Oh my gosh... Stunning. Those are four words that sum up my feelings about this incredible book... basically. The ending is dramatic and sad, while simultaneously showing us that even while it seems that everything that could possibly go bad in Afghanistan is, there are also those who are trying to defy it. Those who are trying to help others, and those who are trying to offer education, health, and necessities to people who deserve it.
I finished this book upstairs, while downstairs my parents watched Kite Runner (the only story where I can say with reasonable confidence that the movie was better than the book) which was yet another horrifying story based on terrifying truths of racism and non-acceptance. Even more so than with Mortenson's first book, I was revolted by what the kids at school- myself included -complain about. The fact that there are kids in Central Asia who want so badly to go to school and then don't get the chance to even learn how to read or add because their whole world is war-torn and covered with land mines that end their lives before they have even gotten the opportunity to live. And here we are complaining because everyday we are served home-made whole-wheat pizza at lunch and some of us get it at free or reduced prices, or that we have to much homework, not even noticing that without school we wouldn't be able to read text messages or change our Facebook statuses. It is really sad.
It was Mortenson's work that made me realize the importance of education. So, I guess in the end, the underlying feeling I have is gratitude. For both school as well as Greg Mortenson's and the CAI's work.