One half from the east novel by Nadia Hashmi

Internationally bestselling author Nadia Hashimi’s first novel for young readers is an emotional,
beautiful, and riveting coming-of-age journey to modern-day Afghanistan that explores life as a
bacha posh—a preteen girl dressed as a boy.Obayda’s family is in need of some good fortune.

Her father lost one of his legs in a bomb explosion, forcing the family to move from their home
city of Kabul to a small village, where life is very different and Obayda’s father almost never
leaves his room.

One day, Obayda’s aunt has an idea to bring the family luck—dress Obayda, the youngest of her
sisters, as a boy, a bacha posh.Now Obayda is Obayd.Life in this in-between place is confusing,
but once Obayda meets another bacha posh, everything changes. The two of them can explore
the village on their own, climbing trees, playing sports, and more.But their transformation won’t
last forever—unless the two best friends can figure out a way to make it stick and make their
newfound freedoms endure.

One Half From The East by Nadia Hashimi

"One little letter fell off the back end of my name and my world changed. It's the smallest
little letter, barely even a sound. Rahim...Rahima. See? If you say it fast enough, you could
miss it. Who ever thought such a tiny little letter could make such a big difference."

One Half From The East is a story written for younger readers about the unusual practice of
bacha posh, dressing a young girl as a boy. Set in a small village in Afghanistan, a young girl is
dressed as a boy, a custom that is believed to bring the family good luck and to perk the spirits of
her maimed father. This leads the young girl to confront her culture's negative views of being a
girl and all that implies for her future.

The novel opens with ten-year-old Obayda and her family struggling to begin a new life in a
small village outside of Kabul. Six months earlier Obayda's father lost his leg in a car bomb
explosion in the marketplace. This terrible event led to Obayda's family moving to the smaller
village because her father's brothers would be able to help them out.

Life in Kabul was much easier; Obayda's family had an apartment with a balcony and their
school had blackboards and desks and a playground with swings. In the small village, Obayda
lives close to her eldest uncle who is responsible for looking after his younger siblings as well as
his own family. But in Obayda's family there are only girls, sixteen year old Neela, thirteen year
old Meena and twelve year old Alia. There is no son to look out for their family.

One day Auntie Aziza visits their home. Since his accident, Obayda's father remains confined to
this bedroom, unwilling to leave his bed. Meena and Obayda listen in to the conversation
between their mother and Aunt Aziza who suggests that Obayda become a bacha posh. Aunt
Aziza suggests that Obayda's mother cut her daughter's hair, dress her in pants and a shirt and
send her to the new school dressed as a boy. "With her as a son, she will bring good luck to
your home. You'll see your husband cheer up. Then you plan for another baby in the
family. Having a bacha posh at home brings boy energy into your household. The next
baby that comes will be a boy. And once you have a real son, watch what happens. Your
husband will come back to life."

The next day Obayda's mother cuts her hair and is given pants and a shirt. Her name is changed
to Obayd and her life changes drastically. She doesn't have to help with the housework, she isn't
allowed to wear a dress or dance, and she's served dinner before her sisters getting the few pieces
of meat her family can afford. A few weeks later she is sent off to school.  Obayda's time as a
boy is about to change her life in ways she can't imagine.

Discussion

One Half From The East explores the gender inequality that exists in Afghanistan and is
common to many Middle Eastern and Asian countries. Hashimi explores this problem on both an
individual level and on how this inequality affects society as a whole.

Ten year old Obayda is already aware of the inequality that exists in her society for girls. She
notes that in Kabul "every family sent their girls to school", but that in the village there were
two kinds of families; "...ones that send their daughters to school" and "Some families think
daughters are born to be wives and mothers and don't need to bother with books or
writing...They can count only how many cups of rice to soak and can't tell the letter kof
from the letter gof."

At school Obayda finds herself in a "weird place between both worlds." She

finds "everything else about being a boy is hard because it's so different from being a girl.
Trying to act like a boy is like learning a whole new language, and I am really struggling to
find the words. " Obayda finds that becoming a pacha posh has put up a wall between her and
her sisters.

Fortunately for Obayd as she is now called, another bacha posh comes to her rescue. Called
Rahim, she tells Obayd, "Forget everything else and be a boy." Obayd asks Rahim, who has
been a bacha posh for several years, if she likes being a boy and she asks Obayd, "...you know
what it means to be a girl. Was it anything worth being?" This ultimately is the question
Obayda must answer for herself.

The ramifications of being a girl in this small village are spelled out by Rahim to Obayd. "It's
almost as if all girls are born knowing what could happen, so we try  to move around
outside like ghosts -- keeping our voices low, our footsteps light, and our eyes to the
ground." Because this is what being a girl means in Afghanistan, Rahim is determined never to
change back to a girl.  After more than five months as a boy, Obayd discovers that she likes the
freedom and the changes that have resulted. She is stronger and she is more confident. Rahim
tells Obayd about a legend her mother has told - "that passing under a rainbow changes boys
to girls and girls to boys."  Rahim hopes that by passing under a rainbow she can permanently
change herself into a boy and have the freedom she so desperately wants. However for Rahim
things do not work out. After seeing her playing with older boys her parents arrange for her to
marry the tribal warlord who rules their village. She is thirteen years old. This horrifies Obayda
who does not want to return to being a girl because she is afraid she will lose all the
opportunities she has as a boy.

