Enduring Freedom - Hardcover

Reedy, Trent; Arash, Jawad

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1643750402 ISBN 13: 9781643750408

Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, 2021

Synopsis

This powerful novel set in the tumultuous times surrounding 9/11 follows a teenage American army private and an Afghan boy living under the Taliban as they discover they have much more in common than they ever could have imagined.​

Baheer, a studious Afghan teen, sees his family’s life turned upside down when they lose their livelihood as war rocks the country.
 
A world away, Joe, a young American army private, has to put aside his dreams of becoming a journalist when he’s shipped out to Afghanistan.
 
When Joe’s unit arrives in Baheer’s town, Baheer is wary of the Americans, but sees an opportunity: Not only can he practice his English with the soldiers, his family can make money delivering their supplies. At first, Joe doesn’t trust Baheer, or any of the locals, but Baheer keeps showing up. As Joe and Baheer get to know each other, to see each other as individuals, they realize they have a lot more in common than they ever could have realized. But can they get past the deep differences in their lives and beliefs to become true friends and allies?
 
Enduring Freedom is a moving and enlightening novel about how ignorance can tear us apart and how education and understanding can bring us back together.

"Through Baheer, readers ages 12 and older will gain some understanding of life under the Taliban; of the concussive shock of 9/11 as felt in Central Asia; of Afghans’ varied responses to the American invasion; and most of all the transformative promise of schooling. Through Joe, an aspiring journalist, readers experience not only the throb of post-9/11 patriotism but also the tedium, camaraderie and sudden terrors of soldiery in a war zone." —The Wall Street Journal

About this title

About the Author

Trent Reedy served as a combat engineer in the Iowa Army National Guard from 1999 to 2005, including a year’s tour of duty in Afghanistan, where he befriended Jawad Arash. Based upon his experiences there, he wrote his debut middle-grade novel, Words in the Dust, which won the Christopher Medal and was chosen for Al Roker’s Book Club for Kids on the Today show. His novels Stealing Air, If You’re Reading This, and the Divided We Fall trilogy were Junior Library Guild selections. Trent also writes a weekly military life column for the Washington Examiner. He lives with his family outside Spokane, Washington.

Jawad Arash's home country of Afghanistan has been at war throughout his entire life. Nevertheless, Jawad remained optimistic for his future. Despite challenges imposed by war, he developed a love for learning and wanted to help build a new and better Afghanistan. Enduring Freedom is his debut novel.

Reviews

Gr 9 Up—Set in the aftermath of 9/11, this story follows two young men from opposite ends of the earth whose lives have changed forever. Joe, a white U.S. Army soldier studying to be a journalist in his freshman year of college, is sent on his first tour to Afghanistan. Ready to take on the Taliban and seek vengeance on those who were responsible for 9/11, Joe comes to the realization that Afghanistan is not what he expected. Baheer, a teenage boy living in a war-torn Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban, is trying to live day by day. Given the choice between farm work or going to school, Baheer realizes quickly that the future he wishes for Afghanistan lies in learning. When Joe and Baheer's worlds collide, both are challenged in their beliefs, responsibilities, cultural differences, duties to their country, and their people. An unlikely relationship is formed and put to the test. Readers will find Baheer to be a genuine teenage boy whose struggles do not change him from doing what is right based on Islamic teachings he learns from his grandfather. Joe's growth is more apparent as he challenges himself to write the truth. VERDICT Loosely based on the authors' real-life experiences with each other, this is a story of friendship, hardship, acceptance, and courage.—Sara G. Ahmed, Upper Darby Township + Sellers Memorial Free Pub. Lib., PA

Edition details

• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 2021
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1643750402
• ISBN 13: 9781643750408
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 368