Under the Persimmon Tree

by Suzanne Fisher Staples

Intertwined portraits of courage and hope in Afghanistan and PakistanNajmah, a young Afghan girl whose name means "star," suddenly finds herself alone when her father and older brother are conscripted by the Taliban and her mother and newborn brother are killed in an air raid. An American woman, Elaine, whose Islamic name is Nusrat, is also on her own. She waits out the war in Peshawar, Pakistan, teaching refugee children under the persimmon tree in her garden while her Afghan doctor husband runs a clinic in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan.Najmah's father had always assured her that the stars would take care of her, just as Nusrat's husband had promised that they would tell Nusrat where he was and that he was safe. As the two look to the skies for answers, their fates entwine. Najmah, seeking refuge and hoping to find her father and brother, begins the perilous journey through the mountains to cross the border into Pakistan. And Nusrat's persimmon-tree school awaits Najmah's arrival. Together, they both seek their way home.Known for her award-winning fiction set in South Asia, Suzanne Fisher Staples revisits that part of the world in this beautifully written, heartrending novel.Under the Persimmon Tree is a 2006 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Pakistan, Cultural, Middle East, Middle Grade

305 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2005

About the author

Suzanne Fisher Staples is the author of six books addressed to children and adolescents. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (U.S.A.), she grew up in a small community around Northwestern Pennsylvania. She had three siblings, a sister and two brothers. Suzanne went to Lakeland High School in Scott Township, Pennsylvania. Later, she graduated from Cedar Crest College in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She got a job for 10 years being a news reporter and editor for the United Press International. She worked in many places across the U.S.A. and Asia, including Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, New York, and Washington DC. In 1985, she returned to Pakistan to assess the conditions of poor, rural women and report back to the United States Agency for International Development.

Reviews

[Ln Rispoli · Rating 1 out of 5]

Draining. The first person present tense was unbearable. It was whiny and unamusing. I did not connect with a character who tells me everything.

[Noelle Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples is a significant book to read to help promote a global society. Due to the war in the Middle East and much of the media coverage done on it there has been a great misconception created about Islam and the majority of Muslims. News and media has a tendency to focus only on the very worst. Media can even exaggerate news in order to suit a specific agenda. Due to this, unfortunately, many Muslims and middle easterners have been misrepresented. Under the Persimmon Tree breaks down many of these façades with which so many middle-easterners and Muslims have been wrongfully disguised by.

Under the Persimmon Tree has inclusion of minorities for a purpose. One of the main characters, Nusrat, is a minority. Nusrat’s birth name is Elaine, a name given by her parents who still live in Watershed, New York. Nusrat is Elaine’s Islam name given to her by her husband from Afghanistan, Faiz; Nusrat translates to “help” in Islam. Nusrat met her husband, while getting her masters at Columbia and teaching in Manhattan. Faiz, a doctor in New York, becomes distraught by the turmoil and disruption being caused by the Taliban and knows he must go home to Afghanistan to help. Nusrat not wanting to stay without her husband, and also desperate to help in any way possible, accompanies Faiz to Peshawar, Pakistan where his family is seeking refuge in the affluent University Town district. Nusrat chooses to live closer to the refugee camp so that she can help even though it is more dangerous than living with Faiz’s family. At their home in Peshawar Elaine provides schooling for children at the refugee camp in Peshawar. During this time, Faiz has gone across the border, all the way to North Afghanistan to run a clinic for the mujahedeen (Afghans fighting against the Taliban) in Mazar-i-sharif. It is much more dangerous in Mazar-i-sharif and Nusrat worries somberly for her beloved husband.

Under the Persimmon Tree does exceptional work of using unique language. Fisher-Staples uses Dari in her work and often. Dari is a language very similar to the Persian spoken in Iran. Many languages have influenced Dari including Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, and English. Many of these words are also used in India, Pakistan, and other countries of the Middle East. The Dari flows off the page in a way that the reader can likely figure out what the word means without having to look it up. However, if they do, there is a glossary provided in the back of the book. Below is a list of some of the most commonly used words in the book and their English translations:
• Baba - father
• Mullah – a spiritual leader
• Naan – unleavened bread baked in a mud oven
• Pattu – woolen shawl worn by mean and women
• Saheba – term of respect

According to Tunnel et al multicultural books should, “Present a positive and reassuring representation of a reader’s own cultural group.” (Tunnel et al, 193) Under the Persimmon Tree definitely has had a profound effect on me. As a Christian there was a part at the end of the book that was very meaningful to me. One morning Nusrat and Najmah are drinking tea when Nusrat tells Najmah that God will help them find out about her father and brother. At this Najmah asks her, “What is the difference between Allah and the God of her childhood?” Nusrat replies, “They are the same. I don’t believe God cares by which language we name him.” I thought this was profound because I have often struggled with the same thought but have never been able to put it into words.

