but then Shabanu made her final decision. She changed, she grew up, and she became the kind of person I'd been wanting her to become the whole time I was reading, and it just left me with this nice warm feeling.
I'm not planning on reading the second and third books--I just don't feel like I need to. The ending left room for a series, yes, but it also ended in a way that contented me; it felt concluded, and I was happy with that.
I am reviewing this a bit late, so my memory may not serve me correctly, but I think my main complaint about this book was just that it seemed to move rather slowly to me. It felt as if the plot line wasn't very distinct, and yet it worked because of the style and moral of the story. It just wasn't my typical magic-wielding fantasy book, and I was a tad bit bored at times.
But those moments were few and I did enjoy this book. It taught me a few things about Islamic culture (though of course personally I would have loved to have seen more) and I really did end up loving Shabanu and how she grew throughout the story.
October 15, 2007
week 7
This took me awhile to get into. It was, at the start, very choppy and full of vignettes, rather than a cohesive story. Once they finally got to the story, it was difficult mainly because here was this bright and intelligent and promising 11 year old girl getting sold off to a 50 year old man who was in love with her, to be his fourth wife, so her older sister could marry the man Shabanu had originally been meant to marry. At that point, it wasn't even the ages, because that's the culture, but that Shabanu had to be sacrificed when Phuban, her flighty 13 year old sister, would have been better suited to this life of wealth. Sigh.
And then they had a chapter of the sequel in the back, where facts stated in this book were changed! Like, they keep saying that Shabanu will be the youngest wife by 20 years. But in the sequel, it's only 8 years. They also say that Rahim has seven sons already, but in the sequel, three of his four sons died young and the last is weak and will likely die. Dear God, know your own canon, lady! That annoys me greatly. (Also the sequel seems to be in the third person, as opposed to first, and written very very sloppily. Not a worthy follow up, it seems.)
This took me awhile to get into. It was, at the start, very choppy and full of vignettes, rather than a cohesive story. Once they finally got to the story, it was difficult mainly because here was this bright and intelligent and promising 11 year old girl getting sold off to a 50 year old man who was in love with her, to be his fourth wife, so her older sister could marry the man Shabanu had originally been meant to marry. At that point, it wasn't even the ages, because that's the culture, but that Shabanu had to be sacrificed when Phuban, her flighty 13 year old sister, would have been better suited to this life of wealth. Sigh.
And then they had a chapter of the sequel in the back, where facts stated in this book were changed! Like, they keep saying that Shabanu will be the youngest wife by 20 years. But in the sequel, it's only 8 years. They also say that Rahim has seven sons already, but in the sequel, three of his four sons died young and the last is weak and will likely die. Dear God, know your own canon, lady! That annoys me greatly. (Also the sequel seems to be in the third person, as opposed to first, and written very very sloppily. Not a worthy follow up, it seems.)
June 19, 2022
Read as part of my ongoing shelf audit. Verdict: Donated to the library fundraiser sale so they can make 50 cents off of it.
This is the kind of book which gets a Newberry for being something adults think kids should read, but which I can't imagine played particularly well with its supposed target audience. It's a nuanced portrait of life in the desert of eastern Pakistan, but not in a way that I feel would actually engage young readers. It's also, ultimately, got a pretty depressing ending - as anyone who's read the cover copy for the sequel knows, Shabanu ends up in a loveless marriage to an older man, because he's rich and it's better than being raped by his brother. Which is true, but... yikes.
The thing is, I credit that Fisher Staples' portrayal of Cholistani lives is probably accurate, or at least was when the book was published, and a disappointing ending is likely accurate to the experience of young women in these societies. It just... isn't something I have a strong desire to read fiction about.
This is the kind of book which gets a Newberry for being something adults think kids should read, but which I can't imagine played particularly well with its supposed target audience. It's a nuanced portrait of life in the desert of eastern Pakistan, but not in a way that I feel would actually engage young readers. It's also, ultimately, got a pretty depressing ending - as anyone who's read the cover copy for the sequel knows, Shabanu ends up in a loveless marriage to an older man, because he's rich and it's better than being raped by his brother. Which is true, but... yikes.
