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When I first started reading this book I wasn't in the class. My boyfriend was and I grabbed the book one night and started reading. I think I read half of the book that night. The book kind of started off slow but picked up shortly into it. I read a little more every day. It was hard to put the book down once I started, but with three kids I don't have alot of time. I started using my quiet time to relax to read this book. I never expected Hassan was Amir's brother. I was in totally shock when I read that. The author didn't give you clues here and there so you would start to wonder, it was all of a sudden pow. There was alot of saddness through out this book but alot of happiness at the end. ~Danielle Rieber

 

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This was one of the greatest books I have ever read. Although I do not sit down and read a book very often, I found this one hard to put down. Every time I was going to stop reading for the night, it left me wondering what was going to happen next. Oddly, a lot of things that happened in the book suprised me. I was suprised by the move to America, by the death of Baba, Rahim Khan asking him to come back, and Hassan being his brother. After getting through it, I did realize how the clues to Hassan being Amir's brother were not dropped subtly. The clues were dropped more like bomb shells. It was a happy/sad story and at times I got so into it, I was able to tone out 3 kids and my husband playing right next to me. Katie Boit

 

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When I first started reading the book, it was a little hard to get into.  Although, this seems to happen to me quite often.  It always takes awhile to get into a book.  But the farther I got into the book the more I was starting to like it.  After awhile, I was finding it hard to put down.  What I really liked about the book was that it was based on a different culture.  One that I am not too familiar with.  I also liked reading this book right now because we do have many americans over seas, so it relates to me personally.  One of the main things I didn't like about the book was how unfairly Amir was treated.  He was always getting picked on and never really given a fair chance.  By the end of the novel my expectations were definetly fulfilled and I thought it was a very well written novel!

 

 

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When I read the title of the story "The Kite Runner" I wasn't sure what a kite runner was and it didn't sound interesting but as I began reading the book it was like an addiction, I didn't want to stop.  The author had a way that made me constantly wonder what was going to happen.  I didn't like how Baba treated Amir because I didn't feel Amir should be blamed for his mother's death because things like that happen and it wasn't Amir's fault.  Baba was also mad that Amir wasn't like him which made me totally suprised that Amir and Hassan were brothers because why would Baba be mad if Amir wasn't like him when he had Hassan who was like him.  Baba may have been mad because he couldn't express the fact that Hassan was his son and that he was so proud of him. Baba could express that Amir was his son but since he wasn't proud of Amir and he knew that Amir wasn't the kind of kid that would end up like him and be as social as he was.  I think Baba and Amir would have grown to like each other sooner if Hassan and Ali weren't there but they are the ones that got them to the situation they were in and what sent them to America, where they became to love each other.  After I understood what the title meant I think the author chose a great title and that it made complete sense.  Amir finally gets to have a family in the end and the same situation sort of happens all over again because Sohrab is without his real parents just like Hassan was (well Hassan had his real father, Baba, but he didn't know that was his father).  I think this gives the story a little twist, most people wouldn't think of it like that but it's true.  I am glad that Amir kind of got to release his guilt and finally do something in return for Hassan by adopting Sohrab and giving him a safe place to live.  Of course, Hassan doesn't know that Amir has repayed him but Amir knows and hopefully Sohrab will know the real story of his life and remember his parents and gets to hear stories of Amir's and Hassan's past times for Amir.  I think Sohrab would like that and it would also help Amir release his emotions and guilt he has about Hassan.  Overall it was a great book and I would definitely keep it as a book for classes to read and recommend it to others! -Carly Turchin 

 

 

 

 

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Once I started getting into the book and got further into it, I couldn't put it down and all I kept thinking about is 'What a life!!' Amir had been through everything, being rejected by his father in ways he couldn't have a healthy realtionship with him, Never having a mother around, having to pack up and move to the Unisted states, losing his father, losing all ties with Hassan and Rahim until the very end, not being able to conceive a child with his wife. And so much more. But I absolutely loved the book. I realize it was a few years back but one thing that I struggled with was why Amir and his wife not get any help with Sohrab and not helping open up more to live a more fulfilling childhood. The book all tied nicely together in the end and made for a sad but happy ending.    -Rachael Felt

