Trent Reedy
Q: What led you to write Words in the Dust?
TR: In 2004 and 2005, when I was serving with the army in support of the reconstruction effort in western Afghanistan, I was often dismayed when I saw the aftermath of the terrible injustices women and girls had suffered under the oppression of the brutal Taliban. Even after being forced out of direct power, the Taliban still threatened girls who wished to attend school as well as women who wanted to exercise their new right to vote. Although I witnessed a lot of progress in the state of women's rights during my time in Afghanistan, I often felt frustration from not being able to help even more.
When my unit encountered a young girl named Zulaikha who suffered from a cleft lip and crooked teeth, we knew we had to help. My fellow soldiers and I pooled our money to pay for her flight to our main base in Afghanistan, where an army doctor had volunteered to conduct the needed corrective surgery. I was happy, feeling that we had really made a direct, positive difference.
Throughout all of my encounters with Zulaikha, I was impressed by her courage and dignity. She covered her birth defect, but otherwise she met our gaze, answered our questions, and did not shy away from us, even though I imagine we could be quite frightening with our body armor and weapons. For me, Zulaikha began to represent the indomitable spirit of all Afghans and of Afghan women in particular.
Q: How was she different after the surgery?
TR: After her surgery, Zulaikha's problems with her upper lip, teeth, and nose had vanished almost as if she had always been completely normal. Her physical transformation was amazing, but perhaps more striking was her emotional change. She no longer hid her mouth in shame. The very best moment of my time in Afghanistan was seeing Zulaikha smile.
Q: How did your feelings about Afghanistan and the Afghan people shift during your time in the country?
TR: I went to Afghanistan with a distrust of everyone in the Middle East. I felt deep anger over the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, and I am ashamed to admit that I at first foolishly blamed all the Afghan people.
However, during my year in Afghanistan, I worked closely with many wonderful Afghans. Most of the people we encountered in Afghanistan were very friendly and disliked the Taliban as much as we did. I soon realized that I had been sent to help a tremendously friendly and peace-loving people restore their country after decades of war and oppression.
I went to war with the idea of fighting for America's freedom, but instead I spent most of my tour doing my best to work for peace and freedom for Afghanistan.
Q: What happened after you came home from Afghanistan? What challenges did you face in writing the book?
TR: Although Words in the Dust was inspired by a few of my experiences, it is still a work of fiction. I had to invent a lot, but I placed great importance on writing the details as accurately as I could. I was familiar with the Afghan landscape, with the military settings that appear in Words in the Dust and even with the general layout of a basic Afghan residence. However, the real challenge was writing about those aspects of life that Afghans keep private, behind their walls hidden from outsiders. I read many books and interviewed friends in Afghanistan as well as Afghan-Americans to learn more about the wondrous complexities of Afghan culture.
Q: How did you meet our current National Ambassador for Children's Literature, Katherine Paterson?
TR: When my unit first moved out to Afghanistan's Farah Province to establish a position there, we lived in a rented Afghan house. There was no cold storage for real food, so we lived on small field rations. The well continually ran dry, so we went most of the month without a shower. There wasn't enough room in the house for many soldiers, so between guard duty and missions, we weren't allowed much sleep. Worst of all, the Taliban kept sending death threats, and our house wasn't in a very defensible position. I was miserable and terrified, wondering if I would ever make it home.
Finally, the mail arrived and I had been sent a copy of Katherine Paterson's classic Bridge to Terabithia. On a very rare free afternoon, I read the entire book in one sitting. The novel's friendship between Jess Aarons and Leslie Burke reminded me that there was still hope and beauty in the world. Later, on patrol with my squad, driving down the Afghan street with my M-16 sticking out the window, I should have been watching out for the enemy, but all I could think of was the wonder of Katherine Paterson's words.
I wrote her a fan letter. I never expected a reply, but her answer began a correspondence that developed into a friendship that I cherish deeply. Many terrific people have taught me about writing, but Katherine Paterson has taught me more than anyone else about how to be a writer.
Q: You recently reenlisted with the National Guard. What will you be doing with them now?
TR: I have enlisted in the Washington Army National Guard as a broadcast journalist. I'll be serving one weekend each month and two weeks every summer in a public affairs unit. This unit's mission is to produce television, radio, and print news stories for distribution in the military. Maybe I'll even get the opportunity to return to Afghanistan.
Q: What do you hope readers will take away from Words in the Dust?
TR: I'd like readers of Words in the Dust to understand that although Afghanistan seems very different from America, people everywhere mostly want the same things: peace, hope, and a chance to shape their own destinies. I hope readers can find something like themselves and their own desires within the struggles my characters face.
Reviews
Words in the Dust
Trent Reedy
Zulaikha hides her mouth behind her chador, or shawl, so that people will not see her cleft lip although everyone in her Afghan village knows. Some even call her Donkeyface. She wishes she were beautiful like her older sister, Zaynab. The arrival of an American soldier will change her looks and her life, but not before she discovers her own inner strength. Reedy creates a rich, multi-layered tale of current day Afghanistan. Zulaikha and her sister do not go to school. There is no need, they are told, for their lives will be spent taking care of their husbands, children, and home. Zulaikha, however, recalls lines of poetry and learning the letters of the alphabet from her educated mother who was murdered by the Taliban. When Meena, a friend of her mother, offers to help her learn to read, Zulaikha does so secretly. With no paper on which to write, she practices her letters in the dust on the ground. In the meantime, fifteen-year-old Zeynab is giddy with the knowledge that she is to be wed, even though her future husband is quite a bit older. These inseparable sisters dream of their fairy tale marriages. After her marriage, however, they hardly see one another. Zulaikha's joy over her successful operation is destroyed by the news that her sister has been badly burned. Reedy, who served with the U.S. Army in Afghanistan, uses his experiences to create this story. The main characters are well developed and the minor characters add to the richness of the story. The beautiful, ancient poetry of the region is contrasted with the denial of education to half the region's population. Reedy has done an excellent job of weaving in everyday life, words in Farsi, and the plight of women and girls. This is a story that will stay with the reader long after the book is finished. It is simultaneously heart-rending and uplifting. The back of the book contains a pronunciation guide for the Farsi; an author's note on how he came to write this story; information on the epic poem Shahnameh and the story of Yusuf and Zulaikha; and recommended reading for children, young adults, and adults. Katherine Paterson provides the introduction. 2011, Arthur A Levine Books/Scholastic, Ages 9 to 14, $16.99. Reviewer: Sharon Salluzzo (Children's Literature).
ISBN: 978-0-545-26125-8
Added 2/24/11
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