Deborah Ellis has achieved international acclaim with her courageous, sensitive, and dramatic books that give western readers a glimpse into the plight of children in developing countries. Her Breadwinner trilogy has sold hundreds of thousands of copies in twenty-five languages, and she was awarded the Governor General’s Award for her book, Looking for X.
Deborah grew up in Ontario, Canada and from the age of 17 has been a political activist, advocating non-violence. After high school she went to Toronto and worked in the Peace Movement. Later she got involved in the Women’s Movement, focusing on women’s rights and economic justice. She has spent a lot of time in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan, talking to women and documenting their lives through 20 years of war.
The stories she heard and the children she met were the inspiration for The Breadwinner, Parvana’s Journey, Mud City, My Name is Parvana and One More Mountain.