 

Reaction: I really enjoyed reading this book and found it hard to put down. I liked how it showed a different perspective and a different way of life. It was interesting to read about Amir and his father’s transition to living in the United States. There is not anything that I can think of that I disliked about this book, the author did a great job a grabbing my attention and keeping it that way throughout the whole book. I was really surprised when Rahim Khan told Amir that he and Hassan were brothers and then all of a sudden the way that Baba treated Hassan in the beginning of the book made sense to me. In the beginning of the novel I was disappointed with Amir and how he never rescued Hassan and then as the story went on he never revealed his secret but in the end of the book I found his character to be a strong person and even though he did not do the right thing in the beginning he made up for it in the end.  Britne Weiher

 

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          After I finished reading the book The Kite Runner I realized that I did, indeed, like the book.  I  feel that I learned quite a bit about a different culture that otherwise I probably never would learn, or try to learn.  I  had a hard time when I first started to read the book.  The Kite Runner is not a book that I  would normally pick up to read.   In the beginning of the book I had to reread quite a few of the pages so I could completely understand it.   At first the book bored me, again, take into consideration that this is not a book I would normally pick out to read.  Maybe this is also the reason why I had to reread parts of it.   What I liked about the book was that I  learned something about a culture that I  previously knew nothing about.   I  actually learned something from a "read for pleasure" book!  Another thing that I liked about the book was that it made me look at myself and ask myself questions about who I  am as a person.   Do I like who I am as a person? Am I a good friend? Wife? Daughter? Sister? Mother? It really made me look deep inside my soul and made me realize that I  could be better.  I  guess the only part of the book that I didn't like, but what was necessary in the book was all of the abuse.  I literally had to put the book down several times when reading of the molestation of Hassan.  There are other examples of abuse, some mental, some physical, but they are all essential parts of the book.   Also, the gruesome details of the molestation and the murders!  I, myself have a hard time with it even though  I know it is real in our world.   I didn't have any expectations of The Kite Runner before I started reading it.   I had heard that is was supposed to be a great book, and actually about 6 months prior my husband and watched the movie.  His English teacher had told him about it and recommended it.  I was a blank page when I first started reading the book and now my page is filled with all that I have learned from the book.  I wasn't surprised by anything in the book.  I kept an open mind and everything I  read made sense.   I assumed that there was going to be abuse, love, the lack of love, and someone trying to find their way in life.  At the end of the book I realized that there were many morals that were instilled in the reading.  The importance of family was the main one.  Family doesn't have to be defined as a mom, dad, brother or sister.   It can also be the people that surround you with love and encouragement.   There was also friendship, love, knowing right from wrong and learning if you should try to make up for your mistakes.   I  did enjoy reading this book and I have already recommended it to others.   I think that this is a great book for an English Class to read.--------Elizabeth Hillukka

 

Reaction: When I first looked at the book, I thought it was going to be a very boring book. Once I started reading it, I could not put it down. It was a very good book and I'm glad that I read it. I was very emotional throughout the book, learning about what Amir and Hassan went through.  I was so surprised to learn that Amir and Hassan were half bothers. The story had so many surprises in that I did not expect, how Hassan and his wife were murdered leaving a child behind, how Amir goes back to his country and fights for Sohrab, a child that he just learns about and how Sohrab tries to kill himself. It was a emotional roller coaster for me, I cried in so many parts of the book.

I was so glad that Amir was able to adopt Sohrab and raise him since his wife was not able to have children.

The whole story kept me interested and I thought it was very inspiring and also it was sad to see the challenges everyone faced in the story.