Tunnel et al also states that multicultural books should “Foster awareness, understanding, and appreciation of people who seem at first glance different from the reader.” I have learned a lot about the Middle East and Muslims after reading Under the Persimmon Tree. Due to the war in the Middle East, 9/11, and much of the media coverage done on it there has been a great misconception created about Islam and the majority of Muslims. News and media has a tendency to focus only on the very worst. Media can even exaggerate news in order to suit a specific agenda. Due to the fact that media only focuses on the Muslim fundamentalists or extremists much of the western world has been guilty of generalizing all Muslims in that negative light. Under the Persimmon Tree has taught me so much more about the Muslims who are staying to fight for their country, their family, and their tradition.

Under the Persimmon Tree is a very appealing in format. It is a mostly picture less chapter book. The one picture on the inside of the book is of a map of Afghanistan, Pakistan, and surrounding areas. This map is located at the beginning of the book and I found it to be very helpful. Under the Persimmon Tree talks about many different towns in Afghanistan and Pakistan, especially when Najmah was traveling from her home village of Golestan in the Kunduz province. The map served as a very visual representation to better understand how far Najmah traveled, and how far away Nusrat’s husband, Faiz, was.


One of my favorite things about this book is the glossary in the back. This could be a great tool to use for the classroom.

The illustration on the cover of the book was not very meaningful to me until after reading it. On the front there is a woman holding a persimmon, gazing up at the stars. The stars were very meaningful in this novel and were discussed a lot. Najmah’s name even means star. There is also a shooting star on the back. In the Middle East, many people believe that to see a shooting star is a bad omen. Nusrat taught Najmah that this was just a myth spread by evil people to strike fear in others in order to gain control over them.

After, Nusrat discovers that her husband has died she decides that she must go back to her family in America. While this makes her sad she is able to cope. While telling Asma, Faiz’s sister, that she is her family and culture of choice she says, “The culture in which I grew up doesn’t make me so unhappy now that I know what I believe in and what I value. I know who I love and why. My culture will always be with me wherever I go.” I believe this statement here is the essence of what makes this book a Notable Book for a Global Society

[Mia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I got to page 100 and stopped. I just can't do it. This godawful piece of garbage beat me. I'm actually wondering how I got this far. There are so many things wrong with this book that I'm not even sure I can list them all.
A large amount of the sentences have an absence of commas, making them either extremly choppy and short or so long that my internal voice even has to take a breath. Either way, it is exceptionally annoying. A great example of this would be in page 7, where it bares the sentence of "And only a moment later Baba-jan comes whisting down the path that leads from the pens that hold our sheep and goats at the base of the foothills of the Hindu Kush." That is one sentence.
There is also the additional issue of how she uses the same word in a very short span of time. It seems as if she was lacking a thesaurus as she was writing the book.
A third problem I spotted had only occured once in the chapter, but it caught my eye nonetheless. It is a sentence located on page 12, which has been cut to spare the decent grammar and cut to the chase. "... except for camels and donkeys and horses, and people on foot." ... There are three ands there! Revist the first grade if you must! How did this get past her editor, Jeffrey Ward? WHY?! Hey, at least she used a comma.
Also, I just really don't like that the two separate stories are told in first and third person. I have not gotten used to it yet and it's really aggravating. If it's to easily depict who's perspective that part of the book is being told from, it's not working. You might be able to tell the difference from the names at the beginning of every chapter, but what do I know?
On page 45 she used three question marks in a row. For a book, that is not proper. At all.
If that's even a word, on page 46 (hey, they're right after each other) Staples, or rather 'Nusrat' described the character Fatima as having 'bright dark eyes'. There's supposed to be some sort of poetic-like description in there, but that's just awful.
Overall, Uncle laughs too much. In the span of three pages, Staples said some variant of 'Uncle laughed' five times. That might just be a personal thing, but it bothered me.
On page 62, within the span of a paragraph a day and a half passed by. It was irritating to me, at least.
On page 63, Najmah said 'the gazelle will turn into a fish', referring the stars above her at the time and throughout her life, twice in the span of a paragraph.
In all of chapter 5, it was predictable, at least to me, that someone was going to die or get injured. Or at the very least, something bad was ought to happen. Everything was too perfect the night before the bombing, and Najmah had been gone for too long.
There, oh my Lord that took forever...

HOW AM I SUPPOSED TO READ THIS.

[Mary L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book starts out telling two separate stories, one of a woman, the other of a girl, both living in the Middle East during Taliban seizure. Najmah, is the young daughter of a shepherd family living in a Northern Afghanistan village called Golestan. Soldiers take Najmah’s father and brother, leaving her, her mother, and baby brother. Later, bombs take the lives of Najmah’s mother and baby brother and destroy their family home. Najmah heads to Pakistan in search for her father and brother. Nusrat is an American Muslim who now lives in Pakistan with her husband, who returned to his homeland to run a medical clinic and help his people in their time of need. As Nusrat awaits his return in Peshawar, she hosts the Persimmon Tree School to educate refugee children. Their two stories merge as Najmah makes her way to Nusrat. Both, desperate to find lost family members, seek answers in the stars. While in Nusrat’s care, Najmah reunites with her brother. Together they vow to honor their father by making their way back home to reclaim their land in Golestan. Nusrat endures the loss of her beloved husband and chooses to make peace with her family in America.

