Shabanu

"Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind" is a 1989 novel by Suzanne Fisher Staples. It is narrated by a young girl who lives in the Cholistan Desert and centers on the story of her coming-of-age. It is succeeded by the novel "Haveli". Staples had lived in Asia for about twelve years prior to writing the novel. [cite book |last=Cai |first=Mingshui |coauthors= |editor= Dana L. Fox and Kathy G. Short (eds.) |others= |title=Stories Matter: The Complexity of Cultural Authenticity in Children's Literature |origdate= |origyear= |origmonth= |url= |format= |accessdate=2008-09-17 |accessyear= |accessmonth= |edition= |series= |volume= |date= |year= 2003 |month= |publisher=National Council of Teachers of English |location= |language= |isbn=0-8141-4744-5 |oclc= |doi= |id= |pages=179 |]

Plot Summary

Shabanu lives in the Cholistan Desert in Pakistan near the border of India. She is the second daughter of a peaceful, loving family of camel breeders. Shabanu is on the brink of womanhood; her older sister Phulan is already marriageable, and soon will be married to Hamir, a cousin of their family's. Shabanu is also betrothed to Hamir's brother, Murad. At eleven years old, Shabanu is not interested in marriage; she enjoys tending to the animals and especially teaching tricks to her beloved camels, Mithoo and Xhush Dil. Before Phulan's wedding, however, disaster strikes: Shabanu and Phulan accidentally stumble upon several strange men in the desert, among them an old, wicked landowner named Nazir; coveting Phulan's youth and beauty, Nazir murders her soon-to-be-husband, Hamir, and plans to take Phulan for himself. Phulan has no choice but to marry Hamir's brother, Murad, instead. When Shabanu learns that she must marry Nazir's brother, Rahim-"sahib", an old man who already has three wives, to save her family and her sister's new marriage, she must make a choice between running away and obeying the wishes of her family.

Main Characters

*Shabanu - an eleven-year-old girl living in the Cholistan Desert
*Phulan - Shabanu’s older sister
*Mama - Shabanu’s mother
*Dalil Abassi (Dadi) - Shabanu’s father, a camel breeder
*Auntie - the sister of Dalil Abassi
*Grandfather - Shabanu’s grandfather
*Sharma - a female cousin of Mama and Dadi's
*Fatima - Sharma’s daughter
*Hamir - Shabanu’s cousin; Phulan’s husband-to-be
*Murad - Shabanu’s cousin; Shabanu’s husband-to-be, but who later marries Phulan instead
*Nazir-"sahib" - wicked landowner who murders Hamir
*Rahim-"sahib" - Nazir’s brother, who later takes Shabanu as his fourth wife

Major themes

The novel focuses on female adolescence and the problems that females coming of age face.Themes Include:
*Love
*Adolescence
*Choices

Awards and nominations

Received in 1990 the Newbery Honor award.

References