The thing is, I credit that Fisher Staples' portrayal of Cholistani lives is probably accurate, or at least was when the book was published, and a disappointing ending is likely accurate to the experience of young women in these societies. It just... isn't something I have a strong desire to read fiction about.
January 6, 2017
An honest portrayal of the life of a young nomad teenage girl in Pakistan. The traditions and emotional conflicts are insightful. However, some of the descriptions of the setting were too detailed for my eye, knowing the culture well; but would be exotic and fascinating to any reader not familiar with the setting. Its heartbreaking, but also has a positive beat to it, as a young girl prepares herself to enter a forced marriage. Wants me wanna read the sequel: Haveli.
November 7, 2022
i’ve had this book in my collection for a while and haven’t read it. it’s from 1989. i didn’t realize until i finished reading that the author is white, but this is a story about a pakistani girl and her struggle with arranged marriage and now i just wonder how much of it is actually realistic and how much is just racism. there are also two sequels i probably won’t read. but two stars because the writing itself was good for a middle grade.
April 30, 2019
I first read this book years ago, and loved the descriptions of life in the Cholistan desert in Punjab Pakistan. Rereading it again was a delight, despite the horrendous way women are treated in Pakistan.
January 25, 2018
It was so weird
April 25, 2023
In the Cholistan desert in Pakistan, Shabanu lives the nomadic lifestyle with her family. While her older sister Phulan stays home and prepares for marriage (as soon as she has her first period), Shabanu loves being outside in the desert with the camels. She wants nothing to do with marriage even though hers is arranged and will happen in the next year or two. Shabanu is happy to travel to the fair with her father and enjoy the delights of the carnival but when wealthy buyers come for their camels, Shabanu sees the reality of their lifestyle. The money is useful especially during a drought, but at what cost? Soon the cost of money vs. happiness becomes even more real when they travel to the fertile farm area for Phulan's wedding. A wealthy and spoiled landowner had already caused trouble for the family and now he sets his sights on Phulan and Shabanu. Both sides feel humiliated and that means trouble and the end of everything Phulan and Shabanu thought would be in their future. Now they've come to a crossroads where the adults must make difficult decisions about Shabanu's future without considering her wishes. She still dreams of her independence and life with her animals. What can marriage bring her compared to her current happiness? She doesn't really have a choice but to accept it, according to her elders but Shabanu refuses to give up.
I enjoyed the story but it was a tough read. I didn't think it was boring. I enjoyed the details of daily life in the Cholistan desert. I had no idea this place even existed, let alone the people. It was a tough read for me because of the topic of child marriage and curbing girls' freedoms. I relate strongly to Shabanu's desire for independence, to be left alone with her animals. It broke my heart to see her lose that freedom, even if it means a better life for her parents. Surely they should take into consideration how this marriage would affect their daughters' overall well being?
I got a strong Little House on the Prairie vibe from the story with all the details about desert life, farming and the dynamic between the two sisters. Phulan is a Mary Ingalls type. She's too good, too accepting of her fate to appeal to modern western readers.
The plot device about the wealthy landowner rings true though and I suspect it was a lot like that in southern Italy when my great-grandparents met in the early 1900s. I think the wealthy landowners stayed in the north but they sent vigilantes to cause trouble and I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up and tried to claim a nice peasant girl as their own. It happens in every culture where men have all the power.
I can't help but wondering if the author is looking at this way of life from a western perspective? Of course we want Shabanu to have the opportunities and freedoms we have. She does seem amenable to marrying Murad because he's familiar, she knows what to expect from that way of life and she can still see her family but the overall story is anti- child marriage. I love Sharma the most and her daughter Fatima but are they realistic or are they plot devices to support western ideals? I don't know. The cousin who is only a few years older than Phulan, maybe 16 or so, has three children already!
This topic is very hard for me to read about. Shabanu: Daughter Of The Wind is definitely for young adults/adults. There's too much for parents to object to to begin with. I also don't see younger readers being interested because they lack understanding of the globe and world cultures.
