Parvana''s Journey explores the life of a teenage girl in the heights of the civil war in 1989 in Kabul Afghanistan. Disguised as a boy, she sets out to find her mother and the rest of her family. The journey is long, and very dangerous and exposes her to the many dangers in the minefields of Afghanistan, meeting not only hostile environment but also other children; a starving boy, an orphaned baby and many other encounters in the minefields of Afghanistan. She finds herself being the one to provide and fend for all the people she meets in her journey.
''My life is dust and rocks and rude boys and skinny babies, and long days of searching for my mother when i dont have the faintest idea where she might.'' says Parvana.
Deborah Ellis potrays Parvana as a strong willed, courageous and focussed girl. She makes decisions and abides by them. She keeps her focus into her mission and finally...
Deborah Ellis skillfully invites the reader deep into the mind of a teenage girl and also explores the effect of armed conflicts on children not only in Afghanistan, but in the entire world. She easily reaches out to the intended audience as the book is an easy read and it contents well targetted.
She dedicates the book to all those children who are forced to be braver than they ought to be. As an African, I would dedicate it to all children in Rwanda, Congo, Sudan, Uganda,Sierra Leone, Liberia and to all children who have never had the chance to enjoy their childhood.
Also to all children who have been displaced from the places they call home by the actions of adults. Children who are suffering in refugee camps all over the continent and the entire world.
Parvana''s Journey is a suitable sequel to the bestselling ''The Breadwinner.''