Shabanu
Encyclopedia
Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind is a 1989 novel by Suzanne Fisher Staples
. It is narrated by a young girl who lives in the Cholistan Desert
and centers on the story of her coming-of-age. It is succeeded by the novel Haveli and a new addition to the series is The House of Djinn. Staples had lived in Asia for about twelve years prior to writing the novel.
breeders. Shabanu is on the brink of womanhood; her older sister Phulan is already marriageable, and soon will be married to Hamir, a cousin of their family's. Shabanu is also betrothed to Hamir's brother, Murad. At twelve years old, Shabanu is not interested in marriage
; she enjoys tending to the animals and especially teaching tricks to her beloved camels, Mithoo and Xhush Dil and Gulaband, a camel her dadi had recently sold against her will. Before Phulan's wedding, however, disaster strikes: Shabanu and Phulan accidentally stumble upon several strange men in the desert, among them an old, wicked landowner named Nazir; coveting Phulan's youth and beauty, Nazir murders her soon-to-be-husband, Hamir, and plans to take Phulan for himself. Phulan has no choice but to marry Hamir's brother, Murad, instead. When Shabanu learns that she must marry Nazir's brother, Rahim-sahib, an old man who already has three wives, to save her family and her sister's new marriage, she must make a choice between running away and obeying the wishes of her family.
Themes Include:
. Haveli shows Shabanu as a mother at age 18 and her ups and downs of her new life at home, her marriage, her daughter, and her life.
In the recent installment of the Shabanu series, The House of Djinn follows the life, hardships, decisions, and events that occur in the life of Mumtaz, Shabanu's daughter.
Suzanne Fisher Staples
Suzanne Fisher Staples is the author of six books addressed to children and adolescents. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania , she grew up in a small community around Northeastern Pennsylvania. She had three siblings, a sister and two brothers. Suzanne went to Lakeland High School in Jermyn,...
. It is narrated by a young girl who lives in the Cholistan Desert
Cholistan Desert
Cholistan Desert sprawls thirty kilometers from Bahawalpur, Punjab, Pakistan and covers an area of 26,300 km². It adjoins the Thar Desert extending over to Sindh and into India....
and centers on the story of her coming-of-age. It is succeeded by the novel Haveli and a new addition to the series is The House of Djinn. Staples had lived in Asia for about twelve years prior to writing the novel.
Plot summary
Shabanu lives in Cholistan Desert in the Pakistan where they play games near the border of India. She is the second daughter of a peaceful, loving family of camelCamel
A camel is an even-toed ungulate within the genus Camelus, bearing distinctive fatty deposits known as humps on its back. There are two species of camels: the dromedary or Arabian camel has a single hump, and the bactrian has two humps. Dromedaries are native to the dry desert areas of West Asia,...
breeders. Shabanu is on the brink of womanhood; her older sister Phulan is already marriageable, and soon will be married to Hamir, a cousin of their family's. Shabanu is also betrothed to Hamir's brother, Murad. At twelve years old, Shabanu is not interested in marriage
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
; she enjoys tending to the animals and especially teaching tricks to her beloved camels, Mithoo and Xhush Dil and Gulaband, a camel her dadi had recently sold against her will. Before Phulan's wedding, however, disaster strikes: Shabanu and Phulan accidentally stumble upon several strange men in the desert, among them an old, wicked landowner named Nazir; coveting Phulan's youth and beauty, Nazir murders her soon-to-be-husband, Hamir, and plans to take Phulan for himself. Phulan has no choice but to marry Hamir's brother, Murad, instead. When Shabanu learns that she must marry Nazir's brother, Rahim-sahib, an old man who already has three wives, to save her family and her sister's new marriage, she must make a choice between running away and obeying the wishes of her family.
Main characters
- Shabanu - a eleven-year-old girl living in the Cholistan Desert
- Phulan - Shabanu’s older sister
- Mama - Shabanu’s mother
- Dalil Abassi (Dadi) - Shabanu’s father, a camel breeder
- Auntie - the sister of Dalil Abassi
- Grandfather - Shabanu's grandfather and Dadi's father
- Fatima - Sharma’s daughter
- Sharma - A female cousin of mama and dadi
- Hamir - Shabanu’s cousin; Phulan’s husband-to-be
- Murad - Shabanu’s cousin; Shabanu’s husband-to-be, but who later marries Phulan instead
- Nazir-sahib - wicked landowner who murders Hamir
- Rahim-sahib - Nazir’s brother, who later takes Shabanu as his fourth wife
- Mithoo - Shabanu's orphan baby camel
Major themes
The novel focuses on female adolescence and the problems that females coming of age face.Themes Include:
- Love
- Adolescence
- Choices
- Loss
- Wickedness
- Sacrifice
Sequel
In 1993 Suzanne Fisher published a sequel to Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, HaveliHaveli
Haveli is the term used for a private mansion in India and Pakistan. The word haveli is derived from the Persian word hawli, meaning "an enclosed place"...
. Haveli shows Shabanu as a mother at age 18 and her ups and downs of her new life at home, her marriage, her daughter, and her life.
In the recent installment of the Shabanu series, The House of Djinn follows the life, hardships, decisions, and events that occur in the life of Mumtaz, Shabanu's daughter.