Trucany is Awesome II

I have continued to read "Truancy" by Isamu Fukui and I can't put it down. It is just so good!

One thing this book has is action. I've read about two attacks conducted by the Truancy. The rebels are very organized. Their leader, Zyid, is in fact called a "strategical genius" by an Enforcer after he attacks a ceramics lab. They are well supplied with materials to make pipe bombs, smoke bombs, and have guns. These guys are not people you want to meet in a dark alley.

On the other side of the story is Tack, a high schooler just trying to survive life in the City. He meets a boy named Umasi who lives in District 19, the City's abandoned district. Umasi is very smart and can fight very well. He is like a hermit in some Oriental stories, a smart guy that is also a secret ninja warrior person. I don't know. The guy is a mystery.

I also think that Umasi could have been part of the Truancy when it was first starting to attack the City. Zyid comes into District 19 to talk to Umasi. I don't know what about, but I think he might be trying to convince Umasi to rejoin the Truancy. And I don't blame him. If I was Zyid, I would definitley want a guy like Umasi on my side. Who wouldn't want a super smart ninja when they are leading an armed rebellion?

Another thing I like is that this book makes me feel better about school. Things are really bad for Tack in school. The subway he takes is never there at the same time, and it picks up Tack 30 minutes late. Even though it is not his fault, he still gets an automatic F on the quiz.

Also this book is very hard to know what will happen. Over 100 pages in, i'm still wondering what will happen?

P.S. I commented on Sam's blog

Truancy is Awesome!

Ever thought you had a bad day at school? Where you caught talking in class? Eating in class? Did you fail a test and get yelled at? Well, at least you weren't killed.

Killed? For failing a test? Well, if you were Tack or Suzie in the book Truancy by Isamu Fukui, you could be. The education system in the City is a hard ordeal, where kids are branded like animals and treated the same.

The word truancy means "The act or condition of being absent without permission". In the City's cruel educational system, this is a crime taken very severely. The Truancy in this book is also an armed rebellion of students fighting against the educational system.

What I really don't get is why the Mayor keeps doing this. He is obviously a mean guy. A harsh lecture from this man is like winning the lottery. In fact, when a man is given a job that pretty much guarantees his assassination, he is considered "lucky". But he knows that he is mean. He is not surprised that students began an armed rebellion. He knows he treats the students awfully, and that they have an excuse to be angry. But he keeps doing it. This guy is seriously messed up in the head.

Also, another thing I realize is the lying. The Mayor tries to cover up the multiple black outs caused by the Truancy. I can actually relate to this. When terrorist seemed to be winning the fight in Peru and Alberto Fujimori was elected president in 1990, he suspended democracy and showed false images on news stations, making it seem like he was winning the war, and that the human rights violations going on in the mountains and farms weren't happening. The Mayor is lying, I believe, because he believes that everyone in the City is angry and will be willing to fight. If they find out the Truancy is winning, then they might be more likely to join.

Nobody I know likes school. Getting up in the morning early, doing homework, taking tests, nobody I know really thinks this is fun. But this book shows us things could always be worse. I don't think anybody would seriously bring up an armed rebellion. I have barley gotten a glimpse at this system, so I really want to know why students would start an armed rebellion.

P.S. I commented on Andrew's blog

People Don't Say "Intense" Without Meaning It.

When I began "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini, a lot of people told me the book was very intense. I thought that I'd read my share of tough books, from the Kite Runner, also by Hosseini to Street Pharm by Allison von Diepen. But nothing could have prepared me for this.

This book has a lot of adult things. Their is a lot of violence. Some language. Some sexual references and some sex. But there is also the mood set throughout the book, created by the hardships occurring in Afghanistan.

The characters in this book suffer from some awful things. Suicide. The death of parents and lovers. Injustice. And an abusive husband.

The book is about two women, named Mariam and Laila. I think these characters are the best characters to show the struggle in Afghanistan through, because women got the bad end of the deal. They are treated inferior because of the beliefs of their leaders, and they definitley had it rougher.