This is truly a heartrending tale of the struggles that take place in the world, which children should not have to endure. The author does an excellent job of immersing the reader into the characters’ lives and culture. Dari vocabulary is used throughout the text, which at first slowed me down. However, a glossary is included in the back of the book. This book is appropriate for grades 6 through 9 and includes themes of the reign of the Taliban over Afghanistan, the devastation created by war, the power of education, the loss and search for family, and trusting in others. Because both protagonists are female, this book would primarily appeal to female readers.

[Diane · Rating 2 out of 5]

I loved Staples book Shabanu, but was disappointed in this one. It is set in Afghanistan and Pakistan during 2001 - 2002 (?) and is the story of a a girl and a young woman. The woman converts to Islam, marries an Afghan doctor and moves to Peshawar where she runs a refugee school and he goes off to run a clinic in northern Afghanistan. The girl lives in rural Afghanistan and her family is killed/conscripted and she ends up at the school in Peshawar.

So much of this story is unlikely and feels artificial. The refugee school has 6 students - there were thousands and thousands of refugees. The woman chooses to put all her energy into the young girl when there is a woman in the school with who wanted to teach Afghan children - why ignore her? The wealth and class of the young woman compared withher students and the other refugees is irritating and made me angry. The young woman's conversion to Islam seemed trite - although there is a bit of information about Islam that would be good for discussion - pretty thin though compared with Shabanu.

May be worth reading since so little is available for young people about women and Islam and the middle east.

[Jacqueline · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent book! One of those books that I think everyone should read. A book that should be on every school's "reading list."

The book takes place roughly 2001-2002 in Afghanistan and Pakistan following two people: one a shepherd girl from a fictional North Afghanistan village and the other the American wife of an Afghan doctor who is living near a refugee camp for Afghans in Pakistan while her husband works at a clinic in war torn Northern Afghanistan. A series of probable events brings these two people together.

The book shows Northern Afghan culture as well as a lot of the culture of Pakistan, from the wealthy University professors to more typical Pakistani to the poor and the refugees. It also shows recent events in the part of the world in a realistic light. (The author was a reporter and did volunteer work in Afghanistan and Pakistan during this time period.) Although the reading level and tone of the book are suitable for 4-8th graders, there is plenty here for discussion and thought for older students and adults.

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Persimmon Tree is about Najmah, a girl of about eleven, who watches the Talaban kidnap her father and brother, and later her mother and baby brother are killed in an air raid. At the same time, the story of Nusrat, (originally named Elaine) who is a blonde white girl from New York, who met and married Faiz, a doctor from Afghanistan. Faiz hearing about the war in Afghanistan feels he must return home and help his people. Nusrat returns with him and teaches school at a refugee camp in Peshawar, Pakistan. In alternating chapters, these stories are told. Najmah’s story of traveling toward Peshawar and Nusrat’s story of worrying about her husband who is helping his people in Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan and teaching the refugee children. There is much discussion of the political climate in Afghanistan during this period.

This book is appropriate for grades 7-12. It could be read and discussed in discussions about the Middle East and Afghanistan in particular.

[Isaac Vandehei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall, I really enjoyed the book. At first I wasn’t too big of a fan, but then once the family problems came into play I wanted to keep reading. Every chapter switched between Najmah and Nusrat and that was a little confusing at the start because I didn’t know what was happening. The book was very upbeat and it has a good story behind it. It shows how important family really is to people and that parents would do anything for their children. This may not be a true story, but this stuff really happens. People lose their homes, land, and family members to war and that is horrifying. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. It is only 270 pages and it is very meaningful. The author makes you want to keep reading because you are so interested in what is going to happen next to these families. The ending may be sad to some, but it also shows the true value of family and what your family would want you to do.

[Ayanna Dukes · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was reading this book, A long walk to Water popped up in my mind. Their both so alike in so many ways: two points of views and they both intercept, child soldiers, losing your family but finding them in the end, and etc. Under the Persimmon Tree really makes you look at things differently, just like A Long Walk To Water. Also, I like how this book some insight on how people lives are in India or Pakistan. This book didn't disappoint me whatsoever, and I hope that you get a chance to read this amazing book.

[Magnum Michonski · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hated this book. If i could give it less than one star I would.

It's plot line was the most confusing thing ever. There were two stories happening at the same time and often switched between the two without warning. I wouldn't really mind this if at least one of the stories was a good one but neither of them were. There were both boring and didn't keep my attention at all. If you are into confusing plot lines and boring stories then this book is for you, otherwise find something else other than this waste of paper.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, but stories like this one set in war torn Afghanistan are becoming more common than they used to be. It's hard not to become a little desensitised to characters and storylines that follow a similar vein to those that I've read before (eg. The orphaned child, the American woman Muslim convert). Having said that, this novel is aimed at young adult readers and as such it would probably be quite an eye-opening read for those who haven't had exposure to this sort of subject matter before.

