The Booklover’s Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
The Pearl That Broke Its Shell is the story of two afghan women separated by a century, but who share similar destinies. In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can only sporadically attend school, and can rarely leave the house. Their only hope lies in the ancient custom of bacha posh, which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until she is of marriageable age. As a son, she can attend school, go to the market, and chaperone her older sisters. But Rahima is not the first in her family to adopt this unusual custom. A century earlier, her great-great grandmother, Shekiba, left orphaned by an epidemic, saved herself and built a new life the same way. Nadia Hasimi’s debut novel weaves the stories of these two women across time and allows the reader to share in some of what it must be like to live in a culture so different from our own. If you love Khaled Hosseini, Lisa See, or Jhumpa Lahiri then you will enjoy The Pearl That Broke Its Shell.
Now for the giveaway! I have one hardback copy of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell to share with another booklover. There are two ways to enter, first you can leave a comment on this post about your favorite book that takes place in an exotic location or involves a culture far different from American culture. The second way to enter is by subscribing to this blog. Current subscribers are already entered — they only need to leave a comment to get a second entry!
I will use the sequence generator at random.org to choose one winner and will contact them by email. It is important that you leave your email address if you leave a comment. Note: There are a maximum of two entries per person. The giveaway ends on Sunday, August 30th and the winner will be contacted by email on Tuesday, September 2nd. This contest is open to U.S. addresses only.
Good luck!
The Booklover 