It being Banned Books Week when I began this book,  I don't think I could have chosen a more appropriate book to read than The Bookseller of Kabul.  The book was banned in 2008 by the Wyandotte, Michigan, Board  of Education; it tells of actual instances of banning and burning books in Afghanistan; and the main character Sultan Khan was a bookseller who himself specialized in selling illegal books and writings, often right under the noses of the illiterate Taliban a-holes.  Learning that most Taliban cannot read, which presumably means not even their Koran, explains quite a lot!

Then the book veers off to describe what seems like every relative of Sultan's on earth, with names all starting with S, so it was a bit hard to follow, but I followed. It was most interesting to read how women and young girls are treated, or mistreated really; and even when the Taliban is not in power, it doesn't change much.  They are servants, they have no free will, subjects of the men in their families.  Burkas were purposefully designed -- by a man -- to cut off peripheral vision, so that the wearer must turn her head directly at whatever she wants to see so that her man then knows at all times what she is looking at.

Some chapters delved deeper into family members' individual  stories.  The men bored me, but Leila's story stuck out for me.  She perfectly illustrated the unmarried female, aka servant, with no life choices.  With this  written in 2002, I wonder what has happened to her most of all.  I read on line that Sultan had to move out of the country because, even though the author used a fake name for him, his real identity came out and life was made too difficult for him.   If only all of the women had that option.

A factual account written in a fictional way. This made for a very good read. I read this book after I had read The Kite Runner and Reading Lolita in Tehran. It enhanced my knowledge of the difficulties of living in a restrictive culture.

This was a selection from my in person book club and I found it to be okay. It is a true story and I thought I would be reading more about his quest to distribute literature in Kabul. Although he talks about it somewhat, it's not the main thrust of the book. Still the passages about the destruction of libraries and museums is enough to break your heart. I don't understand the "logic" of the Nazis and the Taliban in the burning of books but I guess it cuts down on people having different viewpoints.

Sultan, the lead character, is not very likable although he has some admirable traits. His preservation of old books is admirable. As I read though, I discovered many of the traits I disliked were a product of his experiences and upbringing. If I had been through as many wars, imprisonments and beatings maybe I would make some of his decisions. It's hard to know.

Of course, the tragedy of the women is heartbreaking. Their demeaning roles and lack of any type of freedom is horrific. I do not know where some of these sects get the idea that this is the way Mohammed would like them treated. Mohammed's wife, Fatima, was an educated businesswoman and I am sure he didn't treat her that way. Of course, many Christian sects due this to women too and there is nothing in the Bible that says Jesus advocates that type of behavior.

I just found this an average book that really didn't explore any new territory for me.