An emotional and sweeping memoir of love and survival–and of a committed and desperate family uprooted and divided by the violent, changing landscape of Afghanistan in the early 1980s.Before the Soviet invasion of 1980, Enjeela Ahmadi remembers her home–Kabul, Afghanistan–as peaceful, prosperous, and filled with people from all walks of life. But after her mother, unsettled by growing … growing political unrest, leaves for medical treatment in India, the civil war intensifies, changing young Enjeela’s life forever. Amid the rumble of invading Soviet tanks, Enjeela and her family are thrust into chaos and fear when it becomes clear that her mother will not be coming home.
Thus begins an epic, reckless, and terrifying five-year journey of escape for Enjeela, her siblings, and their father to reconnect with her mother. In navigating the dangers ahead of them, and in looking back at the wilderness of her homeland, Enjeela discovers the spiritual and physical strength to find hope in the most desperate of circumstances.
A heart-stopping memoir of a girl shaken by the brutalities of war and empowered by the will to survive, The Broken Circle brilliantly illustrates that family is not defined by the borders of a country but by the bonds of the heart.
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This story was heartbreaking in so many ways, it was really raw and vivid and we could feel the angst each character was experiencing at all times.
I really didn’t know much about Afghanistan before just what we usually see on the news and sometimes in a few conversations I had in the past with my father but I never knew how was like it before the war, before the Russian invasion.
The Broken Circle is the story of a family who is trying to survive all these awful changes that are practically ripping apart many families and making their country into something it wasn’t.
The people of Afghanistan had different beliefs and traditions many were very empathic, kind, and lovable but the new regime changes everything even the textbooks in school trying to make all men angry with the world. they even change the religion making people angrier beside kinder.
The broken circle is the story of Enjeela Ahmadi, a beautiful young lady who narrates every single change and burden they had to endure to be able to finally live in peace.. when the Russian regimen arrive her family had to escape and find a way to survive in another country. after many years, of separation and many terrible situations, Enjeela finally meets her family this time it is forever.
One of the things that I had a very hard time with, was when Enjeela mother left, I never understood why she wasn’t caring and loving with Enjeela, she only wanted someone to care and shower her with affection, I felt her sadness and her low self-esteem when things like that happened to her
What I love about this book is to see the change in Enjeela, you can definitely see how much she has changed when they arrive in India, as she no longer wants to spend her time and money in vanities, she has suffered a lot and now she knows the value of things especially the value of her family.
so many things to learn about other countries that news keep showing as if they really were nothing but dust and guns, it was beautiful to know more about a country that has been very misunderstood, I wish many of us knew how beautiful Afghanistan was before the invaders arrive (The invaders are always the ones who destroy the beauty of our countries, people and tradition)
I want to send all my love and admirations to Enjeela thank you for showing us your strength and determination with your words.
I really recommend reading this book it was a nice journey even if it was sad at times..
I don’t usually read memoir, but this one, set in Afghanistan about love and survival, is a wonderful fast read.
An inspiring story about one family’s escape from Afghanistan. It’s incredible to see what Afghanistan was like at that time, and how it drastically changed. The courage of the family, particularly the children, is amazing.
The story of a young girl and her family and their escape from Afghanistan. The story takes place over the course of approximately 2 years. What she, her siblings and the rest of her family had to endure to escape from certain death in Afghanistan should make us all thankful we live in a country where we have freedoms. People endure so much to escape to freedom and a chance.
I really enjoyed reading this beautifully written memoir.
A tragic true story with a happy ending. It brought tears to my eyes several times.
it´s great
This memoir,written in the voice of a young girl, really illustrated the struggles of the Afghan people. It was well written and informative. I am a teacher of young children and can hardly fathom the trials the character went through to escape from Afghanistan and reunite with her family,
This is a modern-day Von Trapp family saga; a well-to-do family of 10 lives in Kabul, Afghanistan during the 1970’s. Father is an employee of the American embassy. Then the Soviets invade, bringing tanks and establishing democracy-strangling rule .
The author is a little girl and we experience the crumbling of everything she has even known or believed in . We see the horror and terror of the results of the governmental overthrow; the family is split ,and apart, they flee Afghanistan. How to get back together is never certain . I suggest you read the book to see how this family of refugees ends up. It’s a fine story, well-told.
Story was interesting, but most of the characters are unlikable. Enjeela comes off as a brat and I never did figure out what “mommy’s” problem was. The woman has a bunch of kids, takes one and leaves the rest?
Lots of hardship trying to escape. I did like the guy that helped them cross the Hindu Kush.
Thought this would be better.