Obayda's time as a bacha posh leads her to believe that being a girl is the worst fate possible.
Thinking about the new baby her mother is soon to have she states, "...I...wonder if it's a boy or
a girl. I hope, for the kid's sake, that it's a boy, even though my parents will be so happy
with a son that they'll probably forget my boy name." 

Obayda seeks out her friend Rahima who tells her to find a way to make sure she does not share
her fate of being withdrawn from school and forced to marry. "Do everything, Obayd! DO
EVERYTHING!" This advice leads Obayda to try to find a rainbow to walk under so she can
permanently become a boy. But after frightening her family with her disappearance to find the
waterfall,  her mother tells Obayda that the rainbow is only a legend told to children. Obayda is
now confused, "Why would you want me to be a boy only for now? If being a boy is good, isn't
being a boy forever even better?"

Obayda's sister Alia points out that she was quite satisfied when she was a girl but Obayda tells
her she doesn't understand how much better it is to be a boy. Her sister Meena tells her she
doesn't need boy body parts to do the things that boys do. She built a special crutch for their
father to use while she was pretending to be a boy. But she was in fact a girl when she built the
crutch. This leads Obayda to wonder "Was I really a boy or was I just acting like one? That
makes a big difference."

Obayda's mother, realizes that by forcing Obayda to become a bacha posh she has taught her
daughter that it is shameful to be a girl. She realizes this when she Obayda tells her that if the
new baby is a girl she believes they will be unhappy and later when Obayda remarks that the
baby must be a boy if the kicks her mother is feeling are so strong. Her father too shows Obayda
that her believes girls are just as capable as boys when he reveals to his friend Agha Samir that it
was not his brother who made his crutch but his daughter. 

Hashimi does demonstrate subtly that the practice of bacha posh can leave girls unable to
integrate back into their culture as they become confused about their identity. Rahim tells Obayd
that she over heard her mother and aunt talking about how "some boys like us don't know what
to do when they're changed back. They get confused and act really weird." 

One Half From The East is a fascinating exploration into another culture quite different from that
of North America and introduces young readers to the strange custom of bacha posh, allowing
them to explore what it means to be a girl. The limitations places on girls in Afghani culture are
common in all cultures to a greater or lesser extent. The message here though is that girls have
the same dreams, potential and gifts that boys have and that we need to work to create a world
where they are free to do so.
Marriage of a Thousand Lies Marriage of a Thousand Lies is a novel by Sri Lankan-American
author SJ Sindu, published by Soho Press in 2017

is a heartfelt debut novel that follows the journey of Lakshmi, a Sri Lankan-American lesbian
married to Krishna, a gay Indian man. Theirs is a marriage of convenience; a heterosexual front
designed to stop questions from family about their sexuality. The novel finds Lakshmi, known as
Lucky, as she returns home to take care of her ailing grandmother, and discovers her first love
and childhood best friend, Nisha, preparing for an arranged marriage. With both a compelling
plot and a beautifully crafted cast of characters, this novel is a must-read.

This debut is many things all at once: It is a love story, a story of personal identity and coming of
age in your late twenties, and a story of family, community, and the South Asian immigrant
experience in the United States.

Lucky is a bit rough around the edges, and has been freelancing as a digital illustrator while
hiding her unemployment from her mother. She finds her softness in her passion for dance and
her tenderness towards her first love. While we root for her relationship with Nisha, we also
treasure getting to know better through her love of dance, and her complicated relationship with
her mother.

We also find that Nisha is more complex than even Lucky knew. They grew up together as
friends, then lovers, and have since gone in differing paths. The ease with which they connect
when alone is just as powerful as the inescapable complexities from the demands of their
families. Lucky befriends Nisha’s friends from college, a group of rugby-playing queer women
from all backgrounds, who drink beer and go to lesbian parties while Nisha prepares for her
marriage.

With so much of queer media focused on telling the coming out story, Marriage of a Thousand
Lies is an important book expanding on the notion that one is ever truly “out” while exploring
the dichotomy of the expectations of a family versus the desires we have for ourselves.

As LGBTQ rights progress in the mainstream, it’s easy to demonize individuals or loved ones
who aren’t supportive. Between National Coming Out Day, an increase in celebrities lauded for
leaving the closet and more, queer visibility has increased. But many have a relationship with the
closet that is far more complex. While no one believes increased visibility is a negative, it leaves
individuals like Lucky in a bind. How do you negotiate a relationship with the family and
community you love when loving them means hiding a part of who you are?

Marriage of a Thousand Lies is a beautiful exploration of queer South Asian-American identity

that should be read by all. Beyond giving voice to an experience underrepresented in the
mainstream queer cannon, it is a well-written debut and you grow to care about all the characters,
regardless of whether or not you agree with their decisions. This novel explores a lot of
complexities within relationships and personal identity, and it does so in an accessible manner
with deeply affecting characters that you’ll miss after you close the book.