[Steve Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best things I've read this year. I taught this in sophomore English and had a wonderful experience. The story of an American girl in Pakistan and an Afghani girl fleeing violence in her village takes you beyond your own borders and into the strangely familiar world of finding yourself. This dual narrative can hardly be confined to an adolescent audience.

[Kayla · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very good book. It has many insights about the Muslim faith. I liked how she spoke in 3rd and 1st person when changing different characters. It helped with the point of view and made the story more interesting and catchy. I would recommend this book.

[Sasha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wayyy to depressing. Too many characters with no introduction. Instead of an intro, the author goes right into action. Yes, it was more interesting, but there were too many characters and too sad. Unless you read books for deaths, don't read this.

[Aryaan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book bored me half to death. Basically, there was 270 pages of buildup- but no climatic ending. What a disappointment.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really did not enjoy reading this book. I thought it was confusing, and it took me a while to finally realize what was going on

[Donna Hill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Afghanistan is a land of war and poverty in which there are rarely any happy endings. How can you tell its story with honesty, sensitivity and realism without leaving the reader depressed, angry or apathetic? Suzanne Fisher Staples, who worked in the region as a journalist, has found a way.

This exquisitely beautiful book changed me in ways I am having a hard time nailing down. Yes, I learned far more than I knew about this ancient culture, but that is only a part of it. I know what it didn't do. it didn't leave me more grateful that I am not living in a war-torn, impoverished nation, and it hasn't made me re-think my political or religious preferences. The change has been a quickening -- an awakening that transcends specifics.

I struggled to find a word that would describe the tone of Staples' prose. Poetic seems too bland; spiritual too religious. Somehow in the telling of the story, in shedding light upon the daily lives of the Afghan people, which are as rich with tenderness and a connection to the best of community, the land and the stars as they are poor in the eyes of the West, she elevates the reader in ways that are hopefully permanent and leaves me marveling again that the best books for all of us are often marketed to the young.

Structurally, the book is a convergence of two paths, separated by time and culture. Staples preserves this separation through the use of two points of view. Najmah, the young Afghan girl, tells her story in the first person. Nusrat, an American-Muslim who runs the Persimmon Tree School for Afghan refugees in Peshawar, Pakistan, enters our hearts through the third person account of the world that Najmah seeks to enter.

The girl and the woman are both running away from and through anguish, dependent upon their own resourcefulness and the kindness of strangers. They are also looking to the stars for guidance.

The book opens with Najmah's account of her daily life in the mountains with her brother, Nur, who torments her with stories about non-existent leopards, her gentle father (Baba-jan), who teaches them about the stars, and her pregnant mother (Mada-jan). Their farm -- with its fruit and nut trees, sheep and goats and the garden where her father grows crops for the market and flowers for his wife -- meets their needs despite the drought.

With her mother so close to giving birth, young Najmah, whose name means Star, is called upon to step up in ways that both frighten her and make her proud. Wrapping firewood in her shawl and leading the animals into the mountains to find grass allow her to learn to function despite her fears.

But, Afghanistan has been at war since Baba-jan was a boy, and Najmah has heard too much not to be afraid.

"The Taliban have said the only thing people can do to enjoy themselves is to walk in the garden and smell the flowers. But ever since the Taliban came to power five years ago, there has been drought. It's as if Allah has banished flowers to punish the
Taliban for the evil things they do to people."

After the Taliban take Baba-jan and Nur, Najmah cares for the farm and her mother. When her mother and baby brother die in the bombing, her skills are put to the test. She is forced to disguise herself as a boy and run for her life.

Nusrat, whose name means Help, grew up as "Elaine" in Watertown, New York. At ten, her beloved younger sister died. The loss sent her life into a tail-spin and caused her to question her faith and look to mathematics and science for answers. She falls in love with a Muslim doctor in New York City and is drawn to the Koran. She feels a special kinship with Islam, the cradle of mathematics and astronomy.

Six months prior to 9/11, when Faiz leaves for Afghanistan to set up a clinic in the north, she has the choice of remaining in New York or living with her husband's family in a wealthy neighborhood of Peshawar. Instead, she starts the Persimmon Tree School for refugee children. She teaches shepherd children the poetry of numbers and feeds their families while waiting for the return of her husband.

Under the Persimmon Tree is not a quest for the age-old static "Riding off into the sunset" ending with its snapshot beauty. It is a portrayal of the enduring and triumphant nature of goodness, carried aloft down paths that are often uncharted and treacherous by people who have chosen to do what is right because it is right.

It is a call not to smell the roses but to ponder the stars. Najmah's Baba-jan taught her to make a fist and to point the second knuckle at the star that never moves -- al-Qutb (the hub), which we know as Polaris, the North Star, the one constant in the skies. In knowing the stars, we will never be lost, and -- whether as guides in the physical world or through the wanderings of our hearts, they will always help us find our way home.

[Richie Partington · Rating 5 out of 5]

15 March 2005 UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE by Suzanne Fisher Staples

" 'So,' she says, wiping the tears from his cheeks with the flat of her hand, a gesture that seems so motherly that her throat closes. 'Do you need a place to stay?' The boy nods his head slowly.

