The Kite Runner is a Must-Read!

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. It delves into explaining the flawed truth of humanity, defying cultural biases, and portraying an inside view of a significant world change. And Hosseini does it all in beautiful prose!

The Kite Runner is in a category all its own and well deserves its spot on the list of Modern Books Our Kids Will Be Taught in School that I blogged about recently. Its a list I plan to read in full.

Summary of The Kite Runner

Amir and Hassan were the greatest friends either would ever know but society placed a wedge between them. Hassan was a Hazara, a discriminated class of Afghan, and the son of Amir’s family servant. The two friends grew up under the same roof, played the same games, and loved the same books but because Hassan was a Hazara, he was not allowed to go to school with Amir or sleep in the family’s extravagant house. Hassan and his father slept in a one-room hut in the yard. While Amir learned to read and write at school, Hassan cooked his best friend’s breakfast and made his bed.

The boys’ friendship ends harshly and with tragic heartbreak but their story does not end there. True childhood friendships stay close to heart one’s entire lives.

As the Taliban take over the Afghanistan government, destroy his hometown, and crash into the Twin Towers, Amir escapes the evil rule of Afghanistan and moves to the US. The Kite Runner is a story of Afghan culture before and after it made American headlines. It will open readers’ eyes to that culture but even more so, it will open your eyes to the immense connection of friendship and family and the emotions will tear you apart as surely as they tear apart the characters of The Kite Runner.

The Flawed Truth of Humanity

The range of emotions and the depth at which they are explored is incomparable. Love and guilt. Shame and fear. Pride, joy and love. Desire. Hate.

Perhaps a man can only be considered a “great men” if he is a successful secret keeper. Why? Because everyone is flawed. Every human being holds the entire range of human emotion, including hate, envy, jealousy, selfishness.

Point of View and Tone

Amir tells the story in first person. The mass of the story is told in past tense but the very end jumps to present tense. The switch worked well for me.

The emotion that was so strong in this novel had a lot to do with the tone of regret Amir told the story in. From the very first sentence, the reader feels the regret of his childhood. Watching young Amir act cruelly, knowing how much he regrets it later in life, makes my heart ache even weeks after turning the last page.

Afghanistan’s Discrimination and American’s Stereotypes

The characters in The Kite Runner keep immense secrets and make life-altetering sacrifices in order to keep their name “honorable” by going along with the cultural discrimination of Hazaras. As hard as we try to be fair to all genders, races, religions, ect. in America, we struggle. And because we are so drawn up in our own struggle for equality, we overlook the downright racism and discrimination that is going on all over the world.

This novel opened my eyes to a culture and a religion that is stereotyped more than any other in America.

An Insider’s View of World Change

The Kite Runner is relevant in world news, in politics, and in the struggles of Americans’ daily life. Published in 2003, this book couldn’t have been released at a more relevant time. It reflects a time in American history from the point of view of someone emotionally, physically, and culturally close to the change while still keeping a “neutral” stance on the political aspect. The book does not verbally abuse the Taliban, it simply shows their evil nature. It does not go in depth about the effects of 911, but it reminds readers there are innocent people on both sides of this war.

The Kite Runner is a heart-felt story written in beautifully-crafted prose but the reason it makes the list of Modern Books Our Kids Will Be Taught in School is because of its political and cultural reflection of 21st century American history.

Summary

5 stars!!! An extended timeline packed with action. Characters too real to let go. Emotions too deep not to shed a tear. Cultural and political relevance during a testing time in history. Simply stated, The Kite Runner is not a book you will easily forget.