Synopses & Reviews
An eye-opening, heart-rending tale of love, honor and betrayal from veteran foreign news correspodent Atia Abawi
Fatima is a Hazara girl, raised to be obedient and dutiful. Samiullah is a Pashtun boy raised to defend the traditions of his tribe. They were not meant to fall in love. But they do. And the story that follows shows both the beauty and the violence in current-day Afghanistan as Fatima and Samiullah fight their families, their cultures and the Taliban to stay together. Based on the people Atia Abawi met and the events she covered during her nearly five years in Afghanistan, this stunning novel is a must-read for anyone who has lived during America's War in Afghanistan.
Perfect for fans of Patricia McCormick, Linda Sue Park, and Khaled Hosseini, this story will stay with readers for a long time to come.
* A suspenseful, enlightening, and hopeful love story.” Publishers Weekly, starred review
Riveting plot, sympathetic characters and straightforward narration studded with vivid, authentic detail: a top choice.” Kirkus review
Heartbreaking and heartwarming.” VOYA review
Review
Praise for The Secret Sky * “A suspenseful, enlightening, and hopeful love story.” Publishers Weekly, starred review
“Riveting plot, sympathetic characters and straightforward narration studded with vivid, authentic detail: a top choice.” - Kirkus review
“Heartbreaking and heartwarming.” - VOYA review
“Abawi writes with a gentle hand as she tells a tale of tribal rituals thats chilling to the bone….Abawis introduction, authors note, and generous glossary supply welcome context for this heartbreaking rendering of forbidden love.” - Booklist review
"[The Secret Sky is] a tale of the indomitable Afghan spirit of hope and love. Among the many novels set in Afghanistan for young people or for adults, The Secret Sky stands alone. Unputdownable. Unforgettable." -Trent Reedy, author of Words in the Dust
“The Secret Sky brilliantly captures the magic and the heartbreak of Afghanistan as only someone rooted in its mystery can....This first novel by a top foreign correspondent has the authenticity of raw journalism and the poetry of a gifted writer. A must read for anyone who wants to understand the contradictions of the Afghan soul.” -Andrea Mitchell, NBC News Chief Foreign Affairs Correspondent and anchor of Andrea Mitchell Reports
“A riveting tale written from the heart....This powerful love story will leave you angry at injustice, and awed by courage. It shocks and inspires.” -Lyse Doucet, Chief International Correspondent, BBC
“The Secret Sky is an amazing combination of utterly searing and beautifully romantic. It was like reading The Kite Runner—a gripping story that gave insight to this brutal yet magical culture.” -Daphne Benedis-Grab, author of The Girl in the Wall
Synopsis
"Few books are beautifully written, fewer still are important; this novel is both."--The Washington Post
A New York Times notable book
An International Bestseller
A Carnegie Medal Nominee
Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life--until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?
A moving and haunting novel for readers of The Book Thief
Synopsis
The 10th anniversary edition of the
New York Times bestseller and international classic loved by millions of readers.
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sonstheir love, their sacrifices, their lies.
A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.
About the Author
Ruta Sepetys (www.rutasepetys.com) was born and raised in Michigan in a family of artists, readers, and music lovers. Her award-winning debut novel, Between Shades of Gray was inspired by her family's history in Lithuania and is published in 40 countries. Her New York Times bestselling novel, Out of the Easy is set in the French Quarter of New Orleans in 1950. A historical tale of secrets and lies, Out of the Easy is a story of identity, family, and the haunting reminder that decisions can shape our destiny. Ruta lives with her family in Tennessee.