"Nusrat reaches into a bowl on the table that stands in front of the window beside their chairs and picks up a bright orange persimmon that sits on top of a pyramid of ripe fruit. She takes the boy's hand and turns it palm up to place the fruit in it. She runs her finger over the calluses at the base of his fingers and below the center knuckles and looks up into his eyes, which watch her intently as she places the fruit in the cup of his palm and curls his fingers up over it.
" 'Well,' says Nusrat. 'Don't worry.' "

If you want some basic information about a foreign country, one place you can find it online is in the Central Intelligence Agency's "The World Factbook." In looking up Afghanistan in the CIA's "The World Factbook" I learned that as of 10 February, 2005 (which was when their facts were last updated), the population of Afghanistan was around 28 and a half million people. I also learned that the life expectancy at birth in Afghanistan as of 10 February, 2005 is 42 and a half years. (This compares to California with a population of 35 million and a life expectancy at birth of 79 and a half years.)
So, if I lived in Afghanistan, the odds are that I'd currently be dead for the past 7 and a half years.

Earlier this year I wrote about PINNED, a terrific story about two high school wrestlers from two different towns in New Jersey (where the life expectancy at birth is two years less than in California). As I explained in my write-up of PINNED, "In alternating chapters we get to know about complications in the lives, the loves, and the families, as well as the fears of these two young men who are clearly destined to meet at the season finale."
Well, in Suzanne Fisher Staple's latest book UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE, there are also a pair of main characters--young women who are clearly destined to meet up--and we similarly "get to know about complications in the lives, the loves, and the families, as well as the fears" of these two characters.
And since these are young females in post-9/11 Afghanistan--one there by birth, the other by choice--the complications and fears we're talking about are off the charts as compared to the average character in New Jersey, California, or just about anywhere else in the world.

"I know you're out there somewhere
Somewhere, somewhere
I know you're out there somewhere
Somewhere you can hear my voice
I know I'll find you somehow
Somehow, somehow,
I know I'll find you somehow
And somehow I'll return again to you."
--The Moody Blues

To see your father and brother conscripted at gunpoint into the Taliban, your opium poppy-growing uncle scheming to take away your family's land, and then watch your mother and newborn baby brother get blown up in a bombing by your so-called "liberators," seems like more than enough "complications" for three or four stories put together. But for Najmah (whose name means "Star"), a tweener from a shepherding family from Kunduz Province in Afghanistan, this is just the beginning of her story.

Then there is Nusrat. Nusrat was originally named Elaine. She grew up in Upstate New York. Years after the only person in the whole world who really knew her died, her sister Margaret, Elaine had immersed herself in a teaching job and a second job at an animal shelter. But she still couldn't get past the pain of Margaret's inexplicable death until she fell in love with her fellow Manhattan apartment dweller, Faiz, a handsome young doctor from Afghanistan who said her name should be Nusrat (which means "Help"). .

Now Faiz is off trying to save lives in a clinic deep in the war zone of Afghanistan, and Nusrat is just over the border in Pakistan where she spends her days teaching writing and 'rithmetic to refugee kids.

Because of the chaos of war, neither young woman has any idea whether their loved ones are dead or alive.

UNDER THE PERSIMMON TREE is an uncompromising look into the lives and hearts of these two young female characters from the other side of the world. As she did many years ago in writing the Newbery Honor SHABANU, Suzanne Fisher Staples calls upon her experiences as a UPI reporter in Afghanistan and Pakistan to bring readers as close to that world as they're likely to get in their (relatively long American) lifetimes.

Richie Partington, MLIS
Richie's Picks http://richiespicks.pbworks.com
https://www.facebook.com/richiespicks/
richiepartington@gmail.com

[Sis3 · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think I can use this at school. War torn Afghanistan. Map in the front of the book is helpful. Completely benign for language and sex. Young girl meets an American teacher and the stories coincide all while the story of family/culture and tradition coincide. The writing is not great- not a literary work at all, yet the glimpse into Afghanistan might be worth reading this . Probably middle school level yet people die, kidnapping, orphans, blood. (Teacher view)

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars, rounded up. Good story, and manages to not be too depressing in spite of characters' truly tragic circumstances. One of the two storylines is quite a bit more interesting and active than the other, although the intertwining of the two keeps the second story moving.

[F A · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book in early February. It was absolutely beautiful and heartbreaking story.

[Hannah · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this in search of a book I could use to update Shabanu for middle schoolers. To my surprise, the first chapter of the book seemed like Shabanu's character (but less detailed and less likable?) had been transported to Afghanistan. Maybe the everyday lives of girls in rural Pakistan and Afghanistan aren't substantially different, but similarities down to Najmah also feeding a baby animal (goat rather than camel) by dipping her fingers in milk and letting the baby suck on them seemed like Staples was reusing canned details. To Under the Persimmon Tree's credit, it was much faster-moving than Shabanu in the beginning, though I sadly felt much less attached to the characters. I was shocked by Baba-jan and Nur's forced conscription into the Taliban, but I feel a little ashamed to admit that Najmah's mother and Habib's death by bombing from the US only elicited a somewhat confused re-reading from me rather than any emotion. Also, I'm a bit shocked at Najmah's lack of emotional reaction towards US because of this, but it's obvious that this would have gotten in the way of her all-too-easy meeting up with Nusrat, so maybe Staples just glossed over it?

