Bacha Posh
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Summary:
Kabul, Afghanistan. Fifteen-year-old Farrukh coxes a rowing team in training for the Olympics. But Farrukh is a bacha posh, a girl brought up as a boy because she has no brothers. On the day she gets her first period, Farrukh must become Farrukhzad again. She has to give up school, rowing, her male friends, and her freedom to wear a burqa and train her little sister to become a bacha posh in turn. At first Farrukhzad stops eating, but then she decides to fight to remain free.
Edited by: Université Sorbonne Paris Nord
Comment:
A powerful, memorable novel exploring gender roles in Afghanistan and Islam. The text alternates between standard third-person narrative and extracts from Farrukh’s diary. Farrukh’s story raises the question of identity beyond genre, equality for women, and self-affirmation. He is an inspiring character, combative and headstrong, torn between loyalty to his family and religion and self-respect. The sober, elegant style earned the novel the Prix NRP in 2013, the Prix Sésame in 2014, and a prize from Austrian high school readers.