Suzanne Fisher Staples titled her work Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind (Knopf Publishing, 1989. ISBN: 0-440-23856-0), and it truly has the sound she surely intended. By subtitling it Daughter of the Wind, Staples ensured that, before even reading the book, Shabanu sounds as free as the wind, and that is all she ever wanted.
Shabanu: The Basics
Shabanu wants nothing more than to continue in her simple life with her nomadic family, helping out around the homestead and dancing with her beloved camels. However that is not the plan for any good Pakistani girl – she must soon be married off. Though she has an older sister who will marry first, both of the girls’ marriages are arranged for them at the same time.
Shabanu, a mere eleven years old when the marriage is arranged, is only fearful of this impending nuptials in two years, while her sister, Phulan, could not be more excited. Phulan lies about the tent, letting people wait on her hand and foot so she will be fully ready for her new groom. However, as Papa and Shabanu travel to the market to try and sell to get money for Phulan’s dowry, they run into trouble.
Many of the militated groups on the Pakistani border do not like nomads like Shabanu’s family and one in particular makes a great deal of trouble for their family. In order to avoid this trouble and pacify the angered men, Papa must give one of his daughters to marry the leader’s brother. Shabanu immediately pities her older sister, until she realizes that Papa plans to marry Phulan to the man promised to Shabanu, and make Shabanu marry this stranger.
Feeling like she has no choice, Shabanu runs the options through her head again and again, realizing she has no escape. That is until her mother’s cousins arrive. They both escaped bad marriages to violent men and now live on their own, also as nomads. Now Shabanu is faced with the biggest decision of her life: follow her father’s wishes to make peace for her family, or run away with her cousins to a life where she calls the shots.
About Suzanne Fisher Staples
Born in Pennsylvania, Staples grew up with 3 siblings, wanting to be a reporter. She fulfilled this dream after college, as she got a job as a reporter and editor for the United Press International, giving her the opportunity to travel all over the world, observing people in all walks of life. It was here that she gained much of her inspiration for her books. Staples has written seven books, most of which are about girls or families in the middle east and their journeys in overcoming their trials. She currently working for the the United States Agency for International Development, traveling to the Middle East to report back.
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