The Kite Runer & A Thousand Splendid Suns

Reading these two books was not just helped me get extra credit, but it helped me understand people from that part of the world more. We complain about not having it easy, complian about petty thing we need to fix, and we complain about our government. Mostly because we really don't witness event that are happening in other countries. People like the the character in The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns wish they could be complaining about the stuff that we so foolishly complain about. Instead they worry about suicide bombs and stray bullets. If we were to live in countries like Afghanistan I'm sure that we would learn to appreciate what we have a whole lot more.

Blog #9

April 2003 the people have started to rebuild Kabul. The new family has rented a two bedroom house. Tariq has found a job. Both the kids attend school. Laila has become a teacher. She teaches at the same orphanage she was once forced to leave Aziza in. The book ended with Laila once again pregnant. War, hunger, anarchy, and oppression is the reason why for almost three decades Afghans refugee crisis has been one of the more severe around the globe. A thousand splendid suns was a way better book the The kite runner. It has everything that I look for in a book grief, romance, trouble, and a happy ending

Blog #8

Mariam and Laila both knew that the murder of Rasheed could simply be forgotten, so Mariam took it upon herself to figure out a plan. Mariam would turn herself in while Laila and the kids would leave with Tariq to Pakistan. The plan was successfully carried out. Mariam was executed and Laila along with the kids left Kabul to Pakistan with Tariq. As soon as they arrived to Pakistan Laila and Tariq got married. They worked as janitors at a hotel. Laila had regained the freedom she lost when she married Rasheed. Laila lived a happy life in Pakistan, but knew they all had to go back to Kabul to help rebuild the city now that the Taliban no longer ruled the city. The idea of going back to the place that caused them so much pain is not one that I would agreed with. The Afghans have thought that war was over plenty of time only to find out that a new warlord has defeated the last dictator to become the next.

Blog #7

Reality is Tariq was never dead. Rasheed had paid a man to lie to Laila just so he could lure her into marrying him. Tariq after getting out of prison went back to Kabul for Laila. He found out about her life. That laila is a married woman with children, the oldest being his.Aziza was sent to an orphanage, because Rasheed’s shoe store had burnt done and had no money to feed them all. Tariq and Laila agreed to visit her when Rasheed left to work the next day. Rasheed found out of Tariq’s return and intended to kill Laila. What I predicted happened just not exactly how I thought it would. Mariam couldn’t stand to see Rasheed take away Laila’s life so she shoved a shovel into his forehead. Well Tariq’s arrival was a surprising shock. But I for some reason didn’t discard the possibility of him returning. With Rasheed dead I think they will all feel free to escape with Tariq.

Blog #6

There is talk about all the new warlords and the arrival of the Taliban. They talked of all the rules set for both men and women. The girls tried escaping one spring morning, but because the Taliban wouldn’t allow women to travel alone they were caught. Of course Rasheed severely punished them. Later Laila gave birth to Rasheed’s son. They named him Zalmai. Zalmai is Rasheed’s pride and joy and see no need for Aziza. Laila knows Rasheed is trying to get rid of Aziza, so she knows she has to act quick. I have a feeling they’re going to try to run away this time being more successful or Laila is going to kill Rasheed.

Blog #5

Part three of the book I assumed could just go back to Mariam’s character, but I was wrong. Part three shifts back and fourth from Mariam and Laila. Now is when I take back everything I said in blog #3. I feel stupid for saying that! Laila wakes up to the care of her neighbors Mariam and her husband Rasheed. Laila wake up an orphan. One day a man comes looking for Laila to let her know that while Tariq was driving towards the border a rocket hit his lorry. Tariq died three weeks later. Laila later found out she was pregnant so she accepted Rasheeds offer to marry. mariam was not happy about this. Since the arrival of Laila, Rasheed mistreated Mariam worse then before. Laila gave birth to a daughter she named Aziza. She made Rasheed believe the baby was his, but in reality Aziza belonged to Tariq. Laila started planning an escape, stealing small amounts of money from Rasheed’s wallet. Mariam had become fond of Aziza and was no longer a enemy to Laila. I have a feeling that when the girls escape Mariam will join them. Never has a book touched me like this book. Reading this book has made me feel things that I just can’t explain. I giggled and laughed when Laila and Tariq first spoke of liking each other, I was shocked when they all so suddenly had sex, felt sick when he left her, and my knees weakened when I found out Tariq was dead exactly like they did when the doctors talked my family and I that my uncle was dead.

