Customer Reviews

Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Border Trilogy)

5 star:		(97)
4 star:		(63)
3 star:		(23)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

This sensitively-written, bittersweet coming-of-age story is set in the Cholistan desert of present day Pakistan. Shabanu, the second daughter in a family of camel-herding nomads, is forced to curb her independent spirit and adopt the traditional Muslim tenets of behavior practiced by her people, yet her family is also warm, protective, and deeply loving. At the age of twelve Shabanu is already engaged to be married to a young cousin she barely knows, but during a visit to the farmlands on the edge of the desert, where her older sister's wedding is about to be held, a violent event shatters the prospects of the whole family. Problems are resolved, but with one tragic result: Shabanu's parents must terminate the engagement to her cousin and promise her to a landowner old enough to be her father. In the end, Shabanu draws on reserves of inner strength to come to a decision about her future. The conclusion leaves the door open for a sequel (the equally moving "Haveli," written in the third person rather than the first person narration of "Shabanu"). This novel, which is now required reading in some middle school humanities classes, is educational and enjoyable, with subject matter suitable for readers 11 and up. (Some references to child marriage and sexuality may be difficult for younger readers to understand.) The characters of Shabanu's parents and other relatives are richly drawn, with an avoidance of the stereotyping often applied to Muslims and traditional Islam.

I imagine that had I been assigned "Shabanu" in school (say, Junior High or High School) I would have loathed it intensely. Please don't misunderstand this statement. Having read this book on my own I've found it to be infinitely interesting, deep, and touching. Author Suzanne Fisher Staples has written a book that every kid should WANT to read. The problem is, if a child does not want to read it, this book must be incredibly painful to get through. At its best "Shabanu" conjures up a world that few Americans have ever witnessed firsthand. If you think you know an adolescent that could understand "Shabanu"'s understated beauty, definitely consider buying it for them. But please don't make this book required reading. Forcing people to read this tale is the perfect way to make it widely despised.

In the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan lives a family of desert dwellers. Daughters Phulan and Shabanu attend their family's camels alongside their father, mother, grandfather, aunt, and young male cousins. Life in the desert can be difficult, but Shabanu wouldn't have it any other way. She loves tending the camels alongside her father. With her older sister's impending marriage coming up, Shabanu knows that soon her little family will be torn apart. Most of the book concentrates on what it means to live in the Cholistan, often at the mercy of the duststorms and monsoons that help or hurt the region. It isn't until page 191 that the real drama of the book comes into play. When a tragedy hurts Phulan's potential husband, it's up to Shabanu to sacrifice herself for the good of the family. The question becomes, will she do it?

First of all, in spite of its Newbery Honor Award, this book probably should have received a Printz Award instead for young adult literature. Unless the kids that read through this puppy understand what rape and sex are, they're going to get a little confused with the plot. Best to recommend this book to those kids from sixth grade onwards. I was a little amazed by how gutsy author Staples was with this small novel. This isn't "Catherine Called Birdy", though at first glance the plots may seem similar. For Shabanu, her choices in life are severely limited. But Staples isn't pointing to the people who perpetuate child marriages and limited female freedoms crying, "Evil!". This is a balanced portrait of a culture entirely unlike our own, yet with significant similarities. What's so impressive is that Staples is able to give us a greater understanding of Shabanu's world. It comes to the point where you realize that Shabanu's fury at her position in life is impossible to shift from.

But as I was saying before, never ever assign this book in a classroom. Some children's books are custom made for class discussions. "Holes" by Louis Sacher, for instance. "Shabanu" is incredibly well written and thought out. But all the beauty of the text is completely reliant on the reader's willing participation. If a kid is forced to read this book they're going to be bored. They'll think the book is slow moving and not exciting in the least. This is not necessarily the case, if you stick with it. Still, I urge you to assign it only to those kids who are comfortable reading books that are filled with descriptions and long passages without dialogue. "Shabanu" is a beautiful piece of work. And there is no better way to ruin the experience of reading it than by forcing kids to do so.

11-year old Shabanu is the youngest child in her family living in the Cholistan desert in Pakistan. She has a difficult life, and she is forced to marry as soon as she becomes a woman. Her life changes forever when she is forced to marry a 55 year old man! This book describes the lifestyle of a young girl growing up in Pakistan. The characters are well developed and the story line is full of excitement and adventure. The different culture in this book is a good thing for young people to learn about. It has happy parts and sad parts, and put together, it makes a excellent book. I think that this book is more suitable for mature readers, as a lot of people at this site gave it two stars or less. I personally think it is one of the best books I have read, and I think it well deserved the Newbery Honor. Now I'm going to read the sequel!

