This book was fantastic. My daughter’s class read Amal Unbound together and she loved it. She’s very good at talking me into reading books she really enjoys, but once I started, I couldn’t put it down. Amal Unbound is a realistic fiction about a young Pakistani girl. The oldest child of a family that only has daughters, Amal loves school and dreams of being a teacher someday. But Amal’s life is changed when she has an accidental encounter with the son of the village’s landlord. Amal is forced to leave her home and family to work off the debt her family owes to the powerful Khan family. I don’t want to give away any more details, but life is very difficult for Amal. However, it isn’t all unpleasant and there are moments of beauty in her story. I will say that there is a happy ending, at least for Amal, which my daughter was so pleased about. But it isn’t a happy ending for everyone and I think makes the story even more beautiful. Author Aisha Saeed did an amazing job telling this story. It’s real and powerful and stirring. It captures the hopes and dreams and heartache of a girl that loses everything she valued and even things she took for granted. I really enjoyed Amal Unbound and can’t wait to read more by Aisha Saeed!
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