Blog #4

Now Laila is eleven. Laila, her family, Tariq, and a friend all went to the city to witness the last of the Soviet convoys exit the city. Three years after that when Laila turned 14 the day her mammy was waiting for came, Najibullah surrendered. The next day she left her room and resumed her household duties. Now that Laila and Tariq are both older, Tariq being fourteen, they both now see themselves differently. Quickly things changed Kabul was no longer a safe city. Bombs, landmines, stray bullets, missels, and every weapon imaginable filled the streets of Kabul. Many of Kabul’s residents fled. Mariam even decided to home school her. Now it was Tariq and his families turn to leave Kabul. Someway some while Tariq was telling Mariam the news they ended up having sex! I don’t know how I feel about that decision. I mean he is the love of her life but they don’t know if they’ll ever see each other again. Seventeen days after Tariq left Babi, Mairma’s dad finally convinced her mom to leave. They were all so excited packing when a missal hits there house. Next she’s semi unconscious lying in a hospital bed. Never mind I take back what I said before, she does have a hard life.

Blog #3

Part two of the book changes character. The new character is a nine year old girl named Laila. She lives in Kabul with her mother and father. She’s close neighbors with Mariam. This switch caught me off guard. I was really hoping I would find out what Mariam was trying to tell Rasheed when he shoving the rocks in her mouth. I really hope we get back to her. Her mother has fallen into depression when her two oldest sons, Noor and Amhed had left to war to fight the Soviet Union. She only fell deeper when she found out that both her sons had died. Laila had a childhood friend named Tariq who helped her through it all. She began to see him in a new light. Tariq had lost a leg to a landmine. Because Mariam’s mom spent most of her time locked in her room, Mariam did partially everything in the house. I can’t really feel bad for Laila. She isn’t going through anything out of the ordinary like Mariam. She is getting her education, so besides her loony mom and a couple struggles here and there might even consider her lucky.

blog #2

So Mariam moves to Kabul with her new husband, Rasheed. She learned how to become a good wife to him. She cooks, cleaned after him, washed his clothes, and catered to him in everyway necessary. She stopped being scared of him and actually liked being in his presence. Rasheed was a good husband until she miscarried there must anticipated child. Over the years she lost a total of 7 babies. With the death of each he hated her more. Mariam was scared of him now. I think Rasheed thought of Mariam as a failure. He treated her like dirt. He didn’t understand that Mariam was hurting even more with his hardship. He makes cover herself from head to toe before going out. Once he claimed that the food she had made him was nasty and he claimed that he was tired of her feeding him nasty food. He then walked out of the house came back in with a handful of rocks. Rasheed stuffed those rocks into Mariam’s mouth and made her chew. When she was done she had two broken molars. I don’t think the food was a problem; I just think he needed an excuse to torture her. Throughout this whole ordeal she was trying to tell him something, but she wouldn’t hear it. I think Mariam was trying to tell Rasheed she was pregnant.

