ATSS Time Line: Book Report

Mariam is born to Nana and Jalil

The ruler of Kabul, King Zahir Shah, is overthrown by a coup after ruling for forty years. Jalil gives Mariam a necklace and she dreams of truly being his child and living with him.

Mariam turns 15. She travels to Herat for the first time to see Jalil. She is shut out and she returns home to find her mother dead after committing suicide.

Mariam is married of to Rasheed by Jalil's wives.

Mariam is 19 now and cannot produce children. This makes Rasheed upset. Two days later there is a large demonstration after the murder of Akbar Khyber.

Laila is born to Fariba and Babi

Laila's brothers, Noor and Ahmad, join Jihad against the Soviets.

Tariq steps on a land mine and loses his leg at the age of five.

Babi, Laila's father, takes her and Tariq to see the Bamiyan Buddhas

Laila's mother, Fariba, get's out of be for the first time and throws a party with her friends

The Mujahideen take over Kabul and change the rules. They are more oppressive against women.

As Laila and her family are about to leave Kabul, her house is hit with a bomb and her parents die. Rasheed claims that he saved her, and she living with him and Mariam. Eventually, Rasheed proposes to Laila and the get married.

Aziza is born. She is the Daughter of Tariq qnd Laila. Rasheed is angry at the fact tha Aziza is a girl and not a boy.

The Taliban take over Kabul and enforce strict rules specifically against women. For example women have to wear full burqas

Laila goes into labor and Zalmai, a boy is born to her and Rasheed. Rasheed adores and spoils him.

A severe drought hits Afghanistan and Laila, Mariam, Rasheed and the children struggle to surivive.

Rasheed's shoes store burns down. This causes them to loose money and suffer from starvation.

The Taliban blow up the Buddhas that Laila visited with her father and Tariq. Aziza has to go to an orphanage because they cannot afford to take care of her. Rasheed finds out that Aziza is actually Tariq's and not his.

Laila and Tariq watch as the Twin Towers are destroyed by the Taliban.

One day when Rasheed gets upset with Laila, he starts hitting with a belt. Mariam tries to stop him but is not strong enough. She runs out to the tool shed and grabs a shovel. She kills Rasheed with the shovel as he is choking Laila. Laila and the children go live with Tariq in Murree, while Mariam turns herself in for the murder. Mariam is sentenced to death.

A man comes to tell Laila something. He announces that Tariq has died. Laila is devasted.

After living in Murree with Tariq and the children, Laila starts to miss Kabul and tells Tariq that she wants to go back. Tariq agrees and they move back to Kabul

Laila and Tariq get married.

Laila starts working at the orphanage where Aziza stayed. She finds out later that she is pregnant again.

One day after coming home from visiting Azizia Laila see's Tariq standing on the front porch of their house. She learns that Rasheed had hired someone to lie to her about Tariq's death.