One of the main problems with the book for me was that I couldn't understand why Nusrat was part of the book. I admired her altruism, but I couldn't imagine my students empathizing much with her, and I think the only thing that kept me from actively disliking her was how she reminded me a bit of an acquaintance I'm fond of. Structurally, she added a meeting point mid-novel, but it felt like Nusrat somewhat hogged the spotlight once Najmah arrived in Peshawar, so the bit of character Najmah had faded away. Nusrat's backstory of her conversion and arrival in Pakistan had elements of interest, but they seemed out of place for a story intended for teens. I also felt like the whole character of Margaret muddied the waters as well - her sickness and (I suppose her death?) are alluded to a number of times, and they always seemed like they were waiting to come to a head in a flashback that never came. (Another side issue: why this whole thing with Najmah's uncle trying to take her family's land? I think the opium growing is an interesting dimension of the situation in Afghanistan, so I can understand why Staples wanted to add that, but the uncle seemed like a caricature of a villain shoved in simply to propel plot in a story that has much bigger tragedies to deal with.

This leads me to the other main problem I had with this book: I just can't figure out who it's for. It seems too prosaic and dominated by an adult voice at times for teens, and yet not complex enough for adults. The strength of the book seems to rely entirely on its choice of subject rather than its characters, writing, or plot. Though the early action in this might hook my students better than Shabanu does, I have a hard time seeing it keep their interest for the whole 270 pages, even with the looming creepy uncle.

I'm glad that Staples is trying to continue to build knowledge about Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Islam. Perhaps in some ways she's responding to all the criticism she got for portraying Islam (or at least, Pakistani culture - reviews that I've read don't seem to make this distinction) as anti-woman. Unfortunately, though, I don't think this book is one to reach or gain new readers with.

[Graham Bowerman · Rating 3 out of 5]

The history of Afghanistan has been very long and complex. The country lies in a strategic location in the heart of Asia. For thousands of years, various armies have invaded the region to establish control. For example, Alexander the Great, the Mongols, the Soviet Union, and most recently the United States have influenced the area.
The story takes place shortly after the fall of the “Twin Towers” in New York City. The United States military went to Afghanistan to hunt for Osama Bin Laden and other terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attack. The story revolves around the lives of the regular people and how the war affected their lives. This book had many emotional parts in it, but two really come to mind.
The book starts off with Nusrat’s husband joining the war in Afghanistan. Nusrat stays back at their village and creates a school named Nusrat’s Persimmon Tree School. She takes in Afghan refugees and gives them food, a place to stay, and an education. She has a student named Najmah, whose father and brother were taken from the Taliban, and her mother and baby brother were killed by air raids.
Nusrat also had a friend named Elaine who traveled with other teachers into the city to find the refugees food to eat. They had to sneak into the city because if one of the officers find them walking around without a man beside them, they will either be killed or put into jail. Sadly one day when Elaine was in her apartment sleeping. A man jumped through her window and robbed her. Elaine chased him down the stairs, but her neighbor Dr. Faiz stopped her so she wouldn’t get hurt. Then Dr. Faiz took her up to her apartment and wouldn’t leave her side until the cops came. When the cops finally arrived they told Ellen that she had to buy steel bars for her windows, so this wouldn’t happen again. She was not happy about this because she loved the view of the city more than anything. Elaine was very grateful that she didn’t get hurt, and that Dr. Faiz came and helped her out.
I would recommend people read this book if they like stories that have historical significance. It shows the troubles of the average citizen and how they had to go through the pain of losing their loved ones from the war. I did like how the book goes into detail about the simplest things. “She fills the kettle from the hand pump in the sink. She strikes a match and holds it to the kerosene stove until the blue flame pops to life. She lays out the things for the tea while the water heats, and when she hears the tickle of bubbles rising to the surface inside the kettle, she takes it off and pours it into the teacups.” (pg 132, Staples) And that's just about making tea. The author would describe the lives and duties of each character with such elegance.
Personally, I was not a fan of this book. I thought it was difficult to follow the storyline. The book goes back and forth over multiple heartbreaking character tales. It was also hard to follow because I was not familiar with the character names. For example, if Nusrat would have been named Nancy, and Najmah would have been named Nelly. I think I would have had less trouble reading the story. On multiple occasions, I had to re-read the chapter to understand what was going on. All and all, this was an interesting book, but just hard to comprehend.

