Under The Same Stars

Suzanne Fisher Staples

Synopsis:

Under the same stars describes the life of Shabanu, Rahim’s fourth and youngest wife. Although adored by her often-absent husband, Shabanu is subjected to the cruelty of Rahim’s other wives, their jealousy and their desire to be in command of the house. To avoid the brutality of her peers, the heroine sometimes escapes with her daughter to the family’s town house, rarely inhabited. There, far from her husband and the pressures of the family life, Shabanu falls dangerously and unexpectedly in love with another man.

The reader follows this young lady’s gripping adventures and dilemmas. Set in the Cholistan desert, this powerful glance into the Muslim culture shows us the complexity of these women’s lives, in which personal preferences must often be disregarded for the sake of the family.

Under the Same Stars is the exciting sequel of Daughter of the Wind (2002), although the reader’s enjoyment will not require the reading of this prequel. The author, Suzanne Fisher Staples, is a former United Press International news reporter who has an in depth knowledge of the Pakistani culture, and more generally the Muslim culture. Her stay in the Cholistan desert, where she met and listened to people’s stories, greatly inspired the writing of these two books. She is an award-winning author of young readers’ books in which her exciting and highly comprehensible style is always very much acclaimed.

Amnesty International officially endorses this book for its contribution to a better understanding of human rights and the values that underpin them.

“An intoxicating blend of heart pounding adventure and social issues… eloquent, unpretentious language” Publisher’s weekly (USA)