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Under the Persimmon Tree
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Product Description
Najmah, a young Afghan girl whose name means “star,” suddenly finds herself alone when her father and older brother are conscripted by the Taliban and her mother and newborn brother are killed in an air raid. An American woman, Elaine, whose Islamic name is Nusrat, is also on her own. She waits out the war in Peshawar, Pakistan, teaching refugee children under the persimmon tree in her garden while her Afghan doctor husband runs a clinic in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.
Najmah’s father had always assured her that the stars would take care of her, just as Nusrat’s husband had promised that they would tell Nusrat where he was and that he was safe. As the two look to the skies for answers, their fates entwine. Najmah, seeking refuge and hoping to find her father and brother, begins the perilous journey through the mountains to cross the border into Pakistan. And Nusrat’s persimmon-tree school awaits Najmah’s arrival. Together, they both seek their way home.
Known for her award-winning fiction set in South Asia, Suzanne Fisher Staples revisits that part of the world in this beautifully written, heartrending novel.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #444181 in Books
- Published on: 2005-08-08
- Released on: 2005-07-14
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8 -When her father and brother are taken by the Taliban and her mother and baby brother are killed in a bombing raid during the Afghan war in October 2001, Najmah begins an arduous journey across the border to Peshawar, Pakistan. There, she meets up with an American woman, Nusrat, who has been conducting a school for refugee children while she waits for her husband, Faiz, who has returned to his native country to open medical clinics. For most of the story, the narration alternates between Najmah and Nusrat, allowing readers to see the war's effect on both of their lives. Only when they meet can they come to terms with their losses and move on. However, readers may feel unsatisfied with the ending. Having cared for the characters and been involved in their lives, they will want to know what happens to them. The use of an American allows the author to provide a clearer description of this unfamiliar world, but because Nusrat is a grown woman, her concerns may be of less interest to readers than those of Najmah, an enterprising and enormously courageous girl. Still, Staples brings the world of the refugee camp to life. Middle grade readers and the adults who teach them will welcome this fascinating glimpse into a world about which far too little has been written.-Kathleen Isaacs, formerly at Edmund Burke School, Washington, DC
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 7-10. In the mountains of northern Afghanistan after 9/11, Najmah watches in horror as the brutal Taliban kidnap her father and older brother. Will they ever return home? When her mother and baby brother die in an American air raid, she stops speaking, and, disguised as a boy, makes a perilous journey to a refugee camp in Pakistan. In a parallel narrative, Nusrat (her American name was Elaine), who converted to Islam when she met Faiz in New York, has set up a rough school for the refugees. She has had no news of Faiz, her husband, since he left to establish a clinic in the north. The two stories come together when Najmah and Nusrat meet in the camp, where they wait in anguish for news of the people they love. Staples weaves a lot of history and politics into her story (including information about the Taliban's suppression of women), and she includes a map, a glossary, and brief background notes to give even more context. But as with her Newbery Honor Book, Shabanu (1989), it's the personal story, not the history, that compels as it takes readers beyond the modern stereotypes of Muslims as fundamentalist fanatics. There are no sweet reunions, but there's hope in heartbreaking scenes of kindness and courage. For another book about post-9/11 Afghanistan, suggest Catherine Stine's Refugees (2004). Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Review
"Staples powerfully and honestly expresses the plight of a civilization caught between terrorists and American bombs." -- Starred, Publishers Weekly "As with her Newbery Honor Book, Shabanu (1989), its the personal story, not the history, that compels as it takes readers beyond the modern stereotypes of Muslims as fundamentalist fanatics. There's hope in heartbreaking scenes of kindness and courage." -- Starred, Booklist "Readers...will welcome this fascinating glimpse into a world about which far too little has been written." -- School Library Journal "Staples brings beautiful, war-torn Afghanistan closer in this affecting, eye-opening novel." -- Kirkus Reviews "The book manages to make the sometimes distant-seeming conflict immediate and vivid to American readers. A poignant picture of the cost of regional and global turmoil." -- The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books "Staples's prose is spare yet taut with emotion, creating a rich, powerful story that young readers will devour and that all school and classroom libraries should stock." -- VOYA
Customer Reviews
Lots of cultural insights
The Afghan war of 2001 was a vivid reminder of the brutality, anger and hatred that the division of a country can produce. Under the Persimmon Tree brings this experience to life through the perspective of Najmah, an Afghan girl, and Elaine, an American woman living in Pakistan.
Najmah lives with her father, mother and older brother in a remote village. They have little in worldly possessions, but there is a deep bond between them. When the fearful, abusive and controlling Taliban appear, food is always seized with no thought for the remaining villagers. This time is even worse for Najmah's family. Her father and older brother are taken captive. Only Najmah and her mother remain, left to fend for themselves.
After the bombs come, Najmah is left hungry, alone and numb, but lucky to be alive. She is helped by other villagers. They change her appearance and she travels with them to a refugee camp many perilous miles away.
Elaine, her Islamic name Nusrat, is married to a fine doctor. They have come to the country so he can help his people. He is far away in dangerous territory treating those in desperate need. Nusrat was a teacher in the United States and continues to find ways to teach some of the refugee children from the compound. With no word from her husband, Nusrat longs to know of his welfare.
In time, providence brings Najmah and Nusrat together. Their friendship grows and a bond of trust is developed. But what does the future hold in this vastly devastated and war-torn country?
The overall writing was very descriptive, dramatic and direct. However, to get the clearest picture, familiarize yourself with the glossary.
I found Under the Persimmon Tree to be an excellent cultural read. It will open your eyes to a way of life that must be experienced to understand.
Armchair Interviews agrees.
lisa from sgs
i thought that the book was a fair read. it wouldn't be worthwhile to me to read it again and it hasn't been added to the list of books i would recommend, but to the author's credit, it was well written. i feel the ending left something to be desired, and it could have used more of what was going on in the character's surroundings; it became monotonous after awhile.
Natalie from SGS
I suppose it was alright, but it was a little bit dull at times, with some stereotypes about women that I don't really agree with. I think it gave me as a reader a good sense of what it was like to live in Pakistan during that time. I'm not sure I would really reccomend this book, as I am not a big fan of the two-perspective stle. The perspectives skip around a lot, and it's very hard to keep track of what's going on where. All in all, it wasn't a bad bok, but it could have been better.
