Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Unavailable
    The Secret Sky
    Unavailable
    The Secret Sky
    Unavailable
    The Secret Sky
    Audiobook7 hours

    The Secret Sky

    Written by Atia Abawi

    Narrated by Ariana Delawari and Assaf Cohen

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    An eye-opening, heart-rending tale of love, honor and betrayal from NBC foreign news correspodent Atia Abawi

    Fatima is a Hazara girl, raised to be obedient and dutiful. Samiullah is a Pashtun boy raised to defend the traditions of his tribe. They were not meant to fall in love. But they do. And the story that follows shows both the beauty and the violence in current-day Afghanistan as Fatima and Samiullah fight their families, their cultures and the Taliban to stay together. Based on the people Atia Abawi met and the events she covered during her nearly five years in Afghanistan, this stunning novel is a must-read for anyone who has lived during America's War in Afghanistan.

    Perfect for fans of Patricia McCormick, Linda Sue Park, and Khaled Hosseini, this story will stay with readers for a long time to come.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 2, 2014
    ISBN9780698154834
    Unavailable
    The Secret Sky

    Related to The Secret Sky

    Related audiobooks

    YA Romance For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      ‘Our Feminist Ancestor’: Ama Ata Aidoo, Author, Activist And African Heroine

      Jul 5, 2023

      It sounds ridiculous to say that I have been preparing myself for the death of Prof Ama Ata Aidoo for years, but that’s exactly what I tried – and failed – to do. A few years ago, there was a rumour she had died and I called her daughter, Kinna Likim

      3 min read

    • Article

      Poetry

      Sep 29, 2020

      Poetry
      1 min read

    • Article

      Enter: The New Daughters Of Africa

      Feb 25, 2019

      What a joy to be introducing you to New Daughters of Africa. Enabling the anthology to be assembled in record time, writers not only came on board with enthusiasm and alacrity but often steered me in the direction of others whose work they admire. Al

      2 min read

    • Article

      Assertion Of Dignity

      Apr 19, 2024

      There is no shortage of big tomes about Africa written by old Africa hands – those white journalists, memoirists, travel writers or novelists who know Africa better than Africans. This genre, lampooned by Binyavanga Wainaina’s satirical essay How to

      2 min read

    • Article

      ‘Ms. Marvel’ Is A Huge Hit With Desi Audiences — In Part Because It Gets All The Details Right. ‘This Show Has Been Surreal For Desi People!’

      Jul 14, 2022

      ‘Ms. Marvel’ Is A Huge Hit With Desi Audiences — In Part Because It Gets All The Details Right. ‘This Show Has Been Surreal For Desi People!’
      7 min read

    • Article

      Between The lines

      Mar 4, 2022

      Between The lines
      13 min read

    • Article

      Awa’s Story

      Dec 6, 2022

      Awa’s Story
      3 min read

    • Article

      Letters

      Aug 22, 2019

      MYERSTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA I first came across Arabian Horse World in 1963 when a fellow student who owned an Arabian loaned me a copy. I’ve been subscribing ever since. I have been a horse lover since I can remember. I began to hone in on the Arabian a

      1 min read

    • Article

      Reading Corner

      Aug 6, 2023

      This is Sheila O’Flanagan’s first foray into historical fiction and it was inspired by stories her grandmother told her. The author brings her powerful storytelling skills to a particularly turbulent time in Irish history. It is a dramatic, sweeping

      3 min read

    • Article

      Benjamin Law

      Jan 29, 2023

      Benjamin Law
      3 min read

    • Article

      Live From

      Aug 29, 2023

      Live From
      3 min read

    • Article

      Local Gems

      Jun 25, 2021

      This book seeks to bust all the myths about the founding of the port of Cape Town that have been accepted as fact as a result of being repeated as rote learnings in school history textbooks. For instance, it shows that Chinese explorers visited the C

