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A Novel“It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn’t make everything all right. It didn’t make anything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing. A leaf in the woods, shaking in the wake of a startled bird’s flight. But I’ll take it. With open arms. Because when spring comes, it melts the snow one flake at a time, and maybe I just witnessed the first flake melting. I ran. A grown man running with a swarm of screaming children. But I didn’t care. I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran.” - the character Amir, in Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner
With those words, Khaled Hosseini concludes a book that is both disturbing and strikingly beautiful - and for many readers, nearly impossible to put down. It is rare that I begin a book and read through to the end without a pause. Afforded the "luxury" of a 17-hour bus ride in Central America last month, I did just that. From opening sentences to closing words, The Kite Runner is gripping and - rare among present-day novels - relevant to the global political developments of recent years. Terms like the Taliban, mullah, and Northern Alliance leap from the sterility of the evening news to the pages of an engaging human drama. Set primarily in Afghanistan, The Kite Runner provides useful insight into the country's rich and complex culture. The author, an Afghan now living in the United States, portrays his homeland lovingly but not uncritically. We readers gain appreciation for what is beautiful about Afghan culture yet shudder at the religious orthodoxy and ethnic conflict marring modern-day Afghan society. We also witness the radical transformation that has taken place in the country in recent years. An imperfect yet beautiful Afghanistan is ripped apart across the pages and years, becoming unrecognizable even to main character Amir when he returns after two decades in the United States. Yet this cultural and historical insight, relevant given current events in the Middle East, is not forced. The power of The Kite Runner is that it is first a compelling and well-written novel. Its power to educate rests upon its ability to entertain. Readers are quickly pulled into a pair of relationships shaping the novel's plot: the one shared by Amir and Hassan, two boys born into different segments of Afghan society; and that of Amir and his father, Baba. Among other things, friends Amir and Hassan share a passion for the traditional sport of kite fighting, Amir the fighter and Hassan his "runner." The timid, unathletic Amir hopes to forge a stronger bond with his powerful father by winning the annual city championship. Following dramatic events of the championship fight, relationships are changed forever. Amir and his father flee the crumbling Afghan society for America, but Hassan is not forgotten. The surprising twists and turns their relationships take – and the warmth with which they're portrayed – work to keep the pages turning. I hesitated to highlight The Kite Runner here because it depicts several disturbing, hard-to-stomach events. This one isn't for the fifth- and sixth-graders targeted with Iqbal last month. Still, it deserves to be here as a powerful novel that educates readers about the history and culture of the Afghan nation. << Find this Book on Amazon.com >>
| ![[Book Cover Page: The Kite Runner]](images/books/the-kite-runner.jpg "The Kite Runner")