Wednesday, July 04, 2007

The Indomitable Spirit of Women

I have just finished reading Khaled Hosseini's book, "A Thousand Splendid Suns". Set in the city of Kabul this book takes you on a rollercoaster ride of emotions. While the book is really about two generations of families and the changing political current always around them, I found it more about two women thrown together by circumstances beyond their control and how they endure the incredible hardships that the political, cultural and religious dictates of the day put them in.
Hosseini's incredible writing makes you feel every hunger pain, every beating, every disappointment and every joy that these two women felt. I came away completely impressed not only with his writing, but the insights he has into the lives of women in countries where women are seen as a burden and their lives are worth nothing. Where every day women are subjected to ridicule and made to suffer for nothing other than being born the wrong gender in the wrong country. However, he also gave me a glimpse into the spirit of women. While the book is fiction, I also know that women are the nurturers in this world and make sacrifices not only for the greater good of their families, but also for the good of their community and their country.
I have known women like these he describes in his book. They survive the seemingly unsurvivable without bitterness or self pity. They have a strong sense of justice and integritiy. They are women of character and they are all heroines in my book. I admire their courage, but most of all I admire their indomitable spirit.

1 comment:

  1. So as not to get left behind, I'm starting now on The Kite Runner. So I have yet to read the Splendid Suns one, so I am leaving this comment without reading your post! :) I hope to be caught up with the rest of the world on reading these two books ASAP.

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