[Annie Zuckerman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Under the Persimmon Tree is a story of hardships, hope, family and strength. The book is about a young Afghan girl, named Najmah and her journey of living through the Afghan war of 2001. The young girl lives with her mother, father, and brother. After a Taliban raid, her father and brother are taken captive, and later after a bombing, she is left alone, hungry, and forced to fend for herself. Here the idea of support and community comes into play, and Najmah finds a group of villagers who help her alter her identity and travel to a refugee camp. Eventually, Najmah begins the threatening journey of crossing the boarder into Pakistan in attempt to discover her captivated father and brother. Simultaneously to Najmah’s experience, Elaine (Nusrat) has traveled to Afghan with her husband so that he can provide doctoral assistance to those injured by the war. Elaine and her husband are separated because he ventures off to help those in dangerous territory. Without a word of his safety, Elaine attempts to keep her mind off of her worries by teaching refugee children “under the persimmon tree”. Elaine and Najmah become good friends through the commonality of being alone. Throughout the story they rely on each other for support and answers in the struggle of finding their loved ones.
Under the Persimmon Tree is an incredible story for students to experience. Though it may be too advanced for young elementary readers, this book would be hugely beneficial for upper level readers. Suzanne Fisher Staples incorporates vivid imagery to help the reader truly experience what the characters are struggling through. “Intent concentration makes a mask of his face as sweet orange juice makes a trail in the dust down his brown arm, and the other boys’ eyes shift to follow its progress” is just one example of how Staples’ words depict specific imagery that appeal to a variety of senses (Staples, 2005).
Not only is this book filled with passionate imagery and word choice, there is also an immense amount of culture compiled into each page. As someone who was eleven years old during this time period, the Afghan War of 2001 seems like a current issue rather than history, however, for young adult readers, it is a historical event that is necessary to study. Under the Persimmon Tree allows students to gain an alternative perspective on the issue because they are able to follow the lives of two women who were in the middle of it all. Instead of reading facts regarding the war in a textbook, this story allows for an unconventional educational experience, and perhaps one that students understand and hold on to for much longer.

[Kirsten · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finely drawn plot and setting, but the novel is almost completely character driven. The two women the book follows are an American Muslim married to an Afghani doctor who is working in a rural clinic while she stays in Peshawar with her family, and a teenage girl in a rural farming area who is the only one left after her brother and father are forcibly conscripted by the Taliban and her mother and baby brother are killed in a bombing. The story takes place in the weeks surrounding the destruction of the World Trade Center but only the direct impact on their lives comes into play- frequent bombings (we don't know who), lack of food, trying to connect with family without any way to communicate.

We get a feel for Nusrat's daily life and her motivation for coming and staying and continuing to try and connect with her husband, who she hasn't heard from for many months. She is lucky in that his family has accepted her completely, she has a good measure of independence, and she has found work to fill her days. She hangs on to her belief that her husband has survived steadfastly, and we never do find out what happened to him.

Najamah dresses as a boy and travels dangerous roads without much food, afraid to talk, to reach the refugee camp in Peshawar, where she is directed to Nusrat, who has a school for refugee children. Nusrat takes her in, cleans her up, and feeds her. They become close. It becomes clear that Nusrat will have to leave Peshawar for the United States and she offers to adopt Najamah, who refuses to go. Her brother shows up and together they head back to their destroyed property in Afghanistan.

The author paints an interesting picture but left the story with a really unfinished feeling. It would have been too "easy" for Nusrat to take Najamah with her, but, while in dystopian fiction I often prefer an unfinished ending, this story is too close to home- I mean, the environment is totally alien from what I know, but the background events are too recent- for me to feel like this ended satisfactorily, or at all well for anyone. Of course, there is no ending to the problems described here, especially those of Najamah and her brother. It's heartbreaking not to know what happened next, even if it would be too pat to give them a happy ending.

[Mindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a beautiful book! I loved the story and the characters. I loved learning (again) about this middle-eastern culture that is so fascinating to me. The story line of this book is different than the Shabanu series that I just finished reading, but it kept the same beautiful, complex, and magical description of culture that I really loved in her other books.

The two main characters, Najmah and Nusrat, are very different from each other, and I loved how the author wove their two stories together. She did a great job of taking two very different backgrounds, situations, and personalities, and helping them as characters and us as readers see the similarities between the two of them. I loved how she wrote in 1st person when telling Najmah's story and 3rd person when telling Nusrat's story - very engaging and effective.

I also really enjoyed her perspective on the Muslim religion. Through the different characters, one is able to understand better what the essence of this religion is - love, compassion, hope, peace. It is also amazing to me to see how their faith and hope helps them through truly terrible and tragic circumstances.

I highly recommend reading this book!

***Spoiler alert***

Here are a few quotes from the end of the story that I absolutely fell in love with. I just had to share them:

"God will help us find out about your father and brother," she says.
"But how?" I ask. "When?"
"I don't know, but believing in it will give us patience. Let's wait and see what happens."


"Islam showed me what I was already coming to believe: that science and mathematics do not so much explain the universe as describe it. And with all that we know, there is still plenty of room for magic and mystery."


"There are few happy endings in Afghanistan these days. But there are good endings, with people doing what is true to their hearts, difficult things that spare dignity, painful things that are the right thing to do. These endings are inevitable for people who are true to themselves."

