Summary: We meet Laila, a nine year old girl living in Kabul. She overhears her parents fighting downstairs, they are fighting like they always do. Laila’s best friend Tariq, was away visiting family for 13 days. She couldn’t concentrate in school. Laila walks home with her classmates, Giti and Hasina. The boys in her neighborhood torture and tease her. Once she gets home Laila went and visited her mom, who was locked in her room laying in bed. Mammy sometimes had good days, but mostly bad ones. Her other two children had been put in the war. Tariq had been gone for a week, and Laila already missed him. Laila couldn’t stop thinking that he wouldn’t come back, or that they had moved away for good.
Finally he comes home, and Laila was so excited. Tariq had shaved his head, he looked like a soldier. When she asked why they were gone so long, he tells her that his uncle was sick. Laila had lunch at Tariq’s house, and conversation always flows.
Babi was teaching Laila her studies. The learn propaganda teaching, and they sit down to dinner. In the middle of dinner, there was a knock at the door.
Analysis: In these chapters we meet Laila, a young girl going through a lot. She is living in poverty with a mother who does not pay attention to her, and living in the middle of a war. This affects Laila because when her parents fight it worries her and no girl her age needs to listen to her parents fighting. Laila’s father was a teacher and helps Laila who attends school. Laila’s best friend Tariq had been gone for a while visiting family, but where he had gone was full of war and bombings and Laila was worried about if he is going to be alive and well. Laila and Tariq are secretly in love, and since she has not heard from Tariq she is very worried that something bad has happen to him. If something bad happen to him Laila would be devastated. When the neighborhood boys abuse and tease her this affects Laila and Tariq because their bond grows and causes them to become close. It also makes Laila nervous about Tariq. Babi teaching shows his different views about women. He believes that women can become great, and are equal to men.
