Book Review: One Half From the East

One Half From the East by Nadia Hashimi

Recommended for 4th/5th grade and up. This is a rare (for children's literature) glimpse into a family in Afghanistan. Obayda's father loses his leg in a terrorist explosion, and the family must move back to his family's village and adjust to a new life. Obayda's father is profoundly depressed, and the family faces desperate times. An aunt suggests that they turn Obayda -- the youngest daughter -- into a boy, a fairly common practice in Afghanistan, and thought to turn the family's luck around and usher in a real son. Obayda becomes Obayd. She is terrified -- she knows nothing of being a boy, and she faces estrangement and resentment from her sisters, as she is exempt from all chores, allowed unheard-of freedoms, and gets the choicest portions at meals. At school, she meets Rahim, another bacha posh, or "new" boy. Rahim helps her understand how to live in her new world. The freedoms they have as boys make Rahim fiercely determined not ever to be a girl again, though being a bacha posh is always a temporary state. When Obayd changes back, she must learn how to be a girl again.

A fascinating book. Again, the author's notes are illuminating: "Though this story is set in Afghanistan, my hope is that it will inspire dialog and reflection about the meaning of gender in any land. I chose Afghanistan as the setting because it is the homeland of my family, and also because, when it comes to gender inequality, Afghanistan is infamous.
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The bacha posh tradition exists because sons are valued in a way daughters are not. It exists because there is a perception that boys are capable of things girls are not. Are these thoughts unique to Afghanistan? Sadly, not at all."