I really wish this book had an author's note and discussion questions. It needs it. I did check out Wikipedia's entry on the Cholistan desert and the nomadic people but it still needs some kind of updated author's note, especially considering the situation in Afghanistan.
Sold is the current popular book about desperately poor people in Asia.
Homeless Bird also deals with child marriage in India and subsequent widowhood and homelessness for girls who fail to produce sons.
content:
animal mating
mention of warfare in past and present
mention of killing animals for celebration
menstruation/puberty/breasts
beating children
lying/hiding/secrets from parents
sexual harassment/hints at prostitution and some people overlooking the shame because it brings in money
guns
miscarriage
child marriage/arranged marriage
mention/questions of potential abusive marriages
and probably lots more I forgot.
I enjoyed the story but it was a tough read. I didn't think it was boring. I enjoyed the details of daily life in the Cholistan desert. I had no idea this place even existed, let alone the people. It was a tough read for me because of the topic of child marriage and curbing girls' freedoms. I relate strongly to Shabanu's desire for independence, to be left alone with her animals. It broke my heart to see her lose that freedom, even if it means a better life for her parents. Surely they should take into consideration how this marriage would affect their daughters' overall well being?
I got a strong Little House on the Prairie vibe from the story with all the details about desert life, farming and the dynamic between the two sisters. Phulan is a Mary Ingalls type. She's too good, too accepting of her fate to appeal to modern western readers.
The plot device about the wealthy landowner rings true though and I suspect it was a lot like that in southern Italy when my great-grandparents met in the early 1900s. I think the wealthy landowners stayed in the north but they sent vigilantes to cause trouble and I wouldn't be surprised if they showed up and tried to claim a nice peasant girl as their own. It happens in every culture where men have all the power.
I can't help but wondering if the author is looking at this way of life from a western perspective? Of course we want Shabanu to have the opportunities and freedoms we have. She does seem amenable to marrying Murad because he's familiar, she knows what to expect from that way of life and she can still see her family but the overall story is anti- child marriage. I love Sharma the most and her daughter Fatima but are they realistic or are they plot devices to support western ideals? I don't know. The cousin who is only a few years older than Phulan, maybe 16 or so, has three children already!
This topic is very hard for me to read about. Shabanu: Daughter Of The Wind is definitely for young adults/adults. There's too much for parents to object to to begin with. I also don't see younger readers being interested because they lack understanding of the globe and world cultures.
I really wish this book had an author's note and discussion questions. It needs it. I did check out Wikipedia's entry on the Cholistan desert and the nomadic people but it still needs some kind of updated author's note, especially considering the situation in Afghanistan.
Sold is the current popular book about desperately poor people in Asia.
Homeless Bird also deals with child marriage in India and subsequent widowhood and homelessness for girls who fail to produce sons.
content:
animal mating
mention of warfare in past and present
mention of killing animals for celebration
menstruation/puberty/breasts
beating children
lying/hiding/secrets from parents
sexual harassment/hints at prostitution and some people overlooking the shame because it brings in money
guns
miscarriage
child marriage/arranged marriage
mention/questions of potential abusive marriages
and probably lots more I forgot.
August 10, 2013
Wonderfully written book. Clear language, straight from this young girl's heart and also quite a story to tell. Sublime context in all regards towards the desert nomadic life; from sandstorms, dependence upon and love for pack animals/camels, and the search for water and means of shelter. Water especially being a factor which can never be put into a secondary place of priority.
And the answer to this girl's dilemma within her culture and the choices given to her life's path? That was excellent, as well. Because it is the inner strength and self-identity that is of prime core. Not just for women, but especially for women.
This culture is extremely close to the hunter gatherer life lived by all of our human ancestors for thousands and thousands of years. Their choices were limited and much of their lives were predetermined, just as hers became.
This book was not revisionist and did not make judgment, but spoke the girl's loves and thoughts in and of her world. And did it in a completely real and accurate way for this life in desert Pakistan.
I am disappointed that so many are reviewing this book on this site in such an ethnocentric context. And please, don't take that to mean that beating for disobedience or child brides or such patriarchy is hunky-dory.