[Diane Holm · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Afghan war of 2001 was a vivid reminder of the brutality, anger and hatred the division of a country can produce. Under the Persimmon Tree brings this experience to life through the perspective of Najmah, an Afghan girl and Elaine an American woman waiting in Pakistan.

Najmah, lives with her father, mother and older brother in a remote village. They have little in worldly possessions, but there is a deep bond between them. When the fearful, abusive and controlling Taliban appear food is always seized with no thought for the remaining villiagers. This time is even worse for Najmah’s family. Her father and older brother are taken captive. Only Najmah and her mother remain, left to fend for themselves.

After the bombs come Najmah is left hungry, alone and numb, but lucky to be alive. She is helped by other villagers. They change her appearance and she travels with them to a refugee camp many perilous miles away.

Elaine, her Islamic name Nusrat, is married to a fine doctor. They have come to the country so he can help his people. He is far away in dangerous territory treating those in desperate need. Nusrat was a teacher in the United States and continues to fine ways to teach some of the refugee children from the compound. With no word from her husband, Nusrat longs to know of his welfare.

In time, providence brings Najmah and Nusrat together. There friendship grows and a bond of trust is developed. But what does the future hold in this vastly devastated and war torn country?

The overall writing was very descriptive, dramatic and direct. However, to get the clearest picture, familiarize yourself with the glossary.

I found Under the Persimmon Tree to be an excellent cultural read. It will open your eyes to a way of life that must be experienced to understand.

[Tanner Walling · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for school, and I didn't enjoy it too much. However, it is probably one of the best books I have ever read for school.

The novel follows two women in 2001-ish Afghanistan. The World Trade Centers have just been destroyed, and Afghanistan is ravaged by war. Najmah is a young, teenage girl who lives in rural Afghanistan. Her life changes when the Taliban come to her village and take her father and brother. When a drone strike decimates her house and kills her mother and baby brother, she sets off across the mountains of Afghanistan with a neighbor's family to find her brother and father. The other character is Nusrat. She is an American women who married a Muslim man, converted to Islam, and moved to Afghanistan with him where he set off to help in clinics. Nusrat founded her own school, the Persimmon Tree School, and somehow (I won't tell how), the two meet.

The novel is quite the emotional rollercoaster, and there are many punch-to-the-gut moments, and events you won't believe. The novel is eye-opening, and shows much of what is happening over in Afghanistan. One of the most striking moments is when the characters visit the refugee camp, where some people have been living with practically nothing for up to twenty years, sometimes longer.

The novel had a decent pace, but since most of the action happened with Najmah, Nusrat's point of view slowed the pacing of the novel down. I would have liked to have seen some more action on Nusrat's part, as much of her sections are flashbacks to past events.

Overall, this wasn't something I would particularly read again. It was, however, a good read that I think all middle-school students should read as it is eye-opening to the events that are occurring in Afghanistan to this day.

[PRINCESS · Rating 4 out of 5]

Najmah and Nusrat are two strangers who meet under strange events. After losing and being away from their loved ones, both set a dangerous passage of searching for what keeps them alive.

Najmah is young Afghan girl who loses her family in a sudden moment. Her mother and baby bother die in an air attack and her father and elder brother are taken by Taliban to fight for them under force. She takes a decision not to stop hopping and starts her journey of searching for her lost ones and along she meets Nusrat.

Bibi Nusrat is a New Yorker lady who used to be Elaine and now is working as a teacher in Peshawar. Her husband had decided to work in one of the clinics in Afghanistan but with the current situation they were not able to see each other.
It’s not an enjoyable book; on the contrary it is a story of suffering, loneliness and lost yet with a hope not to lose your hope. It is an extra knowledge to prepare you for what is happening outside of your world. It is a guideline to teach you not to judge people without knowing them.

People lose their homes, lose their loved ones, and lose themselves not that they want or they tend to but because one arrogant regime believes that ruling and destroying another country or nation will give him a power to be God.

The book was written is a simple style and easy to read and gives you a real feeling. I loved and appreciate the small dictionary that was kept as a note so the reader will understand the meaning of origin names and words.

[Annika Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for a multicultural unit in class, and found it to be enjoyable to read because of the the facts of the culture, but the story itself was a little bit depressing and seemed to have an ending that didn't finish many questions. It wasn't exactly a cliffhanger ending, but it left me wondering what the characters would decide. It is set in Afghan, during the war with the Taliban. There are two main characters: a young girl whose father and brother are taken away to fight for the Taliban and her mother and newborn baby brother are killed in an air raid. It begins with tragedy. Meanwhile, a kindly woman whose husband fights in the war looks desperately for signs of her doctor husband. She runs a free school for the children who cannot pay and are usually in a very bad situation, whether homeless or abused, etc. She teaches them under her delicious Persimmon Tree, hence the title. Eventually, Najmah, the young girl, finds herself there, and Nusrat, the woman who runs the school, takes her in with an open heart. Najmah does not know whether her only two remaining family members are alive, and she feels great trepidation at being so far away from home, where her heart lies. The two waiting girls' fate entwines because of desperate circumstances, and it shows just how sadness and life not only pulls people apart, but also brings them more tightly together than ever before.