Camel Bells [Hardcover]

Janne Carlsson (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

After his father’s death, 12-year-old Hajdar finds himself head of his family and must make many adult decisions. He ventures to Kabul to earn extra money, meeting both adventure and peril. Thousands of Soviet troops invade Kabul to overthrow the Afghan government. Soon pockets of rebels called mujahedeen spring up all over the country. Set against harsh conditions, political upheaval, and imminent danger, Camel Bells recounts the long and arduous journey that leads to Hajdar’s toughest decision of all — whether to join the mujahedeen or run away from the country he loves. This is a unique portrayal of life in Afghanistan before the Taliban.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Groundwood Books; 2 edition (August 20, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0888995156
• ISBN-13: 978-0888995155
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 5.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,302,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fairy Tale Work of Nonfiction, July 11, 2003

By 

ransome22 "ransome22" (Washington DC area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Camel Bells (Hardcover)

There is a lot to commend this book to a young audience who is just gaining an interest in, or being exposed to the world of international affairs, and to South Asia in particular. Although it is not choc full of historical facts, it is graced with a very intimate glimpse into the world of two young men of modest means whose world was shattered by rebellion, conflict, and ultimately the Soviet invasion of 1979. As the two lads travel from their village to Kabul in order to gain extra income for their families, they learn harsh urban realities and ultimately the human toll of political instability. Bombs explode around them; jets drone over Kabul; the president is killed; and a new political day dawns before their eyes - a day which their youth has not yet prepared them to understand. While one seeks refuge back in the simplicity of his village, the other joins a band of mujahedeen, fighting government troops who now appear to be operating with support of the Soviets.

The book is quite short and almost written in a fairy tale fashion. For anyone who has traveled to Kabul, even in the 21st century, the descriptions remain strikingly current - as if it is indeed a place stuck in time. Taxis and buses weave about on dangerous collision courses; dust pervades every aspect of daily life; vendors peddle their wares using scales with bits of metal or stones as counterweights. The description of Chicken Street could have been written yesterday: "Chicken street was exactly as Hadi had described it. It was lined with shops where everything but chicken was sold. There were rows and rows of leather bags, small hand-knotted rugs, woodwork, blue grass from Herat, embroidered suede clothes, colorful cloth bags and Afghan musical instruments." While this book will not provide much for an experienced student of Afghanistan or international affairs, it will likely succeed at personalizing a remote locale for a young audience which might otherwise find it difficult to imagine or to even perceive as real.