65 pages • 2 hours read
Francesco D'AdamoIqbal
Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2001A 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.
Introduction
Teacher Introduction
Iqbal
- Genre: Fiction; young adult
- Originally Published: 2001
- Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 730L; grades 5-12
- Structure/Length: 15 chapters, introduction, and epilogue; approximately 122 pages; approximately 2 hours, 52 minutes on audio
- Protagonist/Central Conflict: This novel is based on the true story of the life and death of Iqbal Masih, a Pakistani boy born in 1983 who helped liberate child laborers. Fatima, the young narrator of the novel, works in a carpet factory, working long hours in the heat with little food. When she meets Iqbal, he gives her hope that she and the other children can have a life free from exploitation.
- Potential Sensitivity Issues: Child exploitation; child labor; murder of a child
Francesco D’Adamo, Author
- Bio: Lives in Milan, Italy; writes Italian noir fiction for adults and fiction for young adults
- Other Works: My Brother Johnny (2008); Oh, Freedom! (2017)
- Awards: Christopher Award, Ages 10-12 (2004); Great Stone Face Book Award nominee (2005); Iowa Teen Award nominee (2007)
CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Guide:
- Coming Together to Escape Oppression
- The Power of Corruption
- The Economic Impact of Forced Child Labor
STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Guide, students will:
- Develop an understanding of the economic and social contexts regarding the use of child labor in Pakistan’s carpet industry, which incites Iqbal’s campaign against enslaving institutions.