      2 min read

    Reviews for The Secret Sky

    4/5

    25 ratings5 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 4/5
      This book is much more than a forbidden romance between two teenagers from different tribes and social backgrounds. It gives an excellent insight into the culture, daily life and religion of Afghanistan, and shows the terrible consequences that can occur when rules are broken. Although the violence at times is stomach-churning, "The Secret Sky" is a riveting story with sympathetic characters, a gentle romance and a fascinating backdrop, creating a myriad of emotions.
    • 4/5
      For more reviews, gifs, Cover Snark and more, visit A Reader of Fictions.The Secret Sky isn’t a book I would ordinarily pick up. While I love diverse novels, I tend to steer clear of that little phrase “forbidden love,” which in this context likely meant “sob story.” In most cases, I like my love stories to end happily. The Secret Sky sounded really depressing, so I wasn’t sure I was interested in it. Still, an ARC showed up unsolicited at my house. Still not sure, I tried a couple pages and didn’t love the writing style. I determined to pass, but then the audio came to me and I listened and I’m very glad that I did. The Secret Sky IS depressing, but it also gave me a window on a society I know nothing about and didn’t hit that point where it was so sad that I could not even anymore.Really horrible things happen in The Secret Sky. I expected some unhappiness, because hello forbidden love, but I wasn’t prepared for just how dark this book got. In light of that, it’s amazing that it didn’t really feel unrelentingly depressing or like a total condemnation of everything that Afghanistan is. Abawi manages to balance the darkness with the light and to convey a sense that dark forces are on top now, but that there’s a lot of good underneath.The love story between Fatima and Sami is one I would classify as sweet. They manage some light banter, but mostly they’re childhood friends transitioning into love. Unfortunately, they’re not allowed to be together, because Sami is Pashtun and Fatima is Hazara. These two groups differ ethnically and do not get along because of their historical backgrounds. I’m really oversimplifying this, but if you’re curious, google it because I am so not the best person to explain. The two just want to get married, but this desire sets a series of horrible events in motion.Abawi makes a really unique decision with the storytelling in The Secret Sky. Ordinarily, a romance novel would have just the two points of view, those of the lovers. In this case, there’s a third: Rashid. I was really startled by his perspective at first, because I wasn’t expecting the villain of sorts to have a first person perspective. Rashid catches Sami and Fatima talking and assumes the worst. He believes God will punish them, but wants to help God out by telling on them.Rashid and Sami were both off at school, but they reacted to the teachings in disparate ways. Rashid fell under the influence of the Taliban and became hugely judgmental. Sami hated the school and that element. These two are cousins and Rashid has always been jealous of Sami, who is the family favorite, so seeing Sami make a mistake he wants to take advantage.The Secret Sky, however, is not all about the horrors of the Taliban. It’s also about the good people, like the Mullah who helps the two. Islam is not the villain here. I think what makes the story easier to palate in part is Rashid’s character arc. While he caused everything, he also learns throughout the story, and I came to feel a bit sorry for him, because he honestly didn’t expect for things to go the way they did. He was naive and idealistic in the worst way.The other thing that really made The Secret Sky work for me was the audiobook format. I’m not sure if the writing style would have been my thing, and I can’t comment on how well the perspectives are done. The audiobook narration, however, is fabulous for sure. Both Ariana Delawari and Assaf Cohen do a great job capturing the personalities of their characters. Assaf plays both male roles, but I think he distinguishes between Rashid and Sami well, imbuing Rashid’s voice with rage. This is one of those cases where I think the audiobook really brought the book to life for me.I highly recommend The Secret Sky, particularly in audiobook format. Those who cry easily in books might want to prepare some tissues.
    • 2/5
      Too many deaths for love. Just re-enforces the reason for not being in Afghanistan. The death and issues related to women are so outside the acceptable behaviors that you wonder why more Afghans don't protest or fight for rights.
    • 3/5
      What starts as a tentative romance between two teen members of rival Afghan tribes becomes a suspenseful story with plot twists as their relationship and even their lives are threatened by religious extremism and the conservative mores of their society. Young people who've heard a lot about Afghanistan will enjoy and be enlightened by this personal treatment of "real Afghans."
    • 5/5
      The Secret Sky by Atia AbawiSet in Afghanistan, Fatima a Hazara girl and Samiullah, a Pashtun boy fall in love. It is forbidden for them to be together. When they go against their families there are dire consequences. What will happen to Fatima, Samiullah (and) their families for their act of defiance in a Culture that dictates who you can marry and love?Fatima and Samiullah are kind, caring and very likable. Rashid, the cousin of Samiullah is envious, jealous, a troubled (dangerous) young man. Told in alternating voices between them, I was able to feel what they were going through. With vivid details and raw emotions I was pulled into their lives. At times I cried as events unfolded in this emotionally charged story. I recommend The Secret Sky to Adults and *Young Adult readers.*17+ due to some graphic content