One Half from the East
Written by Nadia Hashimi
Narrated by Ariana Delawari
4/5
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About this audiobook
Perfect for fans of Rita Williams-Garcia, Thanhha Lai, and Rebecca Stead, internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for young readers is a coming-of-age journey set in modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a bacha posh—a preteen girl dressed as a boy.
Obayda’s family is in need of some good fortune, and her aunt has an idea to bring the family luck—dress Obayda, the youngest of four sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh.
Life in this in-between place is confusing, but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. Their transformation won’t last forever, though—unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their newfound freedoms endure.
Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for adults, The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, was a bestseller that shares a bacha posh character with One Half from the East.
Nadia Hashimi
Nadia Hashimi is a pediatrician turned international bestselling novelist and daughter of Afghan immigrants. She is the author of four books for adults, as well as the middle grade novels One Half from the East and The Sky at Our Feet. She lives with her family in the Washington, DC, suburbs. Visit her online at nadiahashimibooks.com.
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Reviews for One Half from the East
52 ratings4 reviews
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A fairly straightforward story about an Afghani girl who becomes a boy to help her family and discovers joy in the freedom her new role offers. Deals with gender in a very gentle way.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A special thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins Canada for an ARC in an exchange for an honest review.
Nadia Hashimi's first YA novel is a coming-of-age story with a twist. Set in modern-day Afghanistan, we meet Obayda, the youngest girl of four sisters, who becomes a bacha posh (a preteen girl dressed as a boy) to bring her family luck.
Obayda, now Obayd, must live as though she were a boy however, is struggling as he straddles both worlds until he meets another bacha posh, Rahim. Together they try to find a way to make their transformations stick so that they can enjoy their newfound freedoms.
Hashimi explores the bacha posh in The Pearl That Broke Its Shell, and crosses over the character of Rahima/Rahim. She was interested in this part of Afghanistan's past after reading an article about how a king would use women, dressed as men, to guard his harem (trust no man!). These women are generations apart, being dressed as boys in a country where being female is a consequence.
This book is a wonderful story of tenacity, friendship, and survival set against a backdrop of harsh realities. Give it a read, you will not be disappointed. - Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Narrated by Ariana Delawari. After Obayda's father loses his leg in a car bombing, the family's fortunes suffer and they move from Kabul to her father's childhood village. To bring luck to the family with all daughters, 10-year-old Obayda dresses as a boy, or a bacha posh. She struggles with her new role until she meets Rahim (sp?) who is also a bacha posh. From strong, confident Rahim, Obayd (her boy's name) learns how to act, think, and be like a boy. It's a freeing experience compared to the sheltered existence of girls but how much longer can it last? Rahim is always referred to as "he" and "him," including by Obayd. Although her lack of differentiation in voices leads to occasional confusion, Delawari conveys the drama, frustration and joys of Obayda's journey as a boy.
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In today's world the word transgender is not a taboo. People have a choice in who they want to be. However, I can't image living in a world where the culture does put such high importance on the male that females have no choice but to become bacha posh. I am very luckily to not have to experience this. I was born in South Korea and was adopted. I thought the author did a great job of giving readers both young and old a look into another culture. For the young demographic that this book is geared towards, it is very age appropriate. Obayd and Rahim were good characters. I really did feel for them both and their situations. I am glad that this book had a happy ending. I look forward to checking out more books by this author.