The Kite Runner

1. Khaled Hosseini is an Afghan-American novelist, physician, activist, humanitarian and UNHCR goodwill ambassador. After graduating from college, he worked as a doctor in California. Hosseini was born in1965 in Kabul, Afghanistan. His father worked as a diplomat, and when Hosseini was 11 years old, the family moved to France; four years later, they applied for asylum in the United States, where he later became a naturalized citizen. Hosseini did not return to Afghanistan until 2001 at the age of 36, where he "felt like a tourist in his own country". All three of his novels became bestsellers: The Kite Runner (2003) spent 101 weeks on The New York Times Best Seller list, four of them at number one. A Thousand Splendid Suns (2007) was a Times Best Seller for 103 weeks, 15 at number one. And the Mountains Echoed (2013) debuted near the top of the Times list and remained on it for 33 weeks until January 2014. Hosseini is married to Roya Hosseini. The couple have two children, Haris and Farah. Haris, a competitive speaker, was the 2019 NSDA National Champion in