My name is Ethan Le. I am a sophomore at Fountain Valley High School and I believe that I tragedy is an unfortunate consequence to life, but tragedy always teaches a lesson and builds us stronger. Struggles and hardships have and are common in life and we are forced to endure them, but we are also forced to overcome them. In this same mindset, we can find the graphic novel, The breadwinner, which illustrates and tells a journey of hardship in a difficult Afghanistan. This article should act as a sort of persuasion piece to introduce the general idea of the text and as a way to convince you to read this.

Pathos, Survival and Struggle:

The breadwinner locates itself in the capital of Afghanistan, Kabul, under Taliban rule. We are focused in on a small family sheltered in a bombed apartment room, scrounging for food and money to get by. A weakened father and his daughter sit on the bazaar grounds and wait for customers to their offerings. They tell stories of their history, centuries plagued by war and invasion, and when peace arrives, civil riot arises. Their family begins to lose hope as the father is arrested for the possession of books and as they lose their access to food. Difficult situations similar to these are present throughout our world today still, and may find can connect with you personally as you read.

Logos, Of a Hero:

If a novel with history, hardship, persistence, and a hero’s journey piques your interest, this is a story for you. We cover the history of Afghanistan, the struggles, the wars, and we see the life of a average family in this environment. The family faces more and more obstacles and challenges as they try to survive, with unjust and corrupt Taliban members stalking their moves. The graphic recognizes the gender spheres in the troubled society, with women unequipped with the choice of marriage and unable to sustain herself. But we are also shown a journey of perseverance and a story of surpassing the hand of cards which we are dealt in life.

Ethos, In difficult times:

I rarely read graphic novels and I don’t often read books. But The Breadwinner is different. A story of persistence, but of overcoming it? That is something that isn’t unique. The Breadwinner makes it different. A different world, a different situation, someone leaving their safety for the good of their family.

A wide audience agrees with this too. With Malala Yousafzai from the New York Times believing it is a must read as well as a google audience of 89%, and an Amazon score of 4.5 stars, it shouldn’t be a question of quality.