The Carpenter
Jalaluddin is a carpenter who built shelves for one of Sultan's shops. One day, Mansur caught him stealing postcards and reported it to Sultan who was furious. He doesn't let anyone steal from him and vowed not to rest until Jalaluddin is punished. Mansur and Sultan drive to the carpenter's house to question him, but he pleads innocence; he has a large family and they are all starving. He only stole the few cards to try and feed them but he gave them back. Sultan is convinced that he lied and sold the cards to vendors around Kabul. The police get involved but Jalaluddin sticks to his story. He is facing six years in prison which means starvation and destitution for his family; through it all they plead for mercy from the Khan family but to no avail. Through all this Mansur faces the inner torment of convicting a desperate man or defying his father. He cannot go against Sultan and he takes his frustration out on the rest of the family.
My Mother Osama
This chapter tells the story of Tajmir, son of Feroza, Sultan's sister. Feroza raised her son like a dictator and he often jokes about it. Ironically, Tajmir is a translator for and American journalist who is hoping for a story about Osama bin Laden. They journey to Khost which is one of the most lawless areas in Afghanistan. There, the police force under the leadership of Mustafa, rival the tribal control of the four Khan brothers (different from Sultan's family). They both believe they should have the power over the region and the conflict between them never seems to end. Each side has its opinions and while this continues, there won't be any peace. Tajmir and the journalist spend some time searching for a story but nothing comes up so they return to Kabul, to a much less harmful Osama.
In the first chapter of this section, Seierstad recounts the story of the carpenter simply by retelling the events that occurred and what was said. Through the dialogue between Sultan and Jalaluddin and Mansur the reader understands how desperate the carpenter is and how ruthless Sultan is. This chapter further emphasized what a merciless tyrant Sultan is and the reader almost begins to loathe him. The second chapter in this section is written mainly through the perspective of Tajmir. He travels all over as a translator but hates the danger. Seierstad introduces this character to counter Sultan. Unlike his uncle, Tajmir loves his wife and is content with his small family. He would rather be home with them than out traveling on business like Sultan does. By contrasting these two characters, the reader is refreshed to hear about an Afghan man who is not as oppressive as Sultan.
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