Friday, November 5, 2021

Enduring Freedom by Jawad Arash and Trent Reedy*

 This  novel is based on the authors' experiences.  Although the names have been changed, most of the story reflects actual events and relationships. 

The story begins a day before 9/11.  Joe and Baheer live on opposite sides of the world, but their lives are joined when Joe arrives to fight the Taliban (or so he thinks) in Baheer's village. 

I loved learning about the Afghan culture and Isalm.  Depictions of Joe's army training and army life were insightful. As I read this novel, it made me sad to know that what all these two worked for is now being destroyed once more by the Taliban.  This novel was published a couple of months before Biden pulled out U.S. troops, and the Taliban overtook Afghanistan.  

Warning: reference to the f*** word, war violence (graphic), an Afghan teen who is married to an abusive man (she is his 2nd wife) tries to burn herself to death to escape the relationship-graphic details

Topics to discuss: Afghan culture, Isalm, war, abusive husbands, Taliban, divorce/single parents

-Borrowed from the library.



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