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The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir

The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir
Author	Farah Ahmedi
Original title	The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky
Country	United States
Language	English
Publisher	Simon Spotlight Entertainment
Publication date	2005
Media type	Print (Paperback)
Pages	249
ISBN	978-1-4169-1837-0
OCLC	59552207
Dewey Decimal	305.23086/914 B 22
LC Class	HV640.4.U54 A3 2008

The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir (originally published as The Story of my Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky) is a memoir by Farah Ahmedi with Tamim Ansary. The book profiles the life of Farah Ahmedi from the time she was born in Afghanistan to when she was seventeen years old living in America.

This book highlights the struggles Farah faces throughout her life. The story begins when she was growing up in war-torn Afghanistan. One day when she was seven, Farah woke up late, so she decided to take a shortcut to school. Unknown to her, there was a landmine that was planted in the field she was cutting across. She accidentally stepped on a mine causing it to explode. After her leg was amputated, she fled to Pakistan with her mother. After which, the World Relief accepted their applications to go to America. Upon arriving to America, Farah and her mother continued to struggle with the new culture, language, technology and the speed of the modern world.

Contents

1. Overview
2. Background
3. Synopsis
4. Theme
5. Style
6. Present Day Significance
7. Famous Quotes from the Novel
8. See also
9. References
10. External links

Overview

The Other Side of the Sky: A Memoir is about Ahmedi's struggles living in Afghanistan as a young girl and her perilous journey to the United States. This poignant tale of survival is based on a true story.

Background

The war in Afghanistan and Pakistan first began around December 1979. This was named as the Soviet-Afghan War where the Soviet army invaded Afghanistan in an attempt to spread communism. In 1980, Babrak Karmal, supported by the Soviets, was given the role of becoming the country's leader. In retaliation to the Soviet invasion, the Mujahideen fought back. They were supported by the US, Pakistan, China, Iran and Saudi Arabia. By 1985, half of Afghanistan was estimated to have been displaced or to have fled to Iran or Pakistan to avoid the war. The battle continued until 1988 when Afghanistan, the Soviet Union, the US, and Pakistan signed peace agreements. After this the Soviet Union began pulling out their troops. The last of the Soviet troops left by 1989, but civil war continued as the Mujahideen tried to overthrow Najibullah who replaced Karmal in 1986.

In 1996, the Taliban took over Kabul and began enforcing their strict Islamic views which meant banning women from work and introducing Islamic punishments, stoning and amputations. Women’s rights were taken away and any form of retaliation had fatal consequences. The Taliban controlled two-thirds of the country and were recognized as legitimate rulers by Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in 1997. The Taliban were accused of bombing US embassies in Africa. The United States launched missile strikes at Osama bin Laden's bases in retaliation. In September 2001, Ahmad Shah Masood was assassinated. He was the leader of the Northern Alliance: the main opposition towards the Taliban. On September 11, 2001, Al Quaeda attacked the United States. The US led bombings in Afghanistan shortly afterwards, and Anti-Taliban Northern Alliance forces entered Kabul.

Synopsis

Laura Bush meets with Farah Ahmedi in the Diplomatic Reception Room at the White House on May 5, 2005.

The Other Side of the Sky highlights the extremity of the Afghan refugee. It exposes the precarious condition endured by many immigrants and refugees. Ahmedi asks for empathy, education, and a hopeful and dignified approach to resolving human conflicts, still present today. The narrative reflects the literary emblem of the hero’s journey as depicted in the mythologies of many cultures. Ahmedi is called to purpose in a manner make her an outlier from her people in some fashion. In this case, Ahmedi is exposed to a worldly awareness at a young age that fuels her hunger for knowledge and a broader understanding of humanity than is normally possible for a young girl in late-twentieth early-twenty-first century Afghanistan. Her journey is filled with trials meant to test her faith and resilience and to reveal her true character. Ahmedi faces numerous circumstances as a refugee and responds with faith in her religion and strength of character. Her re-settlement in America allows her to realize her attainment of peace and stability. In this case, Ahmedi’s mother’s health is vastly improved, and for her part, Ahmedi is able to progress through a number of the typical American adolescent rites of passage—but with an enlightened appreciation of humanity’s fragility that is wise beyond her years and the fruit of her journey. In Chicago, where she has settled down, Farah and her mother began to adjust to their new life, with major help from Alyce Litz, one of Farah's new friends.

