Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Border Trilogy (Pb))

One of my favorite books of all time.

Shabanu is faced with many opposing forces. She wants to be free, but she must fulfill the role that she is given as a woman. She loves her life in the desert, but she knows that when she is married she will have to move to an easier life of plenty away from the freedom she loves. This story offers

Show More

a fascinating look at the world of Islam in Pakistan and the choices she must make as a young girl facing womanhood.

Show Less

When eleven-year old Shabanu, the daughter of a nomad in present-day Pakistan, is pledged in marriage to an older man whose money will bring prestige to the family, she must either accept the decision, as is the custom. 3rd grade

Probably realistic tale of a young nomadic woman coming of age. Took a while to get into, slowed down by unfamiliar names of people and things. The author kindly provides a key to character names, a map of the area, and a Glossary, which unfortunately for me, I didn't notice till the end. Made me

Show More

want to know more about the people and the area of Pakistan.

Show Less

Shabanu is a girl growing up in a family of nomads in Pakistan. She was raised to follow the rules: women do not make their own choices; they obey first their fathers and then their husbands.

Shabanu questions her life and longs to be independent. When a powerful man ruins the marriage plans of her

Show More

older sister, Shabanu is ordered to make a huge sacrifice to uphold her family's honor. Will she obey or follow her own dreams?

Show Less

This book describes one year in the life of Shabanu, a young girl living in the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. The book begins with the promise of marriage for both sisters. When events take a turn for the worse, Shabanu finds herself promised to a 50 year old man who already has three wives. While

Show More

this match is not what her parents envisioned for her, they are forced to agree to the arrangement to pay a debt to a wealthy politician. There are two themes in this book that are striking examples of the cultural differences of southern Asian peoples and Americans. The first is the age of these girls when they are married. As soon as the females can bear children they are married. In our American culture, girls of this age would never be considered ready to marry. The second concept that grabbed my attention is the struggle of the father to do what he feels is right for his young daughter, but also to do what is right according to the culture of the desert community. Staples writes of this conflict in such a subtle manner that younger adult readers may not feel the father’s turmoil without the librarian pointing it out. This is a great book… Looking forward to the sequel.
Library Implications: In addition to being a great story, there are many ways a librarian can use this book to benefit students. Using digital Venn diagrams, students can prepare presentations comparing the cultures of young women in America and other cultures of the world. This could also lead to an investigation of wedding practices described in the book. Shabanu’s life in the desert centers around water; the family moves according to where they know the water will be. Students could generate precipitation maps of various desert regions in the world to compare climates and cultural implications of each.

Show Less

This book was very slow to start off. I had problems wanting to read it until the second half, which I finished in about one and a half hours. It was well written with a very realisitic protagonist. Shabanu is extremely rebellious, which adolescents can relate to. The book simply ends…we never

Show More

know what Shabanu’s life is like with the politician with 6 wives, if she is happy, or if she ever had a son. It also shows the inner struggle men in the society must face when dealing with their daughters. All in all, I would say it is realistic, but it is quite an eventful year for Shabanu.

Curriculum Uses: Could be used in the classroom with very little objection as multicultural reading to teach the theme of taking responsibility for one’s actions.

Show Less

Shabanu is the daughter of nomadic Muslim Pakistanis. The story tells her coming of age and conflicting feelings about her approaching arranged marriage. It's well written and an interesting story. However I felt it was a little less credible because it is written by an American woman. She did

Show More

spend a lot of time in this part of the world, with women just like Shabanu. Still, I personally prefer to read books written by women who actually live the experience themselves. How can a white American truly understand the emotions of a girl facing an arranged marriage? I suppose that's why we call it fiction.Despite my personal reservations, I'd still recommend to YA readers because it is a glimpse into a culture with which most Americans are unfamiliar.

Show Less

The powerful telling of a coming of age of a Pakistani girl who is sold into a terrible marriage and tries to resist, having been raised with a lot more freedom than many Muslim girls. Shabanu is fiercely proud and independent, yet loves her parents and particularly the came she has raised from

Show More

birth, Mithoo. The ending of the story is tragic and the sequel is a must read, if only to find out what happens to this amazing character.

Show Less

Shabanu is the daughter of nomads living the the Pakistani desert during a time of civil unrest. As tradition dictates, she will soon be engaged to a young man. However, as tragedies happen and lives change, Shabanu must face her family and the choices she's made to decide what really lies ahead of

Show More

her.

Show Less

Shabanu is a free spirited Muslim desert girl who loves spending time with her family's camels and must learn the importance of following her elders and the gender roles assigned to her. Shabanu, her sister, her father and her favorite camels have personalities that allow the reader to connect to

Show More

each character and become more deeply involved in the story. The story flows up and down with cliff hanger chapters that keep the reader wanting more until the end. The setting of the Pakistan desert is described well so that readers with very little knowledge of that area can put themselves in the story. This is a great book as evident by the number of awards that it has won and should be in a public library.