But there are very real economic and survival reasons. And judging her (and also her parent) by industrialized elitist standards is condescending.
And the self-estimation and knowledge of her own secret strength learned by this girl when she could not "win"! That could be preciously learned by SO many more humans who live with much greater numbers of choices today, but instead are filled with voids that endlessly need to be filled.
The ending was superb. I gave it a 4 star until then, but the ending made me go 5. It was life. Life as it plays.
This was 1989 written too, and so it was interesting for me to see the "prior" of the really strict Taliban and other religious authority on larger and more severe scales that has happened since. Women have less choice in marriage now and are not allowed reading and writing knowledge in most cases at all any more.
So glad I happened upon this so many years after it was written on a serendipity library Kindle search.
And the answer to this girl's dilemma within her culture and the choices given to her life's path? That was excellent, as well. Because it is the inner strength and self-identity that is of prime core. Not just for women, but especially for women.
This culture is extremely close to the hunter gatherer life lived by all of our human ancestors for thousands and thousands of years. Their choices were limited and much of their lives were predetermined, just as hers became.
This book was not revisionist and did not make judgment, but spoke the girl's loves and thoughts in and of her world. And did it in a completely real and accurate way for this life in desert Pakistan.
I am disappointed that so many are reviewing this book on this site in such an ethnocentric context. And please, don't take that to mean that beating for disobedience or child brides or such patriarchy is hunky-dory.
But there are very real economic and survival reasons. And judging her (and also her parent) by industrialized elitist standards is condescending.
And the self-estimation and knowledge of her own secret strength learned by this girl when she could not "win"! That could be preciously learned by SO many more humans who live with much greater numbers of choices today, but instead are filled with voids that endlessly need to be filled.
The ending was superb. I gave it a 4 star until then, but the ending made me go 5. It was life. Life as it plays.
This was 1989 written too, and so it was interesting for me to see the "prior" of the really strict Taliban and other religious authority on larger and more severe scales that has happened since. Women have less choice in marriage now and are not allowed reading and writing knowledge in most cases at all any more.
So glad I happened upon this so many years after it was written on a serendipity library Kindle search.
February 26, 2010
Shabanu is the youngest of two daughters in a family that raises camels in the deserts of Pakistan. She and her older sister Phulan are both betrothed to distant cousins who own land far away from their parents. Unlike Phulan, Shabanu is independent and strong-willed; her parents worry that she will not become a proper wife and feel she must learn to obey and to hold her tongue. Accepting her duty to her family is essential if she is to have a place in it. But just as she accepts her role, something awful and unanticipated happens and a new role is chosen for her, one that is even more difficult to accept...
There are times while reading this book that I forgot what time period I was reading about. It is a current picture of present day life in parts of Pakistan, and we learn a great deal about the culture, the hardships, and the survival skills of a Cholistani family. In fact, so much time is spent drawing a picture of Shabanu's life before "the wedding" that when the conflict finally presents itself the reader is riveted to the page to see what will happen to Shabanu, to learn who she will become.
This book provides a rare glimpse into a different, though contemporary world. Unfortunately, it doesn't eliminate any of the stereotypes about the "backwardness" of Middle Eastern families or the "mysogynist" interpretations of Muslim culture. Yet the characters are so likeable and the life is so real, it is hard to separate ourselves from Shabanu's problems. I could envision some possible text connections with Romeo and Juliet in so far as discussing arranged marriages, and the fact that they are still in use in other cultures. While I wouldn't let it represent Middle Eastern cultures in general, it does realistically represent one specific experience in the Middle East. Written by Suzanne Fisher Staples, who worked with the nomads of the Cholistan desert in Pakistan while a UPI correspondent, it is simple, beautiful, and eloquent. I'd recommend this for middle to high school students. (There is also a sequel titled, Haveli, which I have not yet read.)
There are times while reading this book that I forgot what time period I was reading about. It is a current picture of present day life in parts of Pakistan, and we learn a great deal about the culture, the hardships, and the survival skills of a Cholistani family. In fact, so much time is spent drawing a picture of Shabanu's life before "the wedding" that when the conflict finally presents itself the reader is riveted to the page to see what will happen to Shabanu, to learn who she will become.