Theme

The literary theme of this memoir is courage and perseverance. The triumph of the human spirit in the face of adversity is the overlying theme found. Farah displays courage to endure difficult circumstances or impossible odds, persevering through sheer determination, grit, and gall. Throughout her journey from Afghanistan to America, she faces endless problems. With her leg being amputated, being in a wheelchair and then using a prosthetic limb, she escaped to Pakistan with her mother. Along the way, she was faced with many fearful nights. Upon arriving to Pakistan, the refugee camp that she was placed in separated her from her mother. However, with the determination of building a safe life, she persevered. With the hopes of improving her quality of life, when she arrived in America, she and her mother persevered through more hardships. From being treated as maids and disrespectfully spoken to, both pushed through with their sheer grit to obtain a better life.

Style

The events of Farah's life are told chronologically in the book. It begins with explaining her life as an Afghan child and continues with telling the story of her experiences in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Germany and America until she turns 17. It is written as an autobiography, almost like am ode to her own life.

Present Day Significance

As the main focus on the novel is to present to the reader the plight of a refugee and provide some inspiration, much of the theme and main ideas are relevant today as well. Refugees still face difficulty immigrating, seeking refuge and surviving in the United States. Just as Ahmedi’s faith and character were tested in every part of her journey to a better life, many other refugees struggle. In her novel, she expresses some important characteristics she believes humanity must possess including compassion, attentive listening, respectfulness of different religions, kindness, and many more. She states that in the future, to allow refugees a better transition to their new country of residence, reaching out to them and beginning a friendship first is the ideal way. Much of her advices for the future have been implemented currently and will continue to be implemented further.

Famous Quotes from the Novel

“Alyce asks about my religion ... she listens without interruption. Then she tells me what she believes, and I listen. I see nothing wrong with listening to each other's beliefs. I want to know about her religion, just as she wants to know about mine. We can talk about our beliefs without pushing each other to feel wrong.”

― Farah Ahmedi, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

This quote briefly takes on the notion of being respectful of one another’s religions, opposing beliefs and traditions. Attentively listening to the others with an open mind is the main idea of this quote.

“This country was built by refugees. And yet look how it has advanced, look how it has developed! ... Here, where people from many cultures, many religions, and many parts of the planet have come together, they have built such an advanced society. It amazes me. ... Why has America done so well?”

― Farah Ahmedi, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

A country that once was also built by refugees and encompasses a multitude of different religions is now one of the largest and most influential countries in the world. In this quote, Ahmedi is explaining, while questioning, that if all people can come together as one, despite their differences, a powerful country can emerge.

“I know it's hard for American students to reach out to us refugees, and maybe you worry about being rejected or put on the spot. But here is one thing I want to say in this book: it's harder for us to reach out to you - we, with our clumsy English. I want to say, Don't be afraid of us - you have to understand: We're afraid of you. We want to make friends, but you have to take the first step.”

― Farah Ahmedi, The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

This last quote speaks about friendship and a kind welcome for the refugees. As new immigrants, it is more difficult for them to create friendships and there is an underlying hope that someone will reach out to them. This can assist their adjustment to the new country and allow a more comforting space for them to build their life in.

See also

• Johnny Got His Gun
• Landmine
• Mujahideen
• September 11 Attacks
• Taliban
• Al Quaeda

References

1.    ^ Haynes, Monica (May 2, 2005). "Afghan teen who lost leg promotes prize-winning book". Post-Gazette. Retrieved July 29, 2013.

2.    ^ "Farah Ahmedi." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Feb. 2013. Web. 20 May 2013. Hampton Brown. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print. "The Other Side of the Sky: Summary and Book Reviews of The Other Side of the Sky by Farah Ahmedi, plus Links to an Excerpt from The Other Side of the Sky and a Biography of Farah Ahmedi."BookBrowse.com. N.p., 2007. Web. 20 May 2013.

External links

·       Information and reviews from Amazon.com

·       History of wars and conflicts in Afghanistan