Ann Haverkamp

 

 

 

 

Reaction: The Kite Runner was a very interesting story about a certain point in time when things weren't so great. Parts of this novel were inspiring and parts were just sickening to read. I thought the most inspiring was when Amir decides to go find his nephew even though he knows there will be challenges. The things these men did are just unspeakable and makes me wonder how they thought their actions were okay. I think Amir got more satisfaction from finally facing all he ran from to save his nephew. He finally didn't have to live with regret or fear from decisions past. I wonder how different things would have been if he had known hassan was his brother. This part surprised me because I didn't see that coming in the story. It is interesting how Amir, his nephew, and his wife make a family. It was a perfect ending to finally make a family out of all the mess that happened. Christina Montag

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaction:  This novel inspired me in so many ways.  I always find it hard to put a book down once I begin reading it, and this was that type of a book.  It not only had suspense, but it also had many of life's little lessons all wrapped up in this novel.  I found it to be "a lesson learned" for Amir as in the beginning of the book he tried so hard to impress other people such as his father or Assef that he forgot who he should stay true to, such as himself or Hassan.  Throughout the book there were many elements that reflected back on his actions in the beginning and along the way he seemed to learn from them.  I found it also interesting on how the relationship between Afghan and the U.S. was percieved and now after 9/11 it seems to be a bit more controversial and judgemental.  As I was saying though, the book was very suspensful and at times it let me down though too.  In the end I was hoping it would have been more of a happy for all type ending, but of course that is not always the case and I am a optimistic.  It is crazy to think all along how "close" Amir, Hassan, Baba and Ali were and at times they just didn't seem to realize it.  I would definately pick this book to read again as I learned from it to always stay true to yourself, family and friends as they are the ones who will be there in the end to help you along the way.---Krista Eide

 

 

 

Reaction: I liked the detailed descriptive way the Auther told this story. However I did not like the chapter that ended with Sorhab trying to commit suicide. It was gut-wrenching. I did not think I would like this book due to the setting but really I enjoyed it and found my self not being able to put it down. I couldn't have been more wrong. I found that the way the culture was explained was eye opening. Several things surprised me in this book including Baba being Hassans father, Sohrabs attemted suicide and the public way the men were executed at the soccer game. The relationship of ALI and Baba, Amir , Hassan were so commen in many ways. Over all I thought this was a great book and may read it again somewhere down the road.

Angela Thune

 

 

Reaction: The thing that I most liked about this story was how it always left me guessing what was going to happen next. It always kept thinking about what was going on. Its not very often that I can read a book and stay interested in it. I can say that this story was intresting to me since I before reading this story I did not not a lot about the area that this story was talking about. I have heard bits and pieces about the Iranian and Pakistan countries along with neighboring countries but not much. The detail in this story about the scenery and smells of the environment were amazing and it helped me to really imagine what it was like. I was definitely surprised in the book that Amir and Hassan turned out to be brothers, but I had been wondering why Amir's father had cared so deeply for Hassan. Especially since Amir's father had been so strong against lying. Once I found out that Sohrab's parents were dead I figured that he would go and live with Amir since Amir and Soraya couldn't have children of their own. There were parts of the story that were rather graffic that actually were a little too graffic for me. A scene that felt too graffic for me was when Hassan was raped. I actually started to tear up during this part of the book. This story was a great story to read!!

Kacie 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reaction: As I began reading this novel, after the first couple chapters I expected to not like it. As it progressed I felt sympathy with the characters, especially Hassan's tragic experience and wondered how this, and Amir's cowardace would change their characters and affect their relationship. Throughout the novel after the exit of Hassan, I knew this would be something that would haunt Amir and pondered about how he could ever redeem himself. With the adoption of Hassan's son this was resolved the best way it possibly could have been and the story was concluded. The theme of responsibility was central to the story, both in regards to friendship and as a son. I sympathized with Amir in having to live with mistakes and the constant guilt that accompanies them.

Brandon Kappes

 

Reaction:  THis book looked boring by the cover and I put off reading as long as I could.  When I finally began to read this book I could hardly put it down.  I thought that it would be about Afghanistan way of life and that it would not interest me at all.  I was wrong!  I guess it is true that you cannot judge a book by it's cover!  The kite racing was really interesting to me, until Hassan was victimized by those boys.  Amir being torn and walking away almost made me sad.  Towards the end when Amir learns that Hassan is gone and has a son he has an eternal struggle to decide what he wants to do.  He tries to tell himself not to rescue Hassan's son, but after learning that Hassan is his brother by his mother he feels differently.  I think that he also felt more guilt than he could carry around any longer from never standing up for Hassan the say in the alley. 