Mariam is forced to marry a 40 something year old man after her mother commits suicide. She moves out of Herat, a city in western Afghanistan, to Kabul with her husband, Rasheed. May I mention that Mariam is only 15 years old? A 15 year old married to a 45 year old man. That doesn't sound right to me.

Rasheed desperately wants a boy, because his son drowned years ago. Yet, after several failed attempts to have a child, it turns out Mariam can't bear children. This happens a lot in Hosseini's books. Two people in "The Kite Runner" were unable to bear children. I think that this makes the story a little more harsh, but leads to some beautiful parts.

Well, Rasheed becomes disappointed in her. He begins to become surely, especially that now, Soviet rule over Afghanistan is not so good. He begins to scorn Mariam, and abuse her. Eventually, he forces her to chew on some pebbles. That's just awful.

The story is not only about Mariam. I like this, because it gives the reader two perspectives of the same struggle. There are definitley two sides to every story.

Laila, the other main character, is a girl who lives a reativley pampered life, compared to Mariams. She is born when Mariam is around 19, so she is quite a bit younger than her. She feels the hardships of the war aswell, because both of her brothers are fighting the Soviets. Her mother, who loves Laila's brothers more than anything in the world, is a wreck. She as the symptoms of bipolar disorder, but not a case as sever as Ben's mom in "Deadline". Laila is friends with a boy named Tariq, a strong boy with only one leg. Then, tragedy strikes. Laila's brothers are killed by Soviets. Her mother falls into a state of complete depression, blaming her husband for her sons death. Then, the Soviets are kicked out and the Mujihadeen take control of Afghanistan. At first, things are good again. Then war destroys Kabul. Rockets rain down, and warlords fight continuously, killing many innocent people. Soon, Laila and Tariq begin to be more open about their feelings from each other. Then, Tariq leaves, but not after giving Laila something to remember from him. Then, Laila's mother finally agrees to leave. As they are bringing out the stuff to the truck, Laila's house is hit by a rocket. Her parents are killed, and she marries Rasheed.

At first, things aren't so bad. But then, Laila realizes that she is pregnant with Tariq's baby. She does her best to fool Rasheed that it is his baby, but Rasheed still has a hunch. Rasheed still wants a boy, but the baby turns out to be a girl, which Laila names Aziza. Rasheed is disappointed, and is mean to Aziza.

Laila was part of a slightly liberal family. While Rasheed believes that women are lower that men, Laila has always been taught that men and women are equal. Rasheed beats her, because he believes that Laila is turning Mariam toward defiance. He beats them so much that they become friends, united against their common enemy. They then decide to run away.

This is extremely brave on their part. Running away to Pakistan is not easy, because Pakistan has already closed its border with Afghanistan. They are caught, and then Rasheed nearly kills them both when he locks them in two seperate places with no water or food. The temperatures are excruciatingly hot.

After that, a man comes to give Laila the news that Tariq was killed by a rocket, along with his parents. This news crushes Laila, but she tries not to show it.

Then the Taliban take control of Afghanistan. This is especially hard on women. The laws restrict women from many things, like showing their face,wearin makeup, or going outside without a man. Also, laughing, singing, television and movies are banned. During this time, Laila gives birth to a boy who is named Zalmai. This makes Rasheed very happy, but he becomes increasingly cruel to Aziza.

Mariam and Laila take Aziza to an orphanage when Taliban raids begin. Rasheed does not want to visit his harami* of a daughter, so Laila goes without a man, often getting caught and beaten.

Then, more beating ensues. Rasheed even threatens to kill Laila with his gun. The war in Kabul has forced Rasheed out of work, so things are tough around the household. Then, Rasheed gets work at a hotel. And guess who shows up one while Rasheed is at work. Tariq!

