Here’s the deal, I am not a fan of reading. In fact, if I were given the choice to read a book or clean the toilet, you bet I would rather clean the toilet. I know it’s crazy weird to lots of people, but it’s just how I feel about reading. It has always baffled my teachers and made everyone determined to find the “right” book or series for me.

In my African and American Literature class, I was assigned a book titled When the Moon is Low, written by Nadia Hashimi. It is an African novel written in 2015. As you now know that I do not like to read, you can imagine I was not looking forward to diving deep into this book.

With a written guide and chapters due by certain dates, I now had motivation to read daily. Most days I put off reading until the last minute; I dreaded reading the book at the beginning. And then something happened. After reading the first seven chapters, I was captivated. The book brought me to understand the characters on a personal level.

This novel chronicles a girl, Ferieba, whose mother sadly passed away giving birth. She is raised in modern-day Afghanistan and is a practicing Muslim. The story goes through her everyday life as she endures many hardships. When life gets low, Ferieba finds a reason to get up and conquer the challenge head-on. I love the ambitious characteristics of Ferieba demonstrated throughout the novel.

Hashimi has a way of detailing exactly what life was like, giving vivid descriptions as if you were tangled up in the pages of the story yourself. I have learned lessons from When the Moon is Low that really enthralled me in a way most books have not. I believe this can be attributed to the strong and powerful vocabulary Hashimi used to write the novel.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to widen their perspective of the lifestyles of other cultures. I find it quite intriguing to learn a different way of life and walk through Ferieba’s footsteps as if I was enduring all of the obstacles she had to face in life.

Grab yourself a cup of tea, find a quiet space, and clear your mind so you can take in all that this outstanding book has to offer.