The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad was a fascinating book to discuss, Sultan Khan - the bookseller was a multi-faceted character. On one hand he is an honorable Afghan man, committed to education, preserving books, defying the Taliban and doing whatever it takes from keeping the rare books he has collected from being burned. On the other hand, at home he is a tyrant, not only does he keep his daughters from being educated; he does not allow his sons an education either, forcing them to work 12 hour days in his shops around Kabul selling his wares, and ruling his family with an iron fist. It was not hard to see why this first hand look at an Afghan family right after the fall of the Taliban became an international bestseller. It has now been made into a documentary film. Here is the trailer to the movie:
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Jennifer Mcgillis
I have been working at the Morse Institute Library for 18 years, and running the Wednesday evening book group since February 2005. |