How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Parvana started to cry. "The Taliban… one of the soldiers… he was chasing me."
"Dry your tears. Under such a circumstance, running was a very sensible thing to do. I always thought you had the makings of a sensible girl, and you've just proven me right. Good for you! You've outrun the Taliban. Where are you going with all that bread?" (5.23-5.24)
Parvana knows going to the marketplace is a bad idea, but she sets aside her fear because her family is starving. When confronted by a Talib solider, she lets her instincts take over and runs away as fast she can—in this moment, Parvana summons the courage to protect herself (and the bread) for the sake of her family. Luckily she runs right into Mrs. Weera, who praises the young girl for using her smarts… even though she is crushing the bread.
Quote #5
Parvana began to tremble.
"You are a letter reader?" he asked in Pashtu.
Parvana tried to answer, but she couldn't find her voice. Instead, she nodded.
"Speak up, boy!" A letter reader who has no voice is no good to me."
Parvana took a deep breath. "I am a letter reader," she said in Pashtu, in a voice that she hoped was loud enough. "I can read and write in Dari and Pashtu." If this was a customer, she hoped her Pashtu would be good enough. (6.15-6.19)
This man wants his letter read and is in no mood to deal with this kid who won't even speak. If Parvana is going to survive, she needs to find the courage to read this man's letter with confidence.
Quote #6
She turned around to plead with her mother. "Don't make me do this!"
"You see?" Nooria said in her nastiest voice. "I told you she was too scared."
"It's easy to call someone else scared when you're safe inside your home all the time!" Parvana shot back. She spun around and went outside slamming the door behind her.
Out on the street, she kept waiting for people to point to her and call her a fake. No one did. No one paid attention to her at all. The more she was ignored, the more confident she felt. (6.59-6.62)
Parvana is the family's only hope for food since she can physically pass as a boy—but while the family is excited about this plan, Parvana is just terrified. Luckily, she is so mad at Nooria that she doesn't even realize she's thrusting herself into the marketplace, and once she gets there, she realizes her family is right—no one is really concerned about her. This gives her courage to buy what she needs.