"The Breadwinner"



Parvana felt the shadow before she saw it, as the man moved between her and the sun. Turning 
her head, she saw the dark turban that was the uniform of the Taliban. A rifle was slung across his 
chest as casually as her father’s shoulder bag had been slung across hers. . . .

The Talib kept looking down at her. Then he put his hand inside his vest. Keeping his eyes on 
Parvana, he drew something out of his vest pocket. Parvana was about to squish her eyes shut 
and wait to be shot when she saw the Talib had taken out a letter. He sat down beside her on the 
blanket. “Read this,” he said.

Imagine living in a country in which women and girls are not allowed to leave the house without a 
man. Imagine having to wear clothes that cover every part of your body, including your face, 
whenever you go out. This is life in Afghanistan, where the Taliban, members of an extreme 
religious group, run most of the country.