This book provides a rare glimpse into a different, though contemporary world. Unfortunately, it doesn't eliminate any of the stereotypes about the "backwardness" of Middle Eastern families or the "mysogynist" interpretations of Muslim culture. Yet the characters are so likeable and the life is so real, it is hard to separate ourselves from Shabanu's problems. I could envision some possible text connections with Romeo and Juliet in so far as discussing arranged marriages, and the fact that they are still in use in other cultures. While I wouldn't let it represent Middle Eastern cultures in general, it does realistically represent one specific experience in the Middle East. Written by Suzanne Fisher Staples, who worked with the nomads of the Cholistan desert in Pakistan while a UPI correspondent, it is simple, beautiful, and eloquent. I'd recommend this for middle to high school students. (There is also a sequel titled, Haveli, which I have not yet read.)
December 30, 2016
This book won a Newbery Award?!?! Ok... first, this is one of those books that adults who read children's/ya books like, but the actual children/teens don't like at all. Second, this won an award for CHILDREN'S literature? What children are reading this? I wouldn't give this to children! My high school students, yes, but a 4th graders? No way!
That being said, I did NOT enjoy this book. I wanted to like it. A colleague highly recommended it. But I just couldn't connect with Shabanu. She seemed devoid of emotion to me. She SAID she felt things, but nothing she DID really made me believe she had any feelings. It was interesting to read about this nomadic, desert culture, and Mithou the camel (am I spelling that right? I don't have the book in front of me) really won my heart. That's why I gave this two stars and not one, but those are the only nice things I can say about this book.
I was considering it for my Childhood Lost unit, and it would have been a good fit, I just couldn't imagine making my students read it. However, were someone going to teach it, it would pair well with "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced."
That being said, I did NOT enjoy this book. I wanted to like it. A colleague highly recommended it. But I just couldn't connect with Shabanu. She seemed devoid of emotion to me. She SAID she felt things, but nothing she DID really made me believe she had any feelings. It was interesting to read about this nomadic, desert culture, and Mithou the camel (am I spelling that right? I don't have the book in front of me) really won my heart. That's why I gave this two stars and not one, but those are the only nice things I can say about this book.
I was considering it for my Childhood Lost unit, and it would have been a good fit, I just couldn't imagine making my students read it. However, were someone going to teach it, it would pair well with "I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced."
May 18, 2010
Shabanu is the story of a desert family and their struggles to endure life in an arid, dangerous world. Shabanu and her sister Phulan have reached the ripe age where they can now be married to men, but their marriages are pre-arranged. Most of the story focuses on Phulan's upcoming marriage, all the while suriving the challanges of the desert. They are a nomadic people, and are forced to travel whenever the rain stops providing for them. All is normal until tragedy strikes the family, and Shabanu's life is transformed from normal to unbearable. She faces a difficult decision, between one that tears away her freedom, and the other that provides her and her family safety and security for the rest of their lives.
This is a great book to have students read in order to expose them to vastly different cultures than our own. However, the story takes a long time to draw the reader in, which for me did not take place until half way through the book. But, if you can reach that point, you'll begin to love the story and respect Shabanu, who faces difficulties greater than I can even imagine.
This is a great book to have students read in order to expose them to vastly different cultures than our own. However, the story takes a long time to draw the reader in, which for me did not take place until half way through the book. But, if you can reach that point, you'll begin to love the story and respect Shabanu, who faces difficulties greater than I can even imagine.
October 30, 2012
12-year old Shabanu lives with her parents and sister in the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan, where her father raises camels. She and her older sister, Phulan, are eagerly anticipating their upcoming marriages. However, their futures are drastically altered when an incident with a "Wealthy and powerful landowner" causes the death of Phulans' fiancee.
