The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns: 2 Vastly Different Stories with A Powerful Commonality

I have to admit, I am not typically the most patriotic person.  It isn't that I don't think the country I reside in has wonderful aspects and people, but I have always been more focused on loving the planet we live on which entails taking care of it as well as all of the species living in it, humans included.  So take my patriotism and apply it to my love for humanity, being kind to all, taking care of those in need, and treating our planet like the amazing shrine that it is.  I digress.  So I found it interesting that when the 4th of July rolled around this year, I was on vacation and ended up reading two books based on Afghanistan from the 1980's through the 2000's.  Reading these books, definitely gave me perspective and I do feel fortunate to have the freedoms we have. It is always important to strive for better, but there are many countries such as Afghanistan that are in shambles and their people are treated worse then any of us can imagine.  I love when you pick up a book that changes you and I was fortunate enough to read two books that did this.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:

Amir grew up in Kabul with his father and his father's life long servant and his son, Hassan.  Yes they were servants, but Hassan and his father were also family to Amir and his dad. During this time, Amir knew it was looked down on that he was so close with Hassan based on where he was from, but that didn't stop him from spending all of his time with him.  Unfortunately, Amir was sometimes inflicted and used Hassan's failings against him such as his inability to read and his lack of knowledge of the world.  Hassan's biggest fault was that he had such unconditional love and loyalty for Amir, even when Amir didn't necessarily deserve it.  One afternoon after what should have been the best day in Amir and Hassan's lives, Amir witnessed Hassan have the worst things imaginable done to him by local bullies, and Amir just stood by in secret watching.  He never stopped the boys nor stood up for his friend and this eventually ate at him so much that he framed Hassan and made it so they had to leave Amir and his father's home.  This guilt never left Amir and as he grew up and left for the U.S., he never realized his life would eventually come back full circle and back to Kabul where it all began.

This book was a story of friendship, but also finding bravery in ourselves.  Amir evolved throughout the novel and finally in the end, became a man he could be proud of.  There were many raw images spread throughout, such as Hassan being taken advantage of by the cruelest of people, a little boy in an orphanage being sold to a leader of the Taliban with a sick temperament, people being brutally murdered just for having different beliefs, and the constant sound of bombs destroying homes and memories created.  It will definitely stay with you long after you read it, but makes you appreciative of the life you have and therefore encourages you to live it in a better way.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini:

Miriam's entire life was about challenges.  She was the daughter of a housemaid and member of high society which left her illegitimate.  She lived with her mother far into the country and only saw her father once a week where he would share stories of the life he lived, a life that really didn't include Miriam.  One day she fled to go find him and stay with him, only to be turned away.  When she came back home, her mother had killed herself thinking her daughter would never come back.  Instead of taking her in, her father gave her away to a 45 year old man, while Miriam was only 15.  She was wed and forced to a live with a man that only wanted her for one thing, a child, and a boy at that.  When she could't produce this for him, he added another, younger wife to their family.  Little did Miriam know, this new wife and Miriam would soon team together to defy the man that controlled them, beat them, and used them for his own pleasure.  They only had one another, but it was the most love and kinship Miriam ever knew.  Miriam's story was sad and her life did not end well, but she died knowing she was loved and she had loved in return.

This was my favorite of the two from this author.  I am sure it is because this was really a story about the women in Afghanistan and the constant oppression they endured.  Take Miriam who was forced into marriage, forced into sex at age 15 with a 45 year old man, beaten, and when she tried to run away, she was locked in storage for 3 days without food or water.  Her husband fed her rocks to show her how awful her cooking was.  Then add in the Taliban take-over. When the Taliban took over, they announced their rules which involved women never being allowed out of the house without a male relative, they must be fully dressed in what they called the Women's Veil which had to cover everything, literally everything, and a billion other ridiculous rules treating them as worthless beings.   As I am reading this, I am thinking of all of the choices I get to make and the marriage I get to choose and it just breaks my heart.  Miriam is a hero and after everything she went through, she still chose to live selflessly in the end.  I will never forget her story nor the images portrayed from this amazingly written novel.

This link gives you a small picture in to the world of women who must follow the rules of the Taliban. Warning: it will enrage you.