The Pearl That Broke its Shell

Locations
Call Number: Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hashimi, Nadia
On Shelf At: Malletts Creek Branch, Westgate Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Malletts Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hashimi, Nadia	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Westgate Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Fiction / General / Hashimi, Nadia	4-week checkout	On Shelf

In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school and rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age.

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The Pearl That Broke Its Shell submitted by camieroper on August 11, 2019, 11:17am I've read 4 other Hashimi books, and favor this one. I worried about the two girls who were being abused. The story begins with many characters, but narrows down to just two: Rahima and Shekiba, Rahima's great-great (I think) grandmother., each practicing the ancient art of bacha posh, dressing and acting as a boy to help herself and her family. The patriarchal Afghani society's multiple and repeated instances of female abuse and disempowerment are frightening, maddening, and positively unacceptable. Previous generations of Afghani women enjoyed human rights similar to men's, but during these two time periods, that is not the case. Verbal abuse, beatings, and deprivation occur continuously. Each woman's story ends with hope, though, and their paths are interesting.