The Kite Runner

My latest reading adventure has been The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Wow! This book was incredibly difficult to read. It was not because of the writing or word choices, both of those were fabulous. It was difficult to learn about the realities of life in a culture other than my own. It was difficult to see the corruption of humans brought to indescribable heights. It was difficult to read about broken relationships, longing, anticipation, and how time plays an immeasurable role.
Hosseini weaves a narrative of the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan with the life of a young boy seeking his fathers approval and wrestling with his own guilt and shame narratives. The Kite Runner is a powerful story of love, loss, grief, and coping with societal changes that are beyond comprehension.

I particularly appreciated how the story began before the Taliban took power and how it was originally perceived before it became corrupt. They relieved Afghanistan from the Soviet powers but, as time progress, implemented their own oppressive powers. It was interesting to learn the history through the story of a young man and to be able to humanize areas in the middle east. So often, I feel as though I live in my own cultural bubble with my own assumptions and prejudices. To hear this story, in a voice that is not my own, was incredibly powerful and enlightening.

Grade: B+

Next Book: Water for Elephants