The book blew me away and I know that I will read it again one day!

Theresa Smith

 

 

Reaction to The Kite Runner: I enjoyed reading this book very much. I had the same reaction as many others when I first heard of the story we were about to read I had my doubts and thought it would be boring.  Well I guess I was wrong.  This was such a wonderful story of how true life situations can really make such an impact on a reader.  I was surprised to find out what the actually kite running was, and just as it is called, what a simple thing to mean so much.  I have my own feelings toward Amir's behaviors toward Hassan growing up; jealousy can make people do things they can't believe they are doing, but so can fear.  I think that we can all judge his reaction of seeing Hassan being raped and not doing anything but until we are in that same situation we don't know how hard it would be to react to the bully like that.  I do however believe his other actions are horrible, to treat such a loyal friend like dirt simply bacause you're scared he may have more attention than you. Sometimes you see what goes around comes around and I think Amir is and will feel guilt for the way he treated Hassan for the rest of his life.  He can now try to make up for it by caring for Hassan's son.  

This book was so easily read and interesting that I was surprised.

Nicole Stearns 

 

 

My Reaction: When picking up this book, I thought it was not going to be very interesting by reading the title. But I was curious as to what "The Kite Runner" was all about.  And as I started reading the book I found out it was not as bad as I thought it would be. I'm not much on reading and If I do read a book, it needs to be quite interesting to keep me reading. As I got more into the story, it kept me wanting to read more. It was very upsetting with the rape of Hassan. It it made me mad and very upset that someone could just stand there and watch it happen, or at least find help. What a traumatic experience, he had to go through and live with. This seems to be a big part of the book that most students were really pulled in by.  As I kept reading, I almost felt sorry for Amir as he tried his hardest to try to show his undying friendship to Hassan. I was happy to read at the end of the book that Amir finally could forgive himself. Even though I know I probably could not.

 

 It was interesting to read about how people in Afghanastan live and the lifestyles, compared too how we live in the U.S. You can only thank God, that we live where we do.  Jennifer Tollefson   

 

 

 

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I did not know what to expect when I began "The Kite Runner". Previously, I had never heard of the author, or had a hint of the book's content. I was drawn into the descriptions of the country and culture and puzzled by the unclear pieces within the story, such as Amir and Hassan's mothers. While I felt a sense of foreboding, especially with the hint from the first chapters, I did not at all expect the horrible experience that Hassan went through. It sickened me to a deeper degree than I would have thought. I had a hard time getting back into the story, and was sickened to find Hassan's son being abused later in the story. In my desire for a blissfully ignorant existence, I could have done with out the disturbing details of this abue. As the story continued, I felt like I was saddled with Amir's guilty secret and was becoming frustrated with his silence. I admired Hassan for his unswerving love for Amir. I never became angry with Amir's character, but was saddened by his failures and shortcomings. Although Amir did much to "redeem" himself, I never got the feeling of a truly resolved ending. This made me think how very realistic this story was, as life does not have many happy endings, but more of the patched together solutions found in this story. I was deeply affected by this book, not only because of plot, but the eye opening details of Aghanistan and it's conflicts and its people. The oppression of the Taliban weighed heavily on my mind for several days, because of this book and it's clear, honest descriptions. The author amazed me repeatedly with his ability to capture so many thoughts and ideas, and to bring new ones to light.  I would recommend this book to others, along with a word of caution to be prepared to experience a lot more than a simple read. Erica Aho

 

My reaction: I started reading "The Kite Runner" before the semester started in anticipation of me not getting into it and thought it would be a chore. Boy, was I wrong; I absolutely loved it. I liked that the begining was so discriptive about how it was growing up in the old Afghanistan. Due to the foreshadowing that something terrible was coming up, I couldn't read the book for 3 days because I wanted it to remain a happy boy and his amazing friend who just had their dreams come true by winning the kite flying tournament. After I picked it back up I was disturbed by what Hassan went through, and quite surprized at the fact that Amir didn't do anything to stop it. I never once blamed Amir, and I even felt sorry for him sometimes, he seemed to have had enough blame for himself and I could tell it was just in his character to not do anything. Besides the book wouldn't have been as good as it is without everything that happened. As the story continued I found myself becoming almost obsessed over it; I seriously could not put it down and would read whenever I could. I thought the part when Amir and Assef fought for Sohrab was incredible, Amir finally was freed from his guilt.