A thousand splendid suns blog #1

A thousand splendid suns is the second book that I’m reading by Khaled Hosseini. This book is different then The Kite runner in the sense that the main character is a girl. But from what I can tell this book will show the females perspective of the life in Afghanistan, while the kite runner talks about the way of life for a male. This book has introduced us to a 15 year old girl named Mariam. Mariam was birthed by a man named Jail who has 3 wives and ten kids. Miriam’s mother is not one of the 3 wives and more that Mariam is not publicly acknowledged as a daughter of Jail. I’ve only read up to the eighth chapter, but already so much has happened. Mariam on the day of her birthday went out to look for her father when her mom. When she returned home her mother had hung herself. Because Jail was the Miriam’s father he had no choice but to let her stay with him and his family. Of course none of the wives wanted her there so they convinced her father to agree to marry her off to a man 30 years older then her that lived in Kabul. For the beginning of this book it was an instant hit. I love how the author wastes no time and from the beginning gives us action. In a sense I can relate to Mariam. We both have parents who are a bit harsh on us with their words. It’s ironic how a girl like Mariam who is eager to learn is denied education only to be forced to marry. But here in America there are so many girls her age who just don’t want an education.

A thousand splendid suns Blog #1

A thousand splendid suns is the second book that I’m reading by Khaled Hosseini. This book is different then The Kite runner in the sense that the main character is a girl. But from what I can tell this book will show the females perspective of the life in Afghanistan, while the kite runner talks about the way of life for a male. This book has introduced us to a 15 year old girl named Mariam. Mariam was birthed by a man named Jail who has 3 wives and ten kids. Miriam’s mother is not one of the 3 wives and more that Mariam is not publicly acknowledged as a daughter of Jail. I’ve only read up to the eighth chapter, but already so much has happened. Mariam on the day of her birthday went out to look for her father when her mom. When she returned home her mother had hung herself. Because Jail was the Miriam’s father he had no choice but to let her stay with him and his family. Of course none of the wives wanted her there so they convinced her father to agree to marry her off to a man 30 years older then her that lived in Kabul. For the beginning of this book it was an instant hit. I love how the author wastes no time and form the beginning gives us action. In a sense I can relate to Mariam. We both have parents who are a bit harsh on us with their words. It’s ironic how a girl like Mariam who is eager to learn is denied education only to be forced to marry. But here in America there are so many girls her age who just don’t want an education.

Blog #10

So I have finished the book. Sohrab survived his accident. When he was fully recovered he left Afghanistan heading to America. I found the end clever, better then expected. It’s clever how at the end Amir is teaching Sohrab how to fly a kite. The author writes that part so similar to when Hassan and Amir were kids in that Afghanistan kite flying tournament. Making it seem like the character flipped. Amir was Hassan and Sohrab was Amir. This book wasn’t what I thought it would be. I must say it she is not my favorite. Hopefully the second book A Thousand Splendid Suns doesn’t disappoint.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks the United States initiated Operation Enduring Freedom, a military to terminate the Al-Qaeda terrorist training camps in Afghanistan. In late 2001, the United States sent teams of CIA Paramilitary Officers from their Special Activities Division and U.S. Army Special Force to invade Afghanistan to aid anti-Taliban militias, backed by U.S. air strikes against Taliban and Al-Qaeda targets, culminating in the seizure of Kabul by the Northern Alliance and overthrow of the Taliban, with many local warlords switching allegiance from the Taliban to the Northern Alliance

Blog #9

So Amir was unconscious in the hospital for two whole days due to the beating Assef gave him. I like that Amir doesn’t feel bad for himself he understands that he’s paying for the mistakes he made in the past and accepts taking responsibility. Rahim had tricked Amir. Rahim Klan’s intensions weren’t for Amir to take Sohrab to a safe place with another American family, but for Amir to take to America. I can promise I knew this was what was going to happen. That part of the book was so predictable. Here we go again with the over dramatic obstacles. Sohrab’s visa was rejected because Amir can’t prove that Sohrab is an orphan. Afghanistan is a county in ruins, what makes them think they keep track of all their dead when they have so many? Soraya, Amir’s wife had connections with some INS workers so she was able to get him a humanitarian visa. Fearing that he might have to go back to an orphanage, Sohrab attempted to commit suicide. Sohrab was rushed to the hospital. I don’t blame him for trying to take his life. At 12 years old, Sohrab has gone through things even a grown adult shouldn’t be put through.
99% of Afghans are Muslims. There was a small Jewish community in Afghanistan, but they fled the country when the Soviet Union invaded the country.

