Untitled Document

Review of:
The Bookseller of Kabul, by Åsne Seierstad,
A female Norwegian journalist writes about the three months in 2002 (post-Taliban) when she lived in Afghanistan with bookseller Sultan Khan and his large, extended family. Sultan Khan risked imprisonment, book burnings, and death for over 20 years, bringing books to Afghani readers--an interesting story in itself. However, the meat of the book lies in the rich details of the everyday lives of Khan's wives (there are two), children, mother, brothers, sister, and nephew. Seierstad daily wore an all-covering burka, accompanied the women (with a male escort) as they shopped, visited family members, and prepared for a wedding. This is a rare inside look at the personal lives of an Afghani family in the context of political post-Taliban upheaval.
Beth Mark , reviewer

A female Norwegian journalist writes about the three months in 2002 (post-Taliban) when she lived in Afghanistan with bookseller Sultan Khan and his large, extended family. Sultan Khan risked imprisonment, book burnings, and death for over 20 years, bringing books to Afghani readers--an interesting story in itself. However, the meat of the book lies in the rich details of the everyday lives of Khan's wives (there are two), children, mother, brothers, sister, and nephew. Seierstad daily wore an all-covering burka, accompanied the women (with a male escort) as they shopped, visited family members, and prepared for a wedding. This is a rare inside look at the personal lives of an Afghani family in the context of political post-Taliban upheaval.