First published 2003
Shabanu lives as a nomad in Pakistan's Cholistan Desert, where her family moves with the seasons and tends their camels. She loves the vast emptiness of the dunes and the independence of desert life. But Shabanu is eleven years old, and her father has already chosen her husband. The arrangement follows traditions that stretch back generations among her people. Shabanu must decide whether to accept the marriage her father has planned or break with everything her family believes. Her choice will determine not just her own future, but her place in a culture that demands obedience from daughters. The desert that shaped her spirit now becomes the backdrop for her most difficult decision.
Genres: family-life, adventure, coming-of-age, cultural
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: coming-of-age, cultural-conflict
Setting: Cholistan Desert, Pakistan
Period: 20th-century
240 pages · Paperback · Demco Media