Blog #8

I hate reading a book where the characters have to over come obstacles over obstacles before they get to the main point, especially when there is so much suspense. Ironically Soharab was being held a prisoner with the same guy that raped his father, Assef. So you can only imagine what Shoran is being put through. Assef was still the same heartless person as he was when he was a kid. I just don’t understand how people can really be that way. The only way he allows Amir to leave there with frighten Shoran was if Amir beat him in a death match. The term coward no longer is a word that I use to describe him, because he accepted the match even though Assef had brace knuckles and figured he’d lose. Thanks to Shoran no one died. Shoran saved Amir from a for sure death. With a sling shot Shoran shot out Assef’s eye. Never disappointing just like his father, Hassan.
It’s estimated that the total population of Afghanistan is about 28,150,000. In 1979, it was 13,051, 358. The only city in Afghanistan with over a million people is its capital, Kabul.

Blog #7

Wow, wow, wow! Turns out Hassan and Amir were half brothers! Baba had slept with the servant who was Ali’s wife. Now Amir and I truly understand why Baba was so attentive towards Hassan. But what I don’t really understand is how is it that Ali could remain a loyal friend and servant to Baba? The only thing I can think of is maybe the history they had together. Baba was a man of great honor, tradition and respect, so this contradicts him a bit. So just as I thought Amir decided to go in search of his nephew. It’s nice because it doesn’t seem like he’s doing it to be at peace with himself but because he truly cares for this kid’s safety. Air’s guide was a man named Farid. So orphanages in Kabul deepened on the funds of the Taliban’s. I honestly don’t know more then two or three things about the Taliban’s, but I don’t know that they helped people other then themselves. Well kind of. The book explains that because they support the orphanages they feel they have the right to do whatever they want with the children. This book has quote that really strucked me, “There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but no childhood.” This just makes appreciate my country even more.

Blog #6

So sadly Hassan does not get a happy ending, even though he deserves it most then anyone in this story. I wasn’t surprised when I read that Hassan along with his wife Fazara were murdered be the Taliban. I really wished the story could have had some reunion between Amir and Hassan, but I guess I can imagine that myself. Hassan wrote Amir countless letters that he never got, but received all at once through Rahim Klan. I thought that was clever that Hassan wrote to him. Proving Amir wrong, showing him that he is more then just a servant. Showing him that some one other then him taught him how to read. Rahim Klan let Amir know that the he knew what he had done to Hassan and the only way he could truly gain respect and forgiveness is to go to back to Kabul and rescue Hassan’s son Soharab. I knew Amir would refuse to do so, but something tells me that he will change his mind.
Helmand is the most dangerous place in Afghanistan due to its distance from Kabul as well as the drug trade going on there. Other dangerous provinces in Afghanistan include Kandahar and Oruzgan. Afghanistan does have stable secure provinces with low risk of violence and lower crime levels. Faryab, Heart, Farah, Kabul, and Badaskhshan are some of them.

