Back in March 2020 when the world halted and the word "pandemic" became an everyday term, I binge read book after book on pandemics. Some of the books were based on true events (As Bright as Heaven) while others were fantastical (The Passage and The Dreamers). A series on a vampire type creature that emerged after a virus ravages the world? Read it. A novel about a deadly virus we first see in a London theatre, and a troupe of actors who afterwards travel the country bringing the joy of stories to those who are left? (Station Eleven) Read it.
---- Side note. One of my favorite quotes of the year is from one of these pandemic books, The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker. "This is how the sickness travels best: through all the same channels as do fondness and friendship and love." Wow. If that doesn't sum up 2020 right there! Okay, now back to your regularly scheduled program. ----
I do the same with authors. Recently, I discovered one book by Blake Crouch (Recursion), and when I finished, I immediately searched out other novels I could find by him and dug in (Dark Matter). Same with Matt Haig (The Midnight Library, How to Stop Time).
But then a friend told me about a service our local library offers. I can call the library and they will put together a book bundle for me. The bundle can be determined by genre, author, style - really anything you want, they will pull books for you to read. I decided that this would be the perfect way to step out of my comfort zone and try something new.
Wanting to get out of the science fiction kick (rut?) I had been in lately, I chose for the books to be historical fiction.
'I want to try something new,' I told the librarian on the phone. 'I love historical fiction, but I'd like to stay away from my favorite authors. I have read most every Erik Larson, Phillipa Gregory and Marie Benedict book out there. So, let's try new authors. And no WWII. The more obscure, the better.'
They definitely delivered on that request! Out of the books I received, two were by authors I recognized, but one I had never read (Barbara Taylor Bradford), and the other I hadn't read since my Literature courses in college (Willa Cather).
I've been reading mostly on my kindle app, so these books were a bit daunting. It's easy to start a book when you have no idea how long it is, but intimidating when you see its true heft in person! I chose to begin with an average length book, with an interesting title and background I was only slightly familiar with.
Enter: The Taliban Cricket Club by Timeri N. Murari.
To sum it up quickly, the book is written in the view of a woman (Rukshana) in the mid 1990s in Afghanistan. She had attended college in Delhi, and returned to Afghanistan to be near her family and continue her work in journalism. When the Talib took control, she went from being a woman with a voice and a brain and a pen to just another female in a country determined to keep her down.
At times, this was a tough read. There are public executions, and discussions of past executions and punishments. The entire book has an underlying current of fear and anxiety running through it. While the main characters themselves are optimistic thinkers, with views beyond their country and the regime they live under, it feels that the entire book is laced with fear. I really felt that every moment could be their last.
My 11 yo saw the cover and asked me what I was reading. I tired to explain it. "There is an evil group who took over the government of a country, oppressing the women and scaring the people. Those who talked back, or did something they didn't like were killed or severely punished. Silenced. There was no such thing as freedom of speech. Women had to cover themselves from head to toe in a burqa, with only a tiny area from which to look at the world."
"Could they even see out of it?" he asked.
Rukshana had touched on that in the book. It was hard to see out of, merely a thin slit of mesh for their eyes, and they had to practice walking up the stairs without tripping over the long robes, but also without lifting them enough to show even a glimpse of ankle - an action that would get women punished.
My son and I talked about oppressive governments and googled current and past events. One thing I love about kids who are readers is their drive to know more, to understand more, and to apply it to other books or to life.
While the feeling of fear and control did permeate the book, I would say that the overall theme of the book focused more on resilience and perseverance, on the ability of humans to overcome. And I learned a bit about cricket in the process. I would not normally have chosen a book such as The Taliban Cricket Club, but I'm glad it was picked for me. I recommend it for anyone who (like me) was too young or too sheltered or naive in America in the 90s to understand what was happening in Afghanistan.
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