Review of The Afghan Cinderella

[Grace Roland]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Afghan Cinderella" by Dr. Sherzai.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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Life has its way of making the rich beg for bread. In just the twinkle of an eye, the rich can lose everything and the poor can have everything.

The Afghan Cinderella by Dr. Sherzai is a historical non-fiction book about the history of Afghanistan. It first tells the story of Masuma. Masuma was the granddaughter of the Behsudi Hazara Tribal Chief of a small village high up in the mountainous regions of Central Asia besides the Kohi-Baba mountain range. Her father was the heir to his father, but things changed after they were attacked. The father ran with his household, but he lost his wife and their newly born child. He was left with the two girls, but he died too, leaving the two girls with their uncle, who didn't care because he was after their inheritance. Shortly after, Masuma lost her sister to childbirth. She found favor in the eyes of the princess and was accepted into the loyal family where she was trained as a princess. She grew from a young orphan to a beautiful, well-spoken princess. She got married to a prince, Sardar Azizullah Khan, the first and only son of Shahzada Nasrullah Khan (Amir's younger brother). Soon, everything changed. They lost everything. She and her family started begging for bread and found it very difficult to feed their children. What happened? Did they recover from it? Read to find out.

I had to finish this book in one sitting. I was so engrossed that I forgot to do my chores. I found myself smiling, laughing, and crying too. Masuma's story is so interesting and emotional at the same time. I cried out when Shahzada Nasrullah Khan was killed. The most painful part is that this is a true life story. Let's not talk about when Masuma's second daughter died because I couldn't hold back the tears and shouting. The book took me to Afghanistan, and I could imagine myself there, beside Masuma. I'm not a fan of historical books, but I found myself completing this one. I would say the history of Afghanistan is a very heroic one, though very scary and full of suspense. From this story, one can tell how complicated and dynamic the history of Afghanistan is. I still can't get myself to forget the deaths of good people in the book. Masuma lived a life full of tragedy and poverty, but that didn't stop her from being a mother and wife. It only made the love between her and her husband worse. I can only imagine how life deals with good people.

There was nothing to hate about this book; I just found it difficult to get the names. The suspense was worth it. I loved the picture evidence to show the faces of historians; it made the book more relatable. The date also made the book detailed. I love the author's writing style. She has a way of making a reader want to know more. I love how relatable she made the story look. Her writing skills are so great and she has a way of engaging her audience. I can tell you a little about Afghanistan's history now, and I'm so happy. I consider this to be a memoir, but since it wasn't written by her grandmother, I will take it as the author said. Thank you, Sherzai, for sharing your grandmother's story. It takes a brave heart to share such a story.

This book gets 4 out of 4 stars from me. It was exceptionally well edited. There was nothing to dislike. I recommend it to everyone that loves historical fiction or non-fiction.

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The Afghan Cinderella
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[Wren Michaels]

This is such an interesting take on the classic Disney story, and what a great way of exploring Afghanistan’s history. Thank you for your well-written review.

[Yasmine Zaki Muhieddine]

The story is captivating and full of twists. I love books that have the ability to transport you in the story, it must very well written and enjoyable. I understand what you wrote about the names being confusing. I didn't read the book yet, but the few names in the review alone are very similar. Thank you for the review.