Synopses & Reviews
In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadiand#8217;s parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go of his hand and becomes lost in the crowd, just as Fadi is snatched up into the truck. With Taliban soldiers closing in, the truck speeds away, leaving Mariam behind. andlt;BRandgt;andlt;BRandgt;Adjusting to life in the United States isnand#8217;t easy for Fadiand#8217;s family and as the events of September 11th unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo really bring Mariam home? Based in part on the Ms. Senzaiand#8217;s husbandand#8217;s own experience fleeing his home in Soviet controlled Afghanistan in the 1970s, Shooting Kabul is a powerful story of hope, love, and perseverance.
Review
"In N.H. Senzai's debut novel, worlds collide and a little sister is lost. Can her big brother find her from half a world away? At the same time, how can he find himself and restore his honor in a land that is both foreign and home? Turn the pages. Find out." Kathi Appelt, author of The Underneath, a 2009 Newbery Honor book
Review
"The hero of Shooting Kabul starts life in the United States as a foreigner, but by the end of the book, young readers will be cheering for Fadi as a good friend." Mitali Perkins, author of Secret Keeper
Review
"Senzai has brought a whole new world to life for young readers. It is a world they won't soon forget." Reza Aslan, author of No god but God
Review
"Senzai has captured a moment in recent history with enormous grace, skill and emotion. A powerful read." Ahmed Rashid, New York Times Bestselling author of Taliban
Review
"Fadi's world is one of strong familial ties, Islam, and a vibrant, strong immigrant community. For all of Fadi's differences from his Fremont, California classmates, he will still seem very familiar to many middle schoolers. The novel allows readers a view of a different culture and provides background for events that still plague us today." Steven Kral, VOYA
Review
"Bay Area writer N.H. Senzai, who based her first novel in part on her husband's family's escape from Soviet-controlled Afghanistan in 1979, has a warm, engaging style that belies the subject matter. She keeps the story firmly through Fade's eyes. He is a middle-schooler, plucky but not precocious, struggling to adjust to his new life in America, stricken by guilt about his sister, worried about his ailing mother, but still a boy." Sandip Roy, San Francisco Chronicle
Synopsis
"A powerful read." --Ahmed Rashid, New York Times Bestselling author of Taliban "By the end of the book, young readers will be cheering for Fadi as a good friend." --Mitali Perkins, author of Tiger Boy and You Bring the Distant Near
"Senzai has brought a whole new world to life for young readers. It is a world they won't soon forget." --Reza Aslan, author of No God but God
In the summer of 2001, twelve year old Fadi's parents make the difficult decision to illegally leave Afghanistan and move the family to the United States. When their underground transport arrives at the rendezvous point, chaos ensues, and Fadi is left dragging his younger sister Mariam through the crush of people. But Mariam accidentally lets go of his hand and becomes lost in the crowd, just as Fadi is snatched up into the truck. With Taliban soldiers closing in, the truck speeds away, leaving Mariam behind.
Adjusting to life in the United States isn't easy for Fadi's family and as the events of September 11th unfold the prospects of locating Mariam in a war torn Afghanistan seem slim. When a photography competition with a grand prize trip to India is announced, Fadi sees his chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. But can one photo really bring Mariam home? Based in part on the Ms. Senzai's husband's own experience fleeing his home in Soviet controlled Afghanistan in the 1970s, Shooting Kabul is a powerful story of hope, love, and perseverance.
Synopsis
A stunning contemporary YA drama about a soldiers daughter whose efforts to help Afghan orphans creates a political firestorm over the ethics of war and charity.
Synopsis
“Full of detail about Army life, Patterson’s elegant prose brings readers deep inside Jess’s conflicted point of view.” —Publishers Weekly
Ninth grader Jess Westmark had the best of intentions when she started Operation Oleander to raise money for a girls’ orphanage in Kabul. She named her charity for the flower that grows both in her Florida hometown and in Afghanistan, where her father is deployed. But on one of her father's trips to deliver supplies to the orphans, a car bomb explodes nearby and her father is gravely injured. Worse, her best friend’s mother and some of the children are killed. Is this all Jess’s fault?
About the Author
N.H. Senzai is the author of andlt;iandgt;Shooting Kabulandlt;/iandgt;, which was critically acclaimed and on numerous award lists. andlt;iandgt;Publishers Weekly andlt;/iandgt;called it andldquo;hard hitting, emotionally wrenching.andrdquo; Her second book, andlt;iandgt;Saving Kabul Cornerandlt;/iandgt;, was nominated for an Edgar Award. Ms. Senzai lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her family. Visit her online at NHSenzai.com.