Words In The Dust | Trent Reedy | Afghanistan
Scholastic | 2011 | ISBN: 0545261260
Synopsis:
In this harrowing tale, written by an American soldier who served in Afghanistan, a young girl Zulaikha is living in the post-Taliban Era. Zulaikha suffers from a severe facial disfigurement that makes her life difficult in every way, from being able to walk down the street without being taunted to simply eating a meal in front of others. One day, when walking to the market, Zulaikha is approached by an American soldier who offers her reconstructive surgery for her lip. Overjoyed, Zulaikha begins to dream of a life where she is beautiful and can get married like her sister. As Zulaikha begins to grow up, with the help of a long lost friend of her mother, she begins to see that maybe getting married is not the only option for modern Afghan women and maybe there will be more in her future.
Teaching Ideas:
Rationale for Use in the English Classroom
This is a classic coming of age novel that would be appropriate for middle school ELA classes. It is topically relevant, as many students will be able to relate to recent events and the war in Afghanistan. Students may have heard about the Taliban and how they treated women and this beautiful novel would be of high interest to today’s adolescent readers.
Before/During/After Reading Activities
Before/During/After Reading Activities
Before reading, have students describe what they think women’s rights look like in Afghanistan. Chart responses on chart paper. Explain to students that while the Taliban was in power, women were stripped of most of their basic rights, including working outside of their homes, traveling without male chaperones, being seen by male doctors, or going to school. They were forced to wear burqas in public. Now things are beginning to change and women are fighting to establish their place in modern society.
During reading, have students compare and contrast the characters of Zulaikha and Zenab. As students read, have them keep a character journal in which they record things from the novel about the sisters. Students will record things the characters say, things others say about the character, things the character does, and what the author says about the characters.
After reading, have students research women’s rights in Afghanistan and compose an essay addressing the following topic. How do the characters Zulaikha and Zenab represent the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Direct students to the following website for their research. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/afghanistanunveiled/women.html
During reading, have students compare and contrast the characters of Zulaikha and Zenab. As students read, have them keep a character journal in which they record things from the novel about the sisters. Students will record things the characters say, things others say about the character, things the character does, and what the author says about the characters.
After reading, have students research women’s rights in Afghanistan and compose an essay addressing the following topic. How do the characters Zulaikha and Zenab represent the struggle for women’s rights in Afghanistan. Direct students to the following website for their research. http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/afghanistanunveiled/women.html
Connections to Other Content Areas
Words in the dust could be used as easily in a social studies class as an ELA class. The novel is rich with history of Afghanistan and is current and relevant. The novel speaks to the current generation of Afghan people and is very relatable for students of today. It could be used in a unit about the War in Afghanistan, Islam, Women’s rights, or even in a discussion about ethics of American involvement in other countries. Was it even right for the American soldier to offer the surgery to Zulaikha?
