Rise

Though in America, us women have made considerable advances as far as our rights and freedoms are concerned, in many underdeveloped and developing countries women are still viewed as property or a means to an end (necessary to make children).  In an article I read on CBS News, Afghanistan is considered one of the worst countries for women to live in. 87% of the women are illiterate, and 80% face forced marriages. In A Thousand Splendid Suns, this oppression is seen as Mariam and Laila are abused by Rasheed and forced to wear burqas. When the Taliban comes to power, laws are made that ban them from going in public without a man and prevents women from getting an education. After trying to escape Rasheed's abuse, Mariam and Laila are sent right back because private matters are not the concern of the government. So though in America women possess many freedoms, it is important that we still advocate for the rights of those who cannot advocate for themselves. Even though the book is nonfiction, it contains the all too true realities of what women endure in not just Afghanistan, but hundreds of other countries as well.