Words in the Dust

Title: Words in the Dust
Author: Trent Reedy
Genre: Contemporary Realistic Fiction

You will like this book if:

• You want to learn more about Afghani culture (this book is very interesting for that!)
• You like to read about young woman in difficult circumstances.
• You don't mind books that might make you cry.
• You are interested in ways that American soldiers help people in the countries they are stationed. 

You will not like this book if:

• You like a lot of action in the books you read.
• You prefer to read books with many male characters.
• You like to read books that have a touch of fantasy in them.

Summary: Zulaikha is a 13-year-old Afghani girl, and she doesn't have it easy: her stepmother is mean, her sister is getting married, and she has a cleft palate.  Inspired by an American soldier's experience in Afghanistan, Zulaikha is given a great gift by the newly arrived American troops.  But, however great this gift and others might be, can they make up for the things that Zulaikha has lost?

Cleft palates are a rare deformity babies have at birth.  This birth defect affects the top lip and roof of your mouth and are most commonly recognized by a notch (varying in severity) connecting the lip to the nose.  It is easily corrected by surgery, but that surgery is very expensive!  Do a Google Image search for "cleft palate" to look for pictures of this rare birth defect.