"Rose afghane"

One month ago a professor asked us to read the book of Frank Andriat untitled "Rose afghane". I was unhappy about it because in general I am not interested in the subjects like war or in the novels for teenagers. The book is composed of six chapters, one chapter tells one story. The stories are different but there is one point in common – the war in Afghanistan. However, this book picked my curiosity and I am glad to have read and learned some things that are described in this book, things I was not aware of, for example the brutality of the Taliban. During their reign girls could not study on the university. Or a person who was homosexual could be ran over with a military machine in the middle of the street.

But it is undeniable that this book is sad and I sometimes had tears in my eyes when I was reading it. The consciousness that they have lost of their family members, that they have to live in a foreign country with different customs is very sad, even if theoretically they are no longer in danger.

The subject of war is present in each history, because it constitutes the base of all these events. As war is a very difficult subject, situations that concern it are also difficult. There is a girl who knows that her mother is going to die and she can not even say goodbye, because every second is precious and her mother gave her life so that she and her brother could escape. For me, this situation is unimaginable and so sad. Then, the wars that took place in Afghanistan still allowed to be happy for its inhabitants, but the reign of the Taliban did not allow this. They were really violent. Afghans live in constant fear by not really knowing who is their enemy. There are suicide bombers everywhere, they blow up even during the wedding party just to hurt the most of people. Even children can have the bombs, because they are innocent and above suspicion. In Afghanistan there are violence, blood, bombs, gunpowder, the noise of airplanes that are constantly passing... Innocent civilians are killed and this is called collateral damage. Afghanistan is a minefield. The Taliban hate beauty, joy and love. However, there are some individuals that are capable of human behavior despite war and rivalry. For example, the Soviet soldier who took a little girl out of the street into her house with a big smile on his face. He didn't hurt her. Or another soldier who offered a chocolate bar to an Afghan girl.

In brief, I am very happy and grateful that someone made me discover this book which is really beautifully written.