Blog #5

After chapters and chapters, years after years finally the moment I’ve been waiting for. News about Hassan. Three whole chapters basically dedicated to him! FINALLY. Amir visits Rahim Klan; Rahim Klan is the one who tells the story of Hassan’s life and what became of the new Afghanistan. Rahim Klan talked about how the Taliban controlled everything. The Northern Alliance took over Kabul between 1992 and 1996, different factions claimed different parts of Kabul. They reminisced about the past and how drastically the place they once called home changed. I cant imagine how that must feel like to be ripped out of everything you know and forced to move to a foreign place just to feel safe. Finding out that the only reason why Hassan agreed to move him and his wife back into Baba’s mansion to help rebuild it and maintain it was because he heard of Baba’s death just shows the tremendous love he had for both Baba and Amir. It was nice to know he still had that big warm heart. Finally in 1990 Hassan and his wife Farzana became parents to a little boy. That same year Hassan’s mother came back. No once did Hassan judge his mom Sanaubar for abandoning him. He never questioned her or mistreated her, instead he welcomed her. Personally I would of done things much differently if that would have been my story. But I do think he handled the situation in a mature way. In 1995 the Shorawi were defeated and long gone and Kabul belonged to Massoud, Rabbani, and the Mujahedin. The infighting between the factions was fierce and no one knew if they would live to see the end of the day. I was not surprised to hear that Hassan was a great daddy to his son Sohrab. In 1996 the Taliban rolled in and put a stop to the fighting, but two years later they massacred the Hazaras in Mazar-i-Sharif.
Before the start of the Afghan wars in 1978, Afghanistan had an improving health care system and a semi-modernized health care system in cities like Kabul. Ibn Sina Hospital in Kabul and Ali Abad Hospital also in Kabul were two leading health institutions in Central Asia at the time. It is estimated that about 1,600 for every 100,000 infants die at birth. An estimated 80,000 Afghans have lost limbs, mainly as results to landmines

Blog #4

So the wedding traditional ceremonies began. Even though Amir is not my favorite I feel bad that he had to skip out on a lot of traditional wedding events because he wanted to make sure Baba was alive and well for the actual wedding. I feel sorry for the couple because it seems that Baba’s situation is unwillingly overshadowing the wedding. Amir’s wife was a good catch for him. She was noble, caring, and loved Amir dearly. A month after the wedding Baba passed away in his sleep. Reading this was extremely hard for me. I connected with Amir. I felt his pain. I no longer dislike Amir. Years later months after the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan Amir finished his first navel. I respect that even though many people didn’t understand or like the idea of him becoming a writer he still went for it anyways. In the year of 1989 war between Afghans, the Mujahedin, against the Soviet puppet government of Najibullah raged on. Therefore Afghans kept flocking into Pakistan. That was the year that the cold war ended, the year the Berlin Wall came down. It was the year of Tiananmen Square. With all that happening in Afghanistan, in America Soraya and Amir were unsuccessfully trying to have a baby. June 2001 Amir gets a rare call from his old long lost friend Rahim Klan asking him to return to Pakistan before he to dies. With everything that was going on around that area I’m surprised he agreed to go.
A traditional Afghan wedding starts at 6 pm. At 8:30 a special song called Ahesta Boro is sang, meaning walk slowly, which indicates the arrival of the bride and groom. But before the song a thing called nikah is done. The bride and groom are covered in a much decorated shawl where the groom will look into the eyes of his bride in a mirror and will read a prayer from the holy Quran. Henna is also preformed, along with other afghan traditions like meal and attan.

Blog #3

A couple years later Baba and Amir moved to California. In this section of the book Amir has done nothing to disappoint me. He’s actually being productive. He’s helping his father adjust to the American life. At the age of twenty he finished high school, a little late but hey he did it. He now will go to college to become a writer. I think it’s pretty impressive how he still managed to finish school even after all the obstacles him and his father had to over come. The following summer while working at a swamp meet Amir fell in love with a girl named Soraya. A while after that Baba was diagnosed with cancer. Refusing chemotherapy Baba had only a short time to live. I wasn’t shocked that Baba had chosen to go that route. He’s always been very brave and never wanted to look weak in front people. He hated thinking that people would feel pity for him. After a seizure Baba had seizure Amir knew he really had no time with his father left so he knew he had to have Baba ask for Soraya’s hand in marriage. Soraya’s father accepted. Wow the young boy I started reading about is now engaged! This book is going by too fast!
Afghans display pride in their religion, country, and ancestry. Afghanistan is one of the poorest in the world. 66% of the population lives there on 2 US dollars a day. The official unemployment rate there is 40%. The country’s economy began to improve since 2002 due to infusion of multi-billion US dollars in international assistant and investments.

