While reading Marina Nemat's The Secondhand Bookseller, my first thought was about Ayatollah Khomeini's regime. Neither my roomie or I had any idea what or who it was about. So what did I do? Googled it. Works every time. I found out that Ayatollah Khomeini was a radical Muslim leader who challenged the world’s infidels in the name of Allah. For all of you who are not aware, Allah is another word for God. In Arabic, the word means "the God." All of that information is besides the point, though. The story starts off with Marina talking about her relationship with her mother. She shared with her audience that she tried to stay away from her mother as much as possible, therefore, she spent a lot of time in her room by herself...reading. She shared with us that she borrowed many books from her school library, but she had already read them all at least three times. Her and her mother were not wealthy by any means, which meant Marina was not able to buy any more books to read. She saved up her own money and snuck out of the house to go buy a book from the Secondhand Library downtown. She walked into the library and was confronted by a little old man who introduced her to the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe series. Marina didn't have enough money to buy it, but the older gentleman allowed her to take it anyway. She took the book home, read it twice, and came back for more. This time, the old man allowed her to borrow the book, because he obviously caught onto the fact that she loved to read and didn't have enough money to buy the books. What a sweetheart, don't you think? Marina's story was very descriptive, allowing the reader to get a good idea of what she was going through. You could tell how badly she wanted the books, and how hard she was willing to work in order to get them. As the reader, I was able to picture the library, the little old man, and the many other things that Marina thoroughly described in her story. I personally felt bad for Marina, because you can tell she was a very young girl full of passion and intelligence. It isn't fair that she was arrested only for speaking out about Ayatollah Khomeini's regime in her science class. Let alone at the age of sixteen! I enjoyed reading Marina's story, and I hope that she is able to inspire young girls just like her in the future.
Hi there Taylor. Thank you for the information about Muslims and Allah, It really intrigued me. I never thought that deep about Ayatollah Khomeini's regime. I think it was very cool that you took the time to look it up and to inform your classmates about it. I like how you pointed out how sweet the bookkeeper was, I agree. I think it was a very generous thing what he did and I wish there were more people like him in this world. I think he saved Marina in a sense that he saved her soul. Without him she would not be learning new things and she would not have access to all of the information that she obtained from his bookstore. I really enjoyed this little novel about reading and it really caught my eye. I think that she will definitely be able to change little women and help make a big inspiration in them and the way they think. In a sense I would call her a hero. When I think hero I think of someone who fights for what she believes and stands up for the right thing. Sometimes the right thing can be seen wrong by a society but when someone stands up for what they truly believe is right and help to speak out for all of those who cannot I consider them as heroes too. That is why I would like to consider Marina as a hero, because she talked about what she thought was right and she wasn’t afraid to stand up for all the women in her society.
ReplyDeleteHey Austin. You are welcome for the information about Muslims and Allah. I am sure it intrigued you. I thought deep about it, because I was interested and wanted to understand the reading so I figured if I researched it I would get it. It was nice to know the girls background before even reading the story. I thought the bookkeeper was a good guy for letting her use the books and have them. I think he could tell that she wasn't very fortunate with the books and she wasn't able to buy them. When I pictured the bookkeeper I pictured a cute little old man with glasses. Thats good that you enjoyed the reading and that it caught your eye. I hope that she will be able to affect little girls and help them and inspire them. I agree with you when you say she is a hero. I think of a hero when I think of someone who can change or impact someones life by doing something for them. Whether it be help them or discipline them or anything else. I agree with your belief of a hero being someone who does the right thing and believes in themselves. I think she was a hero because of what she did. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she believed and she let everyone know it. Hopefully other women in this world will take after her and stand up for themselves. Thank you for the comment!!! Good luck with your blogs!
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