Imagine having to leave your home and everything you love. Your mother and baby brother are dead. Your father and brother have been taken away to fight. Imagine, just imagine, living in the shadow of the Taliban. This is the life of Najmah, an Afghan girl following September 11, 2001.

Under the Persimmon Tree also tells the story of Nusrat, an American woman married to a Muslim doctor. Nusrat teaches refugee children in Pakistan and worries about her husband, who runs a clinic. Warfare has intensified between the Taliban, American forces and rebels, and every day there are bombings.

After the September 11 attacks, lives are turned upside down as American bombs drop and the Taliban spread their terror by gathering men and young boys to fight for them.

Not only is Under the Persimmon Tree an interesting piece of literature, it also teaches an important lesson about having perspective. The American Nusrat previously thought that “Islam was a warlike religion with many followers who hated Christians and wanted to return to a past in which women must be hidden away.” She comes to understand that these are tales of Islamic fanatics, not the majority. Many Americans share this view of Muslims, which needs to change.

This book can help readers realize the horror that exists in Afghanistan, even if you are left with many questions. I believe that everyone should read it and realize what it is truly like to live in Afghanistan.

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Created Feb 16, 2007 at 3:11pm • Submit your own review...