A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini

Wow. That is all I can say. A Thousand Splendid Suns is another story of Afghanistan, this time from the perspective of two women. The tale begins at the beginning of the Soviet rule, then on to the Mujahideen (sp?), then the Taliban and finally the events after 9/11. The lives of these two women have intertwined inot one beautiful story of the power of love and friendship. I have to say that at first I was a little bored, like where is this going. The beginning is really setting the whole rest of the book and it is a bit long for a book of this size. However, I don't think you could cut any of that out and still walk away with the same feeling. I was near tears so many times while I read this book...and that is not something that I do! I don't cry when I read. Maybe this story just really hit home because I am a woman. This book shows us dumb and naive Americans what the Taliban truly are capable, what it was like as a woman to live under their rule, what war and destruction can do to a country and its people, and finally how a strong hearted person can get through all that heartache and turmoil. I kept reading, wondering how it could get any worse. It did. I kept wondering if it has a happy ending. It does. Sort of. And I'm saying that because to get through this book, you might need to know that! It was waiting for just everyone to die. REally, you have to read this book. You may think its not a story for you. But the author is so good at making you feel like it is here and now and its easily relatable to your own life. These women went through hell. And I know it is a fictitious story, but this could well be the story of millions of Afghani women. Read it. If I could give this book more than five stars, I would. I'm so depressed now its wonderful.

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir, the privileged son of a wealthy businessman in Kabul, and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in the relatively stable Afghanistan of the early 1970s, the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule.

This story really grabbed me. I hadn't read it until now because I honestly didn't want to hear yet another sad story of Afghanistan or the middle east. But for some reason I changed my mind and decided to step out of my usual box. I am really glad that I did. This story pulls at your heart in so many ways...I literally got that pit in my stomach reading about Amir, his guilt, and how the story didn't really have a happy ending...but it sort of did, and I think that was the point. Surprisingly, not much of this story actually takes place in Afghanistan. I was surprised because it really wasn't about the Taliban (yet they are very present), or about politics, or about 9/11. It paints a beautiful picture of what Afghanistan used to be, before the Russians, before the Taliban...and the beginnings of this story could have taken place anywhere and sounded very familiar. I think that is what was so heart wrenching. It doesn't seem foreign and it doesn't seem like it's happening so far from home. I could relate to it very easily, more than I thought I could.

There really was nothing I didn't like about his book, other than like I said, the ending wasn't really happy. It was, but it wasn't...it was still tragic. But I think that was Hosseini's point. Amir nevery really was able to confront his guilt and make ammends.

If you are squeamish about sexual abuse, I would not recommend this book. Although it was a very short experience, it was always present in the story. But, it is worth it, if you can get past that bit. Very worth it.