An Afghan girl on the other side of the sky

Summary:  Farah’s’ life was full of sorrow and hard work. Farah had to adapt to her loses and work with what she had. Farah lost her leg at the age of seven when she was in a rush to get to school and stepped on a landmine and spent a good amount of time in a German hospital until her health got better and she was capable of using her prosthetic leg. She lost love for her country and Afghans’ traditions because of the time she spent in Germany. When she decided to accept her culture again she lost her family the same day. A rocket hit her family’s house while she, her brothers and her mother were out shopping. This rocket killed her two sisters and her father. After this incident Farah’s mothers’ asthma got really bad. A couple of weeks have passed and a new power began to rule Farah’s town. These rulers had very strict rules especially against women and if these rules weren’t followed then people were beaten and sometimes killed. The new rulers were losing soldiers and the then demanded that all families in the town were to give up the boys in the family age ten and up. Farah’s mother would not allow this so she met with other neighbors to plan away for their boys to escape. They decided that the boys would need to flee. After this incident Farah never saw her brothers again. Farah and her mother later fled into Pakistan. In Pakistan Farah had to work as a house cleaner and caregiver in order for her and her mother to survive. Farah’s mother was still torn up about losing her family so she wasn’t much help to Farah at this point. In a way her mother was a burden because Farah constantly had to bring her mother to the hospital for her asthma and she had to pay the bill. Farah was about thirteen at this point. Farah was so overwhelmed that at one point she surrendered herself completely to Allah (God of the Muslims). In Pakistan Farah and her mother heard of the World Relief program that would take a thousand Afghans to America. Farah and her mother were accepted and late brought to America. Here is where her life began to turn around. Farah was introduced to a woman named Alice who helped Farah and her mother tremendously and brought them everything they needed and was always there for them. Farah believes that Allah brought Alice to her life. Farah soon learned English fairly well. Farah later became enrolled in school and eventually learned how to drive. Even though her trials and tribulations still haunt her sometimes even now as an adult at least Farah and her mother are free.

Quote: “I wake up with a glad heart then and feel that I am flying in some sense: flying into my future-and yet-the past won't let me go. Not completely. Not yet.”

Reaction:  I think this quote has a lot to do with the theme of the story. I feel as though the author is trying to demonstrate that in order to move on with your life after a traumatic experience, you have to let go of your past and reach out for your future. I did state that Farah and her mother was free and in some ways they are but in less obvious ways Farah is being held captive by her past. She states that she has nightmares ever night and she wakes up screaming and crying. I think that Farah struggles to forgive people who have done her wrong. I believe Farah struggles to forgive the people who had something to do with the war. I also feel that Farah struggles to forgive herself as well which is why she can’t let go of her past. I think this quote was a powerful part of the book. It’s interesting it was found in the first couple of pages.