Marriage of a Thousand Lies is about a woman whose name is Lucky. This book offers a
diverse cast of characters – we are introduced to a Sri Lankan family who live in the United
States and our main focus is on Lucky and her struggles with being a closeted gay woman.
Lucky is in a marriage with Kris who also happens to be gay. They both lead separate love lives
outside their marriage which is perfect for them. Lucky is brought back to her old life when her
grandmother has an incident – she is set to help out her mother so she goes back to her family
home with the intention of taking care of her injured grandmother. You know how in every
movie something unexpected happens to a person who comes back home well… Lucky sees her
old flame Nisha and soon learns that she is about to get married to a man she doesn’t know or
love. Their past brings them back to being more than friends once again and then questions arise:
Will they be able to be together despite Nisha’s arranged marriage? Will their relationship
succeed? Is Lucky willing to leave her strict life for the sake of love? The answers to all of these
questions lie in this book.
There are many strengths in this book the main one being: the great representation of what it’s
like to be different in a community that doesn’t accept and judges those who are. The second one
is the romance part of the novel: we don’t see a typical male/female white person couple but a
more diverse one – and I really appreciate that because I rarely read these kinds of books even
though I try to include some of them once in a while. The idea of someone being on the edge
between wanting to be with a person they desire but at the same time having to maintain a good
relationship with their parents is definitely something that a lot of people (who are lgbtq+) will
understand. This is why these kinds of books are necessary in today’s world – they tell people
that they are not alone. This book is sad in its way but that doesn’t diminish the value of this
book. My main concern was the writing in this novel – I felt like the chapters ended abruptly and
it changed quickly from one scene to the other. But this shouldn’t discourage you from reading
this book or avoiding it because of my problem with it.

The daughter of conservative Sri Lankan parents, Lucky is married to her gay college friend,
Kris, in an arrangement based on façade and mutual convenience. After her grandmother
endures a nasty fall, Lucky decides to move back into her mother's house and soon engages
in a tumultuous game of sex and emotions with her childhood best friend, Nisha, who
happens to be engaged. Despite its title, Marriage of a Thousand Lies is not a story about a
single marriage, or even a single relationship, but of Lucky's ongoing struggle to reconcile
her sexuality with the Sri Lankan Hindu community to which she belongs.

Lucky has many strong-willed women in her life, the first being her mother, Amma, who
embodies every cultural and social convention Lucky so vehemently defies. Chastised by her
Sri Lankan Hindu community for being divorced, Amma is Lucky's greatest challenger and a
constant source of conflict: "Amma cries about wanting me to have a baby, to fit in for once
in my life and be a good brown daughter" (149). The tension between Lucky and Amma
intensifies when, midway through the novel, Lucky begins spending more and more time at
the rugby house, where her friends Tasha and Jesse live. For Lucky, the rugby house is a
sanctuary, a place where her queerness is protected and embraced. Using her body as a way
to release the tension built from home, Lucky finds escape in playing and practicing rugby,
and she develops a close friendship with fellow rugby player Tasha. At one point, Lucky
seeks Tasha's help in finding Lucky's runaway sister, Vidya, who'd disappeared years prior in
an attempt to flee their family's conservative ideals. Lucky embodies the extreme qualities of
both her sisters, Shyama and Vidya, submitting to her family's cultural customs by marrying
a Tamil Indian man, like Shyama, while privately living life by her own rules, like Vidya.
The women in Lucky's life not only inform her decisions, they symbolize Lucky's internal
conflict of desiring both acceptance and autonomy. [End Page 188]

While Lucky and her husband, Kris, masquerade as the happy couple, Lucky's best friend,
Nisha, miserably prepares for her wedding. The archetypal femme fatale, Nisha is different
from the other women in Lucky's life in that she is more readily willing to sacrifice her own
happiness in order to satisfy the desires of those around her. While Lucky is more
comfortable embracing her unique identity, sporting an androgynous hairstyle despite her
mother's objections, Nisha cloaks herself in conformity. Though engaged, Nisha desperately
pursues Lucky while continuing to plan her extravagant wedding, balancing on the cusp of
two vastly different worlds without ever fully committing to either one. With each of Nisha's
jealous tantrums and desperate pleas to flee together, the gulf between Nisha and Lucky
widens, allowing for other players, like Tasha, to wedge themselves in the middle. Though at
times Nisha's behavior borders on juvenile, Lucky, more than anyone, empathizes with her
best friend/lover's ongoing internal conflict. In describing queerness, Lucky says, "Most
people think the closet is a small room. They think you can touch the wall, touch the door,
turn the handle, and walk free. But when you're inside it, the closet is so vast. No walls, no
door, just empty darkness stretching the length of the world." Because of their shared history
of sex, religion, and culture, Lucky finds it increasingly difficult to abandon Nisha, risking
the backlash that will surely unfurl should anyone in their community discover the true
nature of their relationship.