Wanting Mor by Rukhsana Khan

This book is a fictional account of true events, and I gave it a rating of three out of five. Jameela lives in Afghanistan with her father and ailing mother. Her mother dies, and her father decides to move them to Kabul for a better life. However, her father is addicted to drugs and alcohol, and he makes some questionable decisions. Jameela is left stranded in the city, and she's taken in by an orphanage. She's embarrassed by her cleft lip, but she has faith in her Muslim religion. Her life in the war-torn country brings challenges, but will the orphanage be able to fill the emptiness left by her father?

Jameela is a strong, female character, and her religious faith provides her with the strength to survive. Readers can learn a great deal about the Afghani culture through this book, and the plot is more compelling when you remember that many of the events in the plot actually happened. The vocabulary contains a great deal of cultural words, and it was a little distracting at times. The book contains a glossary at the back.