The Breadwinner: Chapters 1–7

by Deborah Ellis
Living in Afghanistan under Taliban rule, eleven-year-old Parvana must disguise herself as a boy in order to earn money for her family.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–7, Chapters 8–15
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. chador
    a cloth used as a head and body covering by Muslim women
    "I can read that letter as well as Father can," Parvana whispered into the folds of her chador.
  2. peddler
    someone who travels about selling wares
    Men shopped for their families, and peddlers hawked their goods and services.
  3. hawk
    sell or offer for sale from place to place
    Men shopped for their families, and peddlers hawked their goods and services.
  4. urn
    a large pot for making coffee or tea
    With such a big urn and so many trays of cups, it had to stay in one place.
  5. labyrinth
    complex system of paths in which it is easy to get lost
    Tea boys ran back and forth into the labyrinth of the marketplace, carrying tea to customers who couldn't leave their own shops, then running back again with the empty cups.
  6. militia
    civilians trained as soldiers, not part of the regular army
    All these people had come to Parvana's beautiful country to try to take it over, and the Afghans had kicked them all out again! But now the country was ruled by the Taliban militia.
  7. relent
    give in, as to influence or pressure
    He offered such a good price that Father eventually relented.
  8. decree
    issue an authoritative order
    Since the Taliban decreed that women must stay inside, many husbands took their wives' false legs away.
  9. resentful
    full of or marked by indignant ill will
    Parvana knew she had to fetch the water because there was nobody else in the family who could do it. Sometimes this made her resentful.
  10. intricate
    having many complexly arranged elements; elaborate
    Parvana remembered tracing the intricate patterns of them with her fingers when she was younger.
  11. vibrant
    (of colors) bright and striking
    The vibrant red cloth caught Parvana's eye.
  12. kameez
    a long tunic worn by people from South Asia
    "My good shalwar kameez! We can't sell that!"
  13. embroidery
    decorative needlework
    She ran her fingers over the intricate embroidery.
  14. illiterate
    lacking culture, especially in language and writing
    "Afghanistan needs more illiterate thugs like you," Father said.
  15. preoccupied
    having excessive or compulsive concern with something
    Parvana had been so preoccupied with her own pain and exhaustion, she hadn't given any thought to what her mother had been going through.
Created on Wed Feb 12 09:30:20 EST 2020 (updated Tue Jun 17 15:05:13 EDT 2025)

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