The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner was written by Khaled Hosseini and published in May of 2003. It's genres include: Fiction, Realistic Fiction, and Historical Fiction.

Plot:

The main character, Amir, is of a very high social class is Afghanistan. His friend, and the son of his father's servant, Hassan, is of lower social class. Amir lives in a large, pleasing home, whereas Hassan lives in a mud hut in their back yard... They spend their childhood together, and are very close friends.

As they start to get older, Amir starts to realize that he is of higher social class than Hassan, and the other boys, Assef specifically, are starting to bother him. He and Hassan start to drift apart a bit, but the big trouble comes later.

In Afghanistan, kite flying is an important sport. It is a big deal to have the last kite flying. Their kites have glass shards glued to them, and the object is to cut the others down. Amir and Hassan are given very nice kites by Baba, Amir's father, and they enter together. Amir's is the last kite flying. And it sure would be a big honor to have the kite he cut down... Luckily, Hassan is a great kite runner [someone who runs after the kites after they are knocked down. Many boys run after them at once, and whoever gets it first gets to keep it].

Hassan does capture the kite, but Assef captures him. Then, in order to keep the kite to give to Amir, Hassan sacrifices his dignity.

Later on, after the Taliban enter Afghanistan, Amir and Baba flee to America, and their journey is harsh. There, Amir meets a woman who he later marries, but they cannot have children. Baba dies of cancer.

Amir receives a letter from Rahim Khan, his father's best friend. He is asked to go back to Afghanistan. After going back, he finds out Hassan is dead, and the only way to make things right is to find his son, Sohrab, and give him a better life in America. But finding one lost boy in Afghanistan is harder than it sounds...

Suggesting This Book To...

I am suggesting this book to anyone who wants not only an upbeat, fast paces story, but also a bit of history tied in too. Hosseini did a great job of teaching the reader about Afghan history and making it interesting.

Rating

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. It was a great book, and I learned a lot of history while reading.