The Sleeping Buddha

by Hamida Ghafour

This is an evocative family memoir and unique portrait of Afghanistan from a young Afghan journalist. Hamida Ghafour's family fled Kabul after the Russian invasion. In 2003, she was sent back by the Telegraph to cover the country's reconstruction. She finds a place changed utterly from the world her parents had described and her grandmother - an Afghan Virginia Woolf - had written about. All around her is the West's first post-9/11 experiment with an Islamic democracy. But the people she meets reveal a different kind of nation the 'beautician without borders' whose school teaches women a new kind of independence; her cousin's determined parliamentary campaign; and, the archaeologist digging for his country's lost civilization in the form of a giant sleeping Buddha. As she participates in her country's present, its elusive past and her family's own story come vividly together for Hamida. But only when she's standing by her grandmother's grave - after a heavily escorted Chinook trip to the wildest corner of the land - does she start to find her own place in it all.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Asia, Memoir, Classics, Book Club, Travel

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Tricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a heavy but informative read. It has certainly enlightened me to some of the problems and complexities there will be in any attempted "reform" of this troubled country. It was a holiday read - and I found myself re-reading lines a fair bit as it is not a book you can easily read with interruptions. I recommend this to people wanting to delve into the truth behind current affairs as well as those wanting to learn a bit more about the state of Afghanistan from a Afghan point of view, taking into account its history and the religious beliefs of its people.

[TheTyee.ca]

Hamida Ghafour was born in Afghanistan, but grew up in Toronto after her family fled the country in 1981. It wasn't until she was in her mid-20s -- after two decades of war on Afghan soil -- that she felt the urge to return. In 2003, she did. And she can't believe what she saw.

For Ghafour, Afghanistan existed mainly in the memories and photos passed down by family members who lived in pre-Soviet Afghanistan. When she retuned a few years ago, the Taliban had been officially ousted, but the country was in shambles. Women had to cover their heads on the street, and NATO forces were far from defeating radical...
Read more...
http://thetyee.ca/Books/2007/05/24/Gh...

[Zahra · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book confused the shit out of me but I enjoyed it. I think that sums it up. Good read because it got me wanting to know more about Afghanistan and its past. At certain points however, I did find myself getting annoyed at Ghafour because she acts 'holier-than-thou' from the perspective of her first world upbringing and you ask yourself why she can't decide who she wants to be. You can't have both things, Hamida!

[LUPAGIALLA · Rating 4 out of 5]

🤍 Una storia coinvolgente 🤍

Premessa: sono abbastanza ignorante per quanto riguarda la storia e l'attualità di questo paese, quindi la mia recensione è solo da lettrice semplice che si è ritrovata questo libro fra le mani.

Mi è piaciuto. Trovo che il modo di scrivere di Hamida Ghafour sia molto interessante, decisamente nelle mie corde. Ho seguito con curiosità la storia e mi sono sentita commossa e interessata per tutta la lettura.
Ho trovato un po' lenti alcuni tratti e ho faticato a riprendere la lettura in alcuni punti, ma erano momenti passeggeri.

[Glenys · Rating 2 out of 5]

very rare for me, did not finish....

[Agnes Goyvaerts · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would consider this book to be educational. It is essential to anyone who wants to understand what is going on in Afghanistan today and how history has brought events to where this country is now. I learnt not only about the culture and people of this land, but also about what the U.N. and the U.S.A. are doing there, something I did not know much about. Because the author is Afghan herself, though she was brought up in Canada, she is able to be close to the people and get their stories, making this a unique and touching document, letting the reader make up their own mind and receive a realistic picture of the problems but also of the beauty of these people and their land. The last two chapters give quite a current update (up to 2006) on how the young people of Afghanistan are coping with the war and destruction around them while growing up, how it is affecting them, and how lost they are, yet wishing for a life of peace and prosperity just like youths everywhere else. Hamida looks at her country through the eyes of a western woman but gives us a deep understanding of this fascinating, if troubled country. I wanted to keep reading, could not put down the book, but at the same time was trying to stall ending it, probably will be my favourite book of 2011

[Jude Grebeldinger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Afghanistan history is complicated, tragic, and so broken by well meaning and not so well meaning powers that there is little hope for the people. Drug lords, tribal conflict ,international interference, Taliban atrocities...it all adds up to a horrid life to the Afghan people as they are the unfortunate "non combatants ' that pay the ultimate price. As Hamida explores her grandmothers life and death, she discovers her country anew and quotes poetry from another time, long forgotten by the people today. Tragic but meaningful for today.

[Miranda · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love reading about other cultures and societies so I was excited about this book. alas, I gave up after three chapters. the author does speak about her family and their Afghan roots but the story is interspersed with so many facts, dates, history, that it became increasingly difficult for me to follow the stories of individual family members. however, I did learn more about the recent history of Afghanistan, the background of the conflicts there and the struggle to establish a modern democracy while trying to retain the country's identity.

[Christel Keijzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

a very objective and insightful impression of Afghanistan by a woman who tells of her family's past life in Afghanistan and the changes the country has undergone after they emigrated. As an adult she had opportunities to go back as a reporter / researcher to witness the political changes the country went through from various perspectives.

[Maggie May · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. I learned so much about the history of afghanistan. It was very well written and very interesting. Its a must read for anyone who has remote interest in current affairs.

[Jill · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wasn't able to finish it, which is very hard for me to admit because I almost NEVER give up on a book I have chosen to start. It was just so dry, like I was reading my grade 11 Global History text. I expected a bit more personalization, but it felt more like a list of facts and a timeline.

[Deborah · Rating 2 out of 5]

interesting.

[Deborah · Rating 1 out of 5]

interesting story of Afghanistan through one family's eyes.

[Renate · Rating 4 out of 5]

My review is on Amazon.

[Deborah · Rating 4 out of 5]

An astonishing insight into life and the politics behind the rise to power of the Taliban. Very memorable.

[Sai Rasathurai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.
Gives you a whole new perspective on Afghanistan and how it was before the war.
Highly recommended.
:)

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

A worthwhile read. A helpful insight to to the sad situation in Afghanistan with dismal prospects for resolution, either with or without external help.

[Mar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gives some of the history of Afghanistan and how the situation got to where it is today. (as of early/mid 2000's).

She has knowledge and interest b/c her family is from there.