Show Less

I will admit that I had a really hard time getting into it. The pace was extremely slow until about page 150, when the action started. I also wonder if American teenagers would really be able to relate in any way to this book. Though some might be able to make the connection of Shabanu's desire for

Show More

freedom to their own lives, so many of the details seemed a little difficult to relate to. After all, we're talking about a culture where girls get married as soon as they get their first period and are expected to bear children as teenagers. It's a culture where fathers beat their daughters and it's considered normal, and children have no say in their own lives. It certainly is eye-opening to read about this sort of culture. I'm just not sure if teenagers would really appreciate it. As far as whether it is authentic or realistic - I personally don't know this culture very well, so that's a very hard thing for me to judge.

I suppose the thing that bothers me a little is that I’m not sure how we are supposed to interpret the culture based on this book. Are we supposed to like and appreciate it? Or are we supposed to dislike the culture because of how it robs Shabanu of her freedom and most of her happiness? There were certain, maybe I'd say stereotypes, that were unsettling to read. Many people do have the idea that Muslims are very strict, the women are obedient, and the men cruel. While we saw some great men in this story, I'm not so sure about some of the other implications for other characters. Phulan is portrayed as a girl that is stupid and empty headed, but she is also the obedient one that does what her culture wants of her. Auntie is portrayed as a mean character, and she is also the one who is described as fat - and people are cruel to her because of it. I worry that this book almost puts this culture in a bad light. I'm not sure. I just know that it really had me thinking about this way of life.

Show Less

This was an *excellent* story. I listened to it as a book on tape, and it was so riveting I brought it back and forth between car and house. Not just a teen read.

Though I wasn't expecting young adult fiction, I gave this a read anyway and am so glad I did. Shabanu is a child in a nomadic Pakistani family, younger sister to a beauty who is to be married soon. The story is of what comes to pass in the year before the wedding. There is great detail about daily

Show More

life, social customs, clothes, camels, living in the desert and more. We are able to follow as Shabanu grows from child to young woman within the confines of the customs of her family. We see her falling in love, teaching her camel to dance, grieving, comforting her aged grandfather, and taking her punishment like an adult. She is a strong voice for a woman in that part of the world. I enjoyed every moment of the book.

Show Less

This glimpse into another culture was interesting. However, I remain unconvinced that an audience of YA girls is going to understand the subtleties of the culture, politics and religion at play here. Parts of this will make women wince because the attitudes are so vastly different from our own

Show More

American/European experience. The ending was harsh and abrupt, and while it may have remained true to the culture, I'm not sure it did any service to the story or to its intended audience.

Show Less

1990 Newbery Honor

I really enjoyed the story and what I learned about Cholistan, but I was sad at the ending. It's totally realistic, but sad.

Shabanu provides insight into the life and circumstances of the main character, Shabanu, who is facing the pressures of growing up and getting married. This book would be powerful in a multi-cultural unit, and when I read it originally in Middle School was able to really connect and relate to the

Show More

main character since we were the same age. Due to the issues presented and the fact that Shabanu is herself female, this book will likely appeal more to girls than boys.

Reading Level: 7.6

Show Less

1990 Newbery Honor

I really enjoyed the story and what I learned about Cholistan, but I was sad at the ending. It's totally realistic, but sad.

I liked the book quite a bit... right up until the last two or three chapters. In part, I wasn't entirely happy with the ending (I hated the way it worked out)... but I think that the bigger issue that I had was the abruptness of the ending, and the fact that we didn't see anything beyond that

Show More

point. I was honestly reminded in the last few paragraphs of Harlan Ellison's "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream"... for a book that had up until that point balanced it's lessons of consequences for one's actions with love and hope, it seemed to abandon all of those things at the most important moment.

Show Less

I read this book as a young girl and was immediately enraptured with Shabanu and her family. This is a wonderful coming of age story of a young Pakistani girl and her nomadic family. Shabanu is a young girl that is used to the freedom that her youth allows her. However, she is coming to the point

Show More

in her life where she is expected to act more womanly, which means demure, modest and effectively unseen. She is not ready for this and her rebellious nature starts to get in her in big trouble.

This story is great for young girls that are themselves growing into womanhood. It is a great way for them to see what girls go through in other cultures. I have used with girls I mentor (13-18 years old) and my own daughters (16 & 13). All of them found it an easy and enjoyable read. If you have a girl that is transitioning into womanhood and needs to gain a little perspective about life, this is the book for her.

Show Less

Shabanu, daughter of a camel herder, has grown up with more freedom than many girls in Pakistan. However, changes are coming for Shabanu. Her older sister is soon to be married, and Shabanu herself is approaching womanhood. When a frightening encounter changes everything for her family, Shabanu

Show More

must make a difficult choice.

It took me a little while to get into this book, but by the time I was halfway in, I could hardly put it down. I do wonder how accurate it is in its portrayal of the culture it represents.

Show Less

A fascinating and powerful coming-of-age story about a young Muslim girl living in the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan and coming to terms with her upcoming arranged marriage. Recommended.

Shabanu is a wonderful story of Cholistani Muslim girl with well drawn and realistic characters. It portrays the culture and traditions in Cholistan. The story dealt with love, sorrow, sacrifice, marriage and family.

What a hard life these people live, and more so the women. I do not understand how women can be treated so horribly. Shabanu is loved by her father, and yet he says he'd killer her if she embarrassed the family. And he means that. Literally.