Comments on: Seierstad: The Bookseller of Kabul http://www.ercblogs.co.uk/books/2008/12/seierstad-the-bookseller-of-kabul/ sharing views and reviews on books in East Renfrewshire Sun, 20 May 2012 18:37:23 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.3 By: Peter http://www.ercblogs.co.uk/books/2008/12/seierstad-the-bookseller-of-kabul/#comment-52 Peter Thu, 05 Feb 2009 18:41:20 +0000 http://www.ercblogs.co.uk/books/?p=509#comment-52 Just finished this book, it is a brilliant, detailed account of life in Afghanistan just after the Taliban were ousted. Not a novel, or even a story, just a slice of the lives of the members of one real, middle-class family. I laughed, I cried, sometimes I stopped reading because I was so shocked, and I still can't get the characters out of my head. The author takes particular interest in the women of the family, and makes no attempt to hide her anger at the way women are treated my Afghan society in general, and men in particular. Although the family is very liberal and modern by Afghan standards, it is shockingly misogonistic by western stadards. The bookseller whose family was depicted probably expected to be shown as a great hearo and liberal, which in same ways he is, but he hated to finished book so much that he travelled to Norway to try and have it banned, and to sue for defamation. Some of his family also claimed political asylum in Norway, claiming that the revelations in the book endangered their lives. Just finished this book, it is a brilliant, detailed account of life in Afghanistan just after the Taliban were ousted. Not a novel, or even a story, just a slice of the lives of the members of one real, middle-class family. I laughed, I cried, sometimes I stopped reading because I was so shocked, and I still can’t get the characters out of my head.

The author takes particular interest in the women of the family, and makes no attempt to hide her anger at the way women are treated my Afghan society in general, and men in particular. Although the family is very liberal and modern by Afghan standards, it is shockingly misogonistic by western stadards.

The bookseller whose family was depicted probably expected to be shown as a great hearo and liberal, which in same ways he is, but he hated to finished book so much that he travelled to Norway to try and have it banned, and to sue for defamation. Some of his family also claimed political asylum in Norway, claiming that the revelations in the book endangered their lives.

]]> By: Marie http://www.ercblogs.co.uk/books/2008/12/seierstad-the-bookseller-of-kabul/#comment-51 Marie Fri, 16 Jan 2009 12:52:44 +0000 http://www.ercblogs.co.uk/books/?p=509#comment-51 A well written and extremely interesting book which opened my eyes to what a dreadful existence women have in Afghanistan. Full of really interesting characters it is ultimately a depressing account of life under the Taliban. If you are interested in this subject I can highly recommend Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner - fabulous reads! A well written and extremely interesting book which opened my eyes to what a dreadful existence women have in Afghanistan. Full of really interesting characters it is ultimately a depressing account of life under the Taliban. If you are interested in this subject I can highly recommend Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns and The Kite Runner - fabulous reads!

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