Parvana, a novel by Deborah Ellis, tells a story about a young Afghanistan girl struggling to save her family and friends under very constricted Taliban rules. Parvana throughout the novel breaks the Taliban rules and laws and since those were illegal doings she has to dress up like a boy so that she can get a job to provide for her family and not be imprisoned. Parvana is only an 11 year old girl and is fighting for her father, family, and friends.
Within the novel Parvana, her and her family come through a series of changes in their lives. Parvana would always assist her father at the market place because he is disabled and only has one leg. Girls are forbidden in the market place and forbidden to leave the house. With her city having so many restrictions and her father being taken into prison, Parvana’s life has become full of heartache.
The changes that have affected her and her family’s life have been extremely harsh and sad. Parvana was still sneaking into the market place to try and get food for the family when she bumped into her old teacher Mrs Weera. Mrs Weera helped her and her mother and this is where Mrs Weera and her mother came up with a plan to turn Parvana into to boy to help her save the family. Parvana was so upset as they had to cut her hair as her hair defined her as a girl but this is the only option she had. Parvana is now living her life as a lie and everything now depends on how well she can act as the boy. Parvana knows that she has to swallow’s her pride to help her family. She now works where her father was employed. She now holds the same position as her father — a letter reader.
By chance Parvana runs into an old friend from school Shauzia, and is taken by surprise to see that Shauzia is also dressed like a boy to provide for her family.
Nooria, Parvanas sister is also going to be going through a big change. Nooria has to marry a man that she has never meet but she is confident that this will be a successful marriage as this will bring her peace by moving to Mazar-e-Sharif in the north where the Taliban will not take over.
Parvana’s mother is also going through hard times but is adjusting. She is upset by her husband’s imprisonment. Still, Parvana’s encounter with teacher Mrs Weera brought back her mother’s good friend into her life. The two women created a secret group who published a magazine that was to be sent out to women of the world.
Parvanas farther had it the hardest – he couldn’t see his family for a long period of time, besides, life in prison isn’t that sweet. He really missed going out with Parvana to the market place. And I’m sure that he would have been proud of Parvana and her braveness.
Even though Parvana wanted to be a normal kid she understood that she has to do her best for her family at that time. Even though she was breaking the rules and her life was on the line, deep down she knew she was doing a good thing.
Therefore in this novel Parvana and her family go through heartbreaking, sad, touching and tough changes. But times change and looking back now at all these changes brought them to a happy place with some good memories along the way.