Sunday, May 27, 2012

Will Fadi ever find his sister?

Shooting Kabul by N. H. Senzai has a misleading title: the only "shooting" is done by a camera, and it happens in the U.S., not Kabul (in Afghanistan).  That said, this is an thoughtful book with a wealth of social issues to ponder or discuss.  After Fadi's father is threatened by the Taliban, the family flees Kabul in the middle of the night.  However, in all the chaos while trying to get on the escape truck, Fadi's younger sister Mariam lets go of his hand, and she is tragically left behind.  The family settles near San Francisco, where Fadi tries to adapt to his new middle school.  He's good at photography, and he sets his mind on winning a photography contest - the big prize is a flight to India, which is relatively close to the town where Mariam was last seen.  Can he win the contest and help reunite his family?  Although the ending is too abrupt, the story includes a rich description of Fadi's close family life and Afghan American culture; the glossary of unfamiliar words is a nice touch.

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