reader's journal
When I first saw this book I knew it was going to be good. I had already read The Kite Runner and really appreciated and enjoyed Khaled's writing and message. I knew nothing about this book going in so I wasn't quite sure how to prepare myself. In the beginning of the book, I felt extremely bad for Mariam. Her mother was always rude to her, her father never really spent time with her, and she was never treated as a "real child." It made me realize how many kids are still seen as this. As soon as the book showed Mariam's experience at her father's, I was angry with him. She was a good kid who only wanted love no one seemed to want to give her. As Mariam was given to Rasheed I was very upset. She didn't deserve that. I thought of Rasheed as a decent guy when he was first introduced. He treated her well for an Afghan couple during that time. I was not sure how the story was going to progress. As time went on, I did not like how Mariam was treated and really wanted to kill off Rasheed. He did not appreciate her or anything she did. I thought he was stuck up and didn't deserve her. I thought it to be quite interesting when Rasheed and Mariam saw Laila and her life. It made for interesting viewpoints of characters and why they were treated certain ways. During Laila's part, I saw this girl who wanted to be equal and work towards the greater good. She felt compassion for others even though she was bullied. I was really rooting for Laila and Tariq as a couple. I knew it was going to happen and I was very excited when it did. I did have this gut feeling that something bad was going to happen. When her parents and Tariq left, I knew what was going to happen. I had wished she did not marry Rasheed but I saw her point in doing it. I knew when she was pregnant that it was Tariq's child. That made me happy. I was very concerned about what Rasheed would do once he found out. Grief filled me as I saw Mariam struggle to survive that first while with Laila there. She just wanted to be appreciated and loved but was "kicked out" by someone who could give him what he wants. I was infuriated when Rasheed was beating Laila and her children. No person should go through that and I wanted to jump in the book and take care of him myself. When Laila and Mariam had come to a truce, I knew good things were in store. Somehow they could figure out a plan. It made me sit on the edge of my seat when they ran away but knew it probably was not going to last. At the end of the book, I was both very sad and filled with joy. I was sad that Mariam gave her life so Laila and her family could be free, but understood why she did and thought it to be the boldest move she could have made. I was very happy that Laila and her family could become one and continue to grow. All of them deserved that and Mariam's legacy was going to live on. This book is exactly what people need to understand the world around us.