Tariq isn't really dead. He tells Laila of his time in Afghanistan, where both his parents have died. Noticing wounds from Rasheed's beatings, Tariq begs Laila to join him in Pakistan. She says no, and later, he leaves. Then, Rasheed finds out Tariq was there, and begins to beat his wives. Laila fights back, but is subdued. Then, Mariam finds it in her soul to fight back against her evil husband. As Rasheed attempts to strangle Laila to death, Mariam kills him with a shovel.

Laila goes to Pakistan with Tariq, Aziza and Zalmai. Mariam stays, and is executed. I cried at this part, because it then, where Mariam feels redeemed. She has lived her entire life suffering, being treated like dirt. But then, she feels she has done what is right, but feels awful for taking away Zalmai's right to a father who loved him dearly. And with these feelings of redemption and guilt, she dies at the hands of a Talib in fromt of a crowd of clucking spectators.

So far, this has been an amazing book. At first, I liked it, but wasn't into the story, really feeling the character's emotions. But later in the book, I sobbed when a character died. This book is heart wrenching, showing the suffering of Afghanistan in the eyes of two woman who had their childhoods destroyed by war, and their pride destroyed by an abusive husband. But, as Laila says herself, "Every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimagineable grief. And yet,... people find a way to survive, to go on." This sums up the story. It is not a story of death and sadness though many deaths and many hardships occur. It is a story of the will to survive, told in the beautiful and heart breaking way only Khaled Hosseini can.

Khaled Hosseini Makes Me Sad (With His Books)

I just finished "The Kite Runner". Boy, was that a tough ending.

Where I left of, Amir, the main character in the book, has just found out his half brother is dead, and that his half nephew is in an orphanage in Kabul. Amir goes to Kabul with a driver to the orphanage. The driver ( who I think is named Fayid but I'm not so sure) dislikes Amir because he believes he is just going there to sell his father's land. When he finds out what Amir's real intentions are, he promises to help Amir get Sohrab.

Amir heads to Kabul. But Kabul is not the city that Amir knew. The Taliban and the Soviet Union destroyed the city of Amir's childhood. Well, when they get to the orphanage, they find out that Sohrab, Amir's half nephew, was sold to a Taliban member. The owner of the orphanage needed to sell Sohrab, but this is a big set back for Amir. Things will not be so easy.

Amir and his driver follow the Taliban member from a soccer game where he stoned to people to death. Then, Amir gets into his old house, where the Taliban member now lives. And guess who the Taliban guy is. It's Assef!

For those of you who didn't read my last post, Assef is the boy who raped Hassan when Amir was a kid. Assef swore he would hurt Amir. He already raped Hassan, but he didn't do anything to Amir. So, Assef starts beating the heck out of Amir. Then Sohrab, who has been watching the whole time, tells Assef to stop attacking Amir. When he doesn't, Sohrab shoots a brass ball into Assef's eye. They flee, and Amir has Sohrab.

Then, Amir discovers that the family that he was supposed to give Sohrab to doesn't exist. So, he has to adopt Sohrab. But, adopting his half nephew will not be too easy. In fact, he will half to put him back into an orphanage. Sohrab obviously doesn't have very fond memories of his last orphanage, because he slits his wrist in an attempt to kill himself when he hears the news. He doesn't die, though.

Amir's wife, Soroya, ends up getting a humanitarian visa for Sohrab, so he doesn't have to go to the orphanage.

When they go to America, Sohrab goes mute, upset that he didn't succeed in killing himself. In the end, though, he warms up to Amir and his wife and accepts the fact that his life will never be like it was before his father was killed.

Then, I began "A Thousand Splendid Suns", another book by the same author. So far, it is the story of Mariam, a girl who was never wanted. She is the living form of her father's scandalous mistake, which leads her to lead a bad life. She goes to find her father after he breaks a promise, and her mother, upset that her daughter has left her, hangs herself with a N-O-O-S-E, Jack. And now, she might have to marry a 40 year old at 15. That's just plain ridiculous.