Jamil Jan Kochi “99 Nights in Logar “
Discussion and Book Signing
A dog on the loose. A boy yearning to connect to his family’s
roots. A country in the midst of great change. And a vibrant
exploration of the power of stories–the ones we tell each other
and the ones we find ourselves in.
Twelve-year-old Marwand’s memories from his previous visit to
Afghanistan six years ago center on his contentious relationship
with Budabash, the terrifying but beloved dog who guards his
extended family’s compound in the rural village of Logar. But
eager for an ally in this place that is meant to be “home,”
Marwand misreads his reunion with the dog and approaches Budabash
the way he would any pet on his American suburban block–and the
results are disastrous: Marwand loses a finger, and Budabash
escapes into the night.
Marwand is not chastened and doubles down on his desire to fit in
here. He must get the dog back, and the resulting search is a
gripping and vivid adventure story, a lyrical, funny, and
surprisingly tender coming-of-age journey across contemporary
Afghanistan that blends the bravado and vulnerability of a boy’s
teenage years with an homage to familial oral tradition and calls
to mind One Thousand and One Nights yet speaks with a
voice all its own.