The Breadwinner

Eleven-year-old Parvana sits with her father on a blanket in a Kabul market. She assists him in walking to and from work each day; in the absence of a son in the family, Taliban officials reluctantly allow her to accompany him—women are supposed to be inside. Parvana’s father is less mobile since he sold his custom-made artificial leg; a man made an offer that he felt he couldn’t refuse. Many artificial legs are for sale at the market, particularly those that belonged to women.

Parvana recalls that she and her sister had to leave school the previous year, and her mother lost her job writing for a radio station. Parvana’s father used to teach, but the school where he worked was bombed. He lost the lower part of his leg in the explosion. He offers his services as a reader and writer, since most Afghans are illiterate at this time. He also sells an assortment of possessions that the family decided it can live without. The family used to be rich and live in a big home; both of Parvana’s parents are university-educated. However, as each home they moved to was bombed, they lost their possessions and savings.