Memed, My Hawk

We read Memed, My Hawk a few weeks ago and had a class discussion. It’s truly sad, it was a coming of age novel about a boy whose family is being starved and punished by a controlling landowner. He runs away at first to escape the constant beating by the Agha, but being away from home for so long he begins to feel guilty for leaving his mother and his responsibilities, like most would. He is captured and returned, and tries to solve his problems before his family starves to death. He becomes a brigand and fights for the Agha for his family and village. A brigand is an outlaw and highly romanticized within the novel. The villagers appreciate brigands because they are fighting for their land, rights and lives. I thought that was pretty cool. What a geat book it kept me on my toes the whole time!