I thought this was a really good book. Shabanus' character is very likeable, and I was really wishing there was some way to fix the situation. I thought it was also really interesting to look at the cultural differences shown in the book, in comparison to the North American culture I'm used to. One of the things that I guess 'struck me' was how matter of fact it all was for them - They're 12, and getting to be adults, so of course their families have arranged marriages for them. Shabanu and Phulan are actually happy about their marriages, and that they'll get to stay close to one another, until Phulan's fiancee dies and the situation changes.
I thought this was a really good book. Shabanus' character is very likeable, and I was really wishing there was some way to fix the situation. I thought it was also really interesting to look at the cultural differences shown in the book, in comparison to the North American culture I'm used to. One of the things that I guess 'struck me' was how matter of fact it all was for them - They're 12, and getting to be adults, so of course their families have arranged marriages for them. Shabanu and Phulan are actually happy about their marriages, and that they'll get to stay close to one another, until Phulan's fiancee dies and the situation changes.
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February 14, 2012Dawn States
Multicultural
Shabanu is a young desert girl growing up in a culture where to disobey the rules of her family is a dangerous thing to do. She is a spirited and intelligent teenager struggling to keep these qualities and still do what is expected of her from her family. Shabanu loves her life in the desert with her camels, but this time is coming to an end when her older sister is to be married and next Shabanu will be married. Their marriages are already arranged, but when things go terribly wrong Shabanu is the one to make the sacrifices.
The lesson here is doing something that is difficult, but still finding a way to keep your spirit. Shabanu learns how to not let circumstances break her inner strength. This book was very moving, and I found great beauty and sadness in the lyrical way the novel moved.
Multicultural
Shabanu is a young desert girl growing up in a culture where to disobey the rules of her family is a dangerous thing to do. She is a spirited and intelligent teenager struggling to keep these qualities and still do what is expected of her from her family. Shabanu loves her life in the desert with her camels, but this time is coming to an end when her older sister is to be married and next Shabanu will be married. Their marriages are already arranged, but when things go terribly wrong Shabanu is the one to make the sacrifices.
The lesson here is doing something that is difficult, but still finding a way to keep your spirit. Shabanu learns how to not let circumstances break her inner strength. This book was very moving, and I found great beauty and sadness in the lyrical way the novel moved.
December 22, 2016
This took a while to draw me in, although I did care about Shabanu and what happened to her right from the beginning. I was more and more drawn in as the story progressed, especially when things happened that I wasn't expecting or predicting. I don't know much about the culture of Shabanu's people, but now I feel like I know a lot more. The details and the world felt very real. I enjoyed Staples descriptive writing style. I could tell she had really witnessed some of the events in the story. Now I need to read Haveli and find out what happens next in Shabanu's life!
I think this is for a bit older reader than many of the Newbery winners, and is more of a young adult book than a children's book. This won a Newbery honor award in 1990.
I think this is for a bit older reader than many of the Newbery winners, and is more of a young adult book than a children's book. This won a Newbery honor award in 1990.
November 14, 2007
Another great read from my Interpreting Young Adult Literature course. I'm more and more impressed by the quality of some of these novels.
This book manages to balance between explicit revelation of a very foreign (to me) faraway culture, and the subtle nuances of character and character relationships -quite excellent.
I was very uncomfortable with the Muslim desert culture of the main character, a heavily patriarchal, classist, and generally difficult culture, but the book shows that culture, and the humanity of its characters, fully and with great humanity. A very good read.
This book manages to balance between explicit revelation of a very foreign (to me) faraway culture, and the subtle nuances of character and character relationships -quite excellent.
I was very uncomfortable with the Muslim desert culture of the main character, a heavily patriarchal, classist, and generally difficult culture, but the book shows that culture, and the humanity of its characters, fully and with great humanity. A very good read.
February 16, 2009
Shabanu is a Newbery Honor book. However, not one I’d recommend for young readers. Shabanu, the strong female protagonist, brings to light what it is like to live in a male dominated, nomadic culture in Pakistan, where women are given little choice. It’s a little slow at first, but picks up, and then ends abruptly. I definitely had to read the sequel – Haveli. The sequel’s ending also left me unsatisfied and up in the air. There’s one more book in the series and I plan to read it too – The House of Djinn. I’m looking forward to a resolution to this saga!
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