Blog #2

After the whole rape incident the boys both pretended that Amir hadn’t seen anything. Hassan didn’t tell anyone about what happened. This tells me that Hassan really did love Amir. Even though Amir didn’t deserve it, this tells me that Hassan was still protecting him. I feel so much compassion for Hassan character. I just wish he wouldn’t let people walk over him like he does. Even though they pretended nothing was wrong they still cut communication. The thing that gets to me is that it’s not because Hassan wanted it this was, but because Amir did. Amir planted some of the presents he got for his thirteen birthdays in Hassan’s home to make it look like he had stolen, hoping that when Baba found out he would throw him out along with Ali his father. Hassan knew it was Amir who placed the things there, but told Baba he took them. Even though Baba begged them to stay Hassan and his father still left. Amir is a coward. He couldn’t stand to see Hassan everyday and live with what he did and took the easy way out. Now I really don’t like him and respect Hassan for what he did.
Five years the Russian army had invaded Kabul. Kabul became too dangerous to live in so Baba and Amir abandoned Kabul, their destination being Pakistan. Arriving at a check point along the way a Russian would let them pass until he had thirty minutes with a married woman that was on board. Baba being the honorable man that he his refused to let that happen and stood up to the soldier and his gun. I don’t understand how a man with such honor can have a kid with little morals like Amir
Over 100,000 soviet troops took part in the invasion by another one hundred thousand and by members of the Parcham faction. This was the only way to bolster the Parcham faction. The Soviet occupation resulted in the killing of between six hundred thousands and two million Afghan civilians. Over 5 million fled their country to Pakistan, Iran, and other parts of the world. With huge international pressure and great numbers of problems on both sides, the Soviet withdrew in 1989.

Blog #1

The Kite Runner is the book that’s taking up my time. I have so far read up to the end of the fourth chapter. The book was written by Khaled Hosseini. Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan before it became what we know of it today. Khaled’s father was a diplomat. He and his family received political asylum in the United States. He now lives in Northern California.
The main character is a boy named Amir. Other characters introduced are Hassan who is Amir’s boy servant, Baba Amir’s father, Ali who is Hassan’s dad; Rahim Khan who is a family friend, lastly the neighborhood bullies Assef and his two followers, Wali and Kamal.
So far some of the major highlights of the first seven chapters are the kite tournament that Amir won and Hassan getting raped by Assef in the hidden presence of Amir. Before the chapter about Hassan getting raped the book hadn’t caught my attention. Reading a book about a kid who is as bratty as Amir is not is not my first pick. Amir is super selfish and unappreciative. Amir is not all bad, but definitely not a good kid either. He treats Hassan with respect and shows him love, but also shows that he does not see him as an equal. This is because the book categorizes the people into two peoples, the Hazarans and the Pashtuns. But in reality there are more then two ethic groups in Afghanistan, Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara, Uzbek, Turkmen, Balch, Aimak, Pashai, Hindki, Nuristani, Hindkowans, etc. The Hazarans are normally servants to the Pashtuns. Amir being a Pashtuns and Hassan a Hazaran. The reason why Hassan was raped was because he was staying true to Amir and refused to give up Amir’s winning kite to Assef who happens to be the rapist. Amir saw everything that happened in that alley and had the opportunity to prevent what happened but was too scared to speak up and defend his friend that defended him countless time with out hesitation. And for that reason I dislike Amir and have made him an enemy.

Afghanistan

I don’t know too much about the Afghanistan culture, but I do know one thing their ways are much different then ours. I know that the people there are Islamic. I know that they follow their religion to the extreme and cruelly punish those who don’t. Fact the Afghanistan government is corrupt. The government has killed thousand and thousands of people without a logical explanation. It’s no secret that the women of Afghanistan have no rights. Men dictate the lives of every woman. Education is only for the rich. I estimate that poverty that about 90% of the population there lives in poverty. When I think of Afghanistan I think of Osama Bin laden. I think of a war zone.