Overall, I truly enjoyed this book as it took me on an emotional rollercoster. The only thing that I regret is finishing it so soon, now I am having a hard time remembering what questions I was asking myself. I would, and have, recommend this book to anyone.

Nicole Vasseur

 

 

Student Reactions

Before I started reading "The Kite Runner," I assumed it was going to be just a story about refugees making a better life for themselves in America.  Although my prediction was partly true, I was pleasantly surprised to find that this novel contained so much more, and such a powerful account of one man's life.  I was very disturbed by the violent scenes within the book, especially the graphic exposure of Assef's raping of Hassan, and his sexual perversion with Sohrab, yet at the same time, I was glad that the book did not gloss over anything.  One of my favorite parts of the book was the portrayal of the loving, committed relationship between Amir and Soraya.  It was gratifying to see that Amir was able to have such a positive relationship despite the hurtful relationships of his past.

 

One parallel I saw repeated through the book was the use of deception in order to protect oneself or someone else.  Ali hides the fact that he witnessed Hassan's rape so that no one will think of him as a coward.  Baba hides his identity as Hassan's father in order to protect his own reputation and to avoid publicly humiliating Ali.  Rahim Khan lies about the existence of an orphanage in Peshawar to protect Sohrab from having to remain in Islamabad.

 

Overall, I thought this book gave a hauntingly authentic portrayal of one man's fight to redeem himself from the sins of his past and to create a better life for his future. 

~Amy Guntzel~ 

 

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I found this to be a phenomenal piece of reading.  I loved the inherent humor present when their culture is compared to ours.  When Soraya was described as having beautiful eyebrows in that they came together like the wings of an eagle, I couldn’t help but laugh out loud.  I also found it a little funny that kite flying could be such a serious sport, whereas here one might flippantly say, “go fly a kite,” in all its derogatory connotation.  I also thought it was a funny contrast when the community seemed to think that Amir should marry one of his cousins, as this was preferable.  Here in the USA, we might joke about you being from Arkansas if you marry your cousin.  I did like the recurring themes in the story, such as, “for you, a thousand times over.” (Hosseini, 323)  I also was fascinated by the recurring theme of the “hairlipped” (Hosseini, 322) boy, as Amir obtains a hairlip from the beating.  It is curious that the hairlip was only mentioned in reference to Hassan previous to the redemptive beating.  The entire booked seemed like a long rite of passage for a boy with an emotionally absent father.  Amir (the protagonist) finally overcame his cowardice (the antagonist).  I liked everything about the novel and can’t honestly say there is anything I disliked, other than the graphic pictures that were painted.  I was surprised by just about everything in this book, including the relation to Hassan, the marriage to Soraya, the struggle for Sohrab, and the triumph in getting him to America.  I did see the theme of motherlessness, and was also struck by the fact that fathers were considered a rare commodity in Afghanistan upon Amir’s return to Afghanistan.  I liked the symbolism of the tree which was carved with their names and the fact that it had ceased to bear fruit when Amir saw it again.  I could really form a lot of thesis statements from this book, it was incredible.

Chris Fear

 

My overall opinion of this novel was very good.  At first when I received the book with my other textbooks I thought it was going to be very boring and a hard book to read and interpret.  It was not either of those at all.  I enjoyed all of the characters in the novel, loved how Mr. Hosseini put the feelings of all of the characters into perspective and showed the various struggles that they all had to go through.  It gave me a much better understanding of people that are coming to our great country from those countries that are in turmoil and have had to flee because of that.  The novel kept me in suspense for what was going to happen next and kept me very interested.  

