Books like The Story of My Life: An Afghan Girl on the Other Side of the Sky

Should be required reading for all High Schoolers and those of us lucky to live comfortable lives in suburban America. Once you have read this book you will never again look at someone obviously from a different culture from you in the same light.I picked it up by chance while browsing at the bookstore and read it easily in a couple of hours. It is written in the transparent style and emotional clarity of a child. You can almost sense the translation of language and culture as Farah's limited life of simple happiness in Afghanistan is abruptly terminated and new lives are veiled and unveiled as her childhood is lost.Through determination that most adults would not have, she finds herself in suburban Chicago (Wheaton, Glen Ellyn, Carol Stream) where she grows into a young woman and into a new culture. I gave this book 5 stars as it is suitable for kids, teens and adults and gives an objective perspective into two different cultures and religions in a way that sometimes only the innocence of a child can bring.