Ch_jank-caporale's Reviews > Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind

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.)