Susan Bartel

 

When I started reading this book I was anxious to see what was going to happen. I had heard from several people that it was a great story and even the people that had watched the movie said it was good. After reading the book I definately would like to see the movie. This book really gave me a sense of what it would have been like to experience the things the characters in the book had, such as the war and having to move from their home to a totally foriegn country with a completely different culture than them. I liked that even though the story was told through the eyes of Amir, it still gave you the insights of other characters, although not fully. I had a feeling their was something more between Baba, Ali, and Hassan than just them being good servants. Yet I was still surprised that it was because Hassan was Baba's son. Before I read this novel I had also always thought a certain way about the people of Pakistan, after reading it though my ideas have completely changed and I understand better were they are coming from with their beliefs and traditions. I also found it interesting that Amir and Hassan were brothers, with different mothers, and yet niether of them had a mother in their life.

Jessica Wilson

 

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I really enjoyed this novel, I am not an avid reader but I found it hard to put it down at times.  I liked that the novel was unpredictable, many things took place that I did not see coming, it was suspenseful.  What I did not like about the novel was that I thought there would be more of a happy ending.  I was expecting Sohrab to go to America and complete Amir’s family and instead it seemed as though he was more of a burden to them.  The main theme I saw throughout the novel was the importance of telling the truth.  I saw this through Amir’s guilt that he lived with when seeing Hassan beaten.  Then again the theme appeared with Amir and Hassan not knowing that Baba was really Hassan’s father.  The finally thing was that Amir promised Sohrab he would never have to go to an orphanage again and then when he told him he would have to he tried to kill himself.  The importance of truth was the main theme I saw in this story. – Kris Koll

 

Reaction: this is actually the first hard cover book, that I've read cover to cover in ages. And even if it wasn't for school, I still would have read it. It was an amazing book of life, liberty, love, death, revenge, and redemption. When I first told me brother that I was reading "The Kite Runner" as a book for a writing class, his response was: "lucky". He had been touring the world this past year with a team playing music and almost everyone in his group read this book.  Although this book was really sad, it still was an inspiring book. Example: Amir, coming from being a wimpy sensative boy, without enough courage to even stand up for his best friend in his time of need, then to taking care of baba, and even returning to Afghanistan to save his nephew (in the mean time gets really banged up and almost dies) really displayed courage and redemption. Although the end would've been happier if Hassan and his wife would've lived and moved to America with Amir and lived happily ever after, it just couldn't end that way.

Matthew Myrick

 

My reaction- When I first started reading the novel I was thinking it was going to be a great friendship between two boys with such different social classes that would be tested by these differences but still remain strong. I was very surprised about the jealousy and even the demeaning nature that emerged from Amir towards Hassan and through it all the loyalty Hassan showed back when Amir tested that friendship. I enjoy reading and this was one book that I didn’t want to put down because I wanted to know what would happen next and found it full of surprises. The ultimate surprise I had was learning of Baba’s secret that the two boys were half brothers towards the end. I think that it had been revealed at a perfect time in the story, but also feel that even if they had known from the beginning the friendship would have been strained by a sense of sibling rivalry instead (which maybe even would’ve made Amir even more jealous than he already was).  I liked that even when Amir ended up standing up to Assef it was Sohrab who saved him just like his father had years earlier with a sling shot. As a mother of two boys I had a hard time reading about the molestation of Hassan the day of the kite tournament, as well as with his son, both in the hands of Assef. Even when Sorhab tried to take his own life I did cry some thinking of all the horror he must have felt on his little shoulders. I like happy endings and would have liked the book to continue towards certain happiness, not just one left up to my imagination.

Colleen Parteka

Overall, I felt that Kite Runner was a very good book. I had heard this book was worth reading, so I would say that I had high expectations when I started. The author is very descriptive throughout the novel, and I found that it was difficult to put down because I became connected to the characters and wanted to know what would happen next. I had a difficult time with the lack of a relationship between Baba and Amir. So many times throughout the story I found myself realizing that Amir’s behaviors were driven by his desire to be accepted by his father. I could not understand why Baba seemed more involved with Hassan than with his own son. So many of my questions about the relationships between the three main characters were cleared up when I learned that Baba was actually both of the boys’ biological father. I should have seen this coming, but it actually took me by surprise. At times the novel got quite graphic, but I believe it was necessary to give the reader a true sense of the hardships in Afghanistan. Finally, I appreciate how the story seems to come full circle. This can most definitely be seen when Amir can finally forgive himself for what he subjected his best friend to so many years ago.

