82 pages • 2 hours read
N. H. SenzaiShooting Kabul
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2009A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.
Chapters 17-21Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 17 Summary: “Broken”
Fadi updates Noor on his photography project. She is understanding and gently tells him that it will be okay even if he does not win. He returns to school to get the film he left in his locker but runs into Ike and Felix. They chase him into the parking lot and beat him up, calling him a “little terrorist.” They grab his bag, and to Fadi’s dismay, his camera flies out and smashes on the ground. With six days left until the competition, the loss of Fadi’s camera stings more than his bruises. The janitor arrives and the bullies flee. He asks for Fadi’s ID and tells him that he will report the fight to Principal Hornstein.
Chapter 18 Summary: “October 7th”
Fadi’s family finds him hiding in the bathroom. He is bruised and bloodied from the fight but is more distraught about his broken camera. He lies to his father that he does not know who the bullies are; he does not want to risk further alienation at school for being labeled a tattletale.
Fadi accompanies his father to a local restaurant, Khyber Pass, where they learn that the United States and Britain have launched missiles at Afghanistan in “Operation Enduring Freedom” to destroy terrorist camps and capture al-Qaeda leaders (1778). Fadi wonders if the bombing will put Mariam in danger.
Chapter 19 Summary: “Refocus”
Back at school, Fadi and Ike are suspended for fighting. Neither of them reveals Felix’s identity. Before he leaves school, Fadi visits Ms. Bethune and tells her that the bullies broke his camera during their fight. He requests one more day to submit his photograph.
At home, Zafoona has regained her health, but her mood is still fragile. To Fadi’s surprise, Habib agrees not to tell her about Fadi’s suspension. He understands Fadi’s decision not to tell the principal about Felix, knowing that for his son it is a matter of honor.
Chapter 20 Summary: “Portrait”
Fadi has decided to photograph his grandparents for the contest. He borrows Anh’s camera, sets up his lighting, and asks his grandparents to sit on the porch. They are stiff in front of the camera, but they come alive after the shoot when his grandfather helps his grandmother untangle her scarf from a rose bush. The scene reveals their playfulness, and Fadi snaps the photo.
At school, Fadi is excited to submit his photo, convinced that he will win. In the cafeteria, the Afghan boys that he previously avoided call him over. He is nervous because they belong to different ethnic groups who have long been in conflict with the Pukhtuns. He worries that they, too, will blame him for the terrorist attacks. Instead, they introduce themselves and tell Fadi that they heard about his fight with Ike and Felix. They are impressed because Fadi gave the bullies “a dose of their own medicine” (1906). They tell Fadi that in addition to bullying them, Ike and Felix have been calling the Indian and Mexican kids terrorists. They want Fadi to help them get revenge. Fadi has been looking for an opportunity to get back at the bullies, so he decides to go along with their plan.
Chapter 21 Summary: “Waiting”
Habib gets a phone call early one morning and learns that Mariam has disappeared, having run away from the family in Peshawar. At Khyber Pass, Habib and Uncle Amin discuss the election of Hamid Karzai. They are hopeful that he will bring peace to Afghanistan because he was elected by Afghans of all ethnicities. Their hopefulness only makes Fadi despondent because he wonders if they should have stayed in Afghanistan now that peace may resume.
Chapters 17-21 Analysis
Chapters 17-21 provide the rising action to the story’s climax. These chapters foreshadow Fadi’s final confrontation with Ike and Felix, the results of the photo competition, and the success or failure of Mariam’s rescue. They also advance Fadi’s personal growth. Fadi is learning that he cannot accomplish his goals and overcome his obstacles alone. At first, he is devastated when the bullies break his camera, but he soon realizes that he can borrow Anh’s. He overcomes his discomfort by talking to the other Afghan boys and realizes that they can help him get revenge on Ike and Felix. Fadi still feels that it is his duty to find Mariam, but he is beginning to realize that many events, such as the changing political landscape in Afghanistan, are out of his control. He recognizes this at the end of Chapter 21 when he acknowledges that his hypotheses about what might have happened if they had stayed in Afghanistan contain “too many maybes” (1987).
Even discussing world events, the narrative stays true to Fadi’s voice by linking all political discussions to his thoughts about Mariam. This narrative technique is an organizing principle in the novel that offsets expository conversations between adults about the state of Afghan and world politics. When Fadi hears these conversations, he always relates them back to his core motivation of finding his sister.
In these chapters, Fadi begins to appreciate his family rather than withdrawing from them. Fadi sees the world through his camera lens, and deciding to photograph his grandparents for the contest means that he sees them as more than background players in his own drama: “The viewfinder sought each line in Abay’s and Dada’s faces, which told the tale of the life they had led, filled with joy, pain, challenge, and triumph” (1869). He begins to feel gratitude toward his family rather than resentment.