...I read this book a little over a year ago and i fell in love with it. I have read it to pieces and have bought 3 new compies in the past year. This book happens to be very adventurous and awe inspiring. Its about a musilm girl, Shabanu, who is 11 at the beginning of her story. She and her sister Phulan , 13, live in the Cholistian Desert along th Border of Pacistan with the mother, father, , grandfather, aunt, and younger cousins as camel "farmers". They live in anyplace in the desert that happend to have water untill the monsoons come. Shabanu is interested in everything except "ladies" work. She and her sister are betrothed to thier cousins Murad and Hamir. But when her Mother tries to teach Shabanu womens work, Shabanu's sister catches on but Shabanu has more fun playing with the camels and running around in the beautiful desert sand. When a something tragic happens between her family and her landowner, her family is put with a desicion that will change evrything in everyones life. Shabanu, daughter of the wind, is one of the best books i've ever read .... I feel at least evryone who loves an uplifting, tear jerker will love this book and its sequal, Havali. Suzanne Fisher Stapeles happens to be a wonderful author. i love her other book Shiva's fire. All her stories and books are very uplifing and make you feel godd when you read them. YOU REALLY SHOULD READ THIS!!! thank you.

This is one of those great books that is foolishly prejudged as 'Children's' or 'Young Adult'. This book revolves around an eleven year old Pakistani gypsy who lives in the harsh Cholistan desert, and the struggling life she and her family are bound to. Shabanu, her name meaning, Daughter of the Wind, is just like any normal girl. She dreams of marraige, like to play with animals, and likes to have fun. This book is rich, vivid, with characters and places that are like a dream-world. When Ms. Staples wrote this book, she wrote her dreams and revelations, I'm sure. This book is about a young girl, but I think adult readers might actually get more out of the book than children. Most 9yr olds aren't going to understand the sex-inequality issues in the Near East or the struggles between the Cholistani sub-race and the larger Arab-Pakistanti majority. Bottom line, this was a good book, and I hope Ms. Staples writes a third book in this series.

I would like to caution any parents getting this book for their children that its not appropriate for children under 10 for comments on womens menstration cycle and chests. Now that thats out of the way I would like to say I LOVED THIS BOOK. To all of you saying that this book is inappropriate you're wrong. I learned a lot from this book which is why I liked it so much. This book was very upfront and easy to understand. My favorite scene had to be the scene where Shabanu and Phulan first see Nazir Mohamed because of Shabanu's actions to protect her sister. This book was great and I am in the process of reading the sequal,Haveli,which I have found very interesting. I hope that you have read everything I have written and that you enjoy this book.

Sabanu: Daughter of the Wind tells the story of a strong-willed 11 year old girl raised in a close-knit family of nomadic camel herders from the Cholistan Desert of Pakistan. Brought up in a society where women's lives are strictly ruled by men, religion, and cultural traditions, Sabanu has been given many freedoms that are forbidden to most Muslim girls. She and her family experience joy and pain throughout the story as the reader learns wonderful information about life in the Pakistani desert, various customs of the Muslim people, and the role of women in Indian culture. The author uses authentic language to create powerful visual images which allow the reader to share the family's happiness in planning an upcoming wedding, and their deep sorrow at the death of a dearly beloved family member. The story is so engrossing that one can feel Sabanu's uncertainty about the future, and understand the struggle she faces when making a difficult decision in the final chapters of the book.

I enjoyed this story because of the vivid picture it paints of Indian culture. I admired Sabanu for her determination to be free while longing to remain loyal to her family and her heritage. I would recommend using this book with students in high school to increase their knowledge of the world, and to promote an appreciation of Indian culture.

This is the kind of book that you read in one day and then feverently await the sequel. Fortunately for me the sequel had already been published. Although I have read both books, I still crave a third book, maybe a fourth because if they're anything like Shabanu I will read them a hundred times and still not be satisfied. Some people say that they didn't like this book and that it isn't for children. I would agree in that it's not for children, but more mature adults/teenagers-people who can handle the more heavy issues. As for the fact that they didn't like the book, that is just pure blindness. They may not be ready to hear the truth, which is precisely what this book is. Don't make the mistake to think that all Muslim girls are like this, just as you wouldn't think every person in the US lives the same. I would probably recommend this book more strongly to girls as they might understand and appreciate it more. I still think about how strong Shabanu is and I still cry for her. Make sure not to miss the sequel for it goes deeper into her lifestyle, not only through her grief, but her joy.

Shabanu, Daughter of the Wind, by Suzanne Fisher Staples, is a book that takes place in Pakistan's past. It's about an Arab girl named Shabanu, who lives in the Cholistan Desert with her sister, Phulan, her mother, her father, and all of the camels.
In this book, you can learn a lot of Arabic words, as well as the culture. Although Shabanu is not someone a lot of people can relate to, her stories and adventures are fascinating to hear about.
My favorite part of the book, was when Phulan was getting married. During that time, Shabanu had surprising feelings towards the idea.
This book can be read by anyone from ages 10 and up. It's not the most exciting book, but it's definitely almost there.

This book is no doubt worthy of the Newberry Honor award it got. When I began reading it was not sure how I would enjoy this story, but the more I started reading it the more it caught my attention and I could not put it down. Shabanu is a true hero in this story, and when you read the struggles and obstacles she must overcome you feel as you are there with her.Many times I wanted to scream for what she had to go through.Many points in the story you feel her pain, frustration, and anger.When the story finally ended I was a bit upset because I wanted to know more about what happened. I highly recommend you go and read this book because I can guarantee once you have read it you will know exactly what I am talking about.