Laura Brown

 

Reaction to The Kite Runner:

At first I was not at all interested in the book and actually had to force myself to read it and quite often had to re-read what I had just read to get it to stick.  I thought Amir was a jerk and did not appreciate what he was given.  Then he and his father "escaped" Afghanastan and came to America.  He then learned how to work hard and appreciate life.  He met his wife and lost his father, then learned that his childhood friend had passed.  He went back to Afghanastan to search for the son of his new found half brother.  The trials that he faces throughout the book, make a person think of their own.  I was amazed at how many ironic instances there are in the end of the book.  From the fact the one person who hurt Hassan the most in life is the one that would hurt Amir the most, Assef.  He and Assef fought over the boy which left Amir with a large scar on his upper lip, just like Hassan.  And the fact that Amir and his wife were unable to have a baby, Hassan, one more time gives Amir what he wants, his own son.     *Elise Hausmann

 

When I realized that we would have to read this novel as part of our curriculum, I cannot say that I was thrilled.  I had avoided reading it when everyone else was reading it, and I complained that I had to read it now.  I was not at all interested in this war-torn nation, and I didn't want to know anything about it either. But once I started reading, I was drawn into the lives of Amir, Hassan, Baba, and Ali. My closed mind on this topic was opened wide by Khaled Hosseini's amazing imagery.  He shows us a time before the war and a nation rich in traditions and pride.  Then as the war arrives, he takes us to an America that most of us are probably not familiar with.  Imagine making a living buying and selling at a flea-market, living in a small apartment, when you had been a rich man living in a large house with servants in your own country not too long before.  Then the tone of his novel grows very dark as he gives us very stark images of a war ravaged nation, and a proud people thrown into poverty.  There was a great deal of foreshadowing throughout the book, so if you paid attention you were not totally suprised by too many things.  As I read the book, I told the story to my sister.  Every day she would ask me what was going on and did Amir do the right thing yet? did Soroya get pregnant yet? did Amir find Sohrab?  It was a great experience to share the book with someone else.  Now I need to read A Thousand Splendid Suns to continue learning about this amazing country through Hosseini's eyes.  --Sarah Marvin

Reaction: I found the Kite Runner a very interesting story, I liked getting to know each of the characters and almost being drawn into the story as if I was there learning and growing with the two of them.  There are some very valuable lessons learned throughout this book between friendship.  There were many times throughout the story I would think back to my childhood and think about old friends that I had lost touch with, but somehow never forget.  

 

--William Gladue 

 

I loved this novel. It caught my attention from the very beginning. This book expanded my knowlege about Pakistan and made me appreciate the country I live in. It was so sad to hear all the horrible things the children had to go through. I was suprised by how real and brutal the events described were, such as how a young boy can rape another boy and grow up to continue to rape children. It was amazing to learn about the values and traditions they held and still do hold.  Life for them is  quite different then for me.  I think the journey Amir took to follow through with Rahim's wishes was awesome. I thought it was really sad that both Amir and Hassan could have had better lives full of care and love yet both seemed to get short changed on the deal. I would definently read this again.-Amy Wardinski

 

Overall I feel this was a very easy novel to read.  Hosseini has such a beautiful way of wrapping a reader up in his introspective look into a culture that is not well understood by americans.  I expected this to be a somewhat tragic story, but I didn't know to what affect it would be.  This story made me search my own soul at certain points.  I can't imagine what it would feel like to be put in some of the places that Amir encountered - in his country and his own mind.  The most surprising thing that I read from this story is how even while Amir is taken a beating from Assef towards the end he is saved by the spirit of his friend he betrayed.  Amir, in an essence owes everything to Hassan - This standard of a person is hard to find.  I am so thankful to have read this book.  -Amy Larson