Shooting Kabul

Shooting Kabul

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade contemporary
• Originally Published: 2010
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 800L; grades 3-7
• Structure/Length: 25 chapters plus epilogue; approx. 288 pages; approx. 6 hours on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: While fleeing Afghanistan with his family in 2001, 11-year-old Fadi loses track of his 6-year-old sister, and she is left behind. After settling in San Francisco, Fadi struggles with his guilt as well as the challenges of fitting in at his new American school.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Discrimination against Muslims; bullying

N. H. Senzai, Author

• Bio: Born in Chicago; grew up speaking two languages; has traveled extensively, including in Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Russia, Egypt, and India; at her boarding school in London, was admired by classmates for surreptitiously reading comic books in class; attended UC Berkeley and Columbia University; lives in San Francisco with her family
• Other Works: Saving Kabul Corner (2015; with Shooting Kabul, part of the Kabul Chronicles); Ticket to India (2016); Escape from Aleppo (2020)
• Awards: Middle East Book Award (Middle East Outreach Council; 2010); APALA Asian/Pacific American Awards for Literature (2010-2011); Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year (2011); Oregon Battle of the Books List (2015)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Taliban’s Transition From Afghanistan’s Savior to Its Oppressor
• Photography as a Means of Connecting Cultures
• 9/11 and Islamophobia in the United States

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the historical and social contexts regarding the Taliban political regime in Afghanistan, which drove many Afghans like Fadi and his family to flee their country of origin for international protection in the US
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to make connections to the themes of The Taliban’s Transition From Afghanistan’s Savior to Its Oppressor and 9/11 and Islamophobia in the United States.
• Plan and develop a creative response that demonstrates an understanding of narration style and character perspective regarding Mariam’s experience.
• Analyze and evaluate plot and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the importance of photography in the novel, the characters' views of the Taliban, and other topics.