cultural struggles in shooting kabul

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In N. H. Senzai’s novel Shooting Kabul, a person’s character is shaped by the way they embrace or struggle against their cultural roots. Nation, culture, and society can add an incredible impact on someone’s live. In this novel, Fadi suffers through his sisters sudden absents, bulling, and the struggle of fitting in with society. He comes across many complex obstacles, but in the end overcomes them all.
In the summer of 2001, Fadi and his family make a dangerous decision to illegally leave their home country Afghanistan and move to the United States. Sadly, Fadi’s little sister Miriam gets separated from her family. Fadi struggles to deal with the guilt of losing his sister once his family settled in San Francisco. Fadi believed that he will ever see his sister again. He longs for the courage to tell his family the truth that it is his fault Miriam is gone because he let go of her hand that night. In the novel, Fadi states “Everyone thinks it’s their fault she’s gone. But it’s my fault, not anyone else’s. I’m the one who doesn’t deserve to belong to this family. I’m the one who’s torn it apart” (Senzai 72). Fadi feels like he has failed and torn his family apart. Losing his sister is a big obstacle for Fadi; he goes through a lot of stress and depression and is constantly blaming himself. But Fadi doesn't give up and finds a way to overcome his struggle. He enters a competition and the grand prize is a trip to India. Fadi sees this as a chance to return to Afghanistan and find his sister. He struggled through his sisters absents but is given another chance to fix his faults.
Fadi not only has to struggle with losing his sister, but also have to struggle through the constant taunting and teasing from the two school bullies Fe...

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...s with oppression, fear, guilt, prejudice, and bullying, as well as hope, and family honor. Fighting and defending Fadi’s cultural background isn’t easy in a new country. On top of that, he struggles not only with the typical problems of fitting into middle school, but also with the discrimination often presented toward any immigrant after the 9,11, 2001 attacks. Luckily Fadi and his family always look at the positive outcome of things, making honorable decisions even in the roughest situations. As Fadi faces the loss of his sister, bullying at school, and adapting to a new home in America, he always stays strong. Fadi struggles against his cultural roots by moving on with life. While Fadi is forced into the devastating events of the attack, he also provides a story of hope and resurgence.

Works Cited

Senzai, N. H. Shooting Kabul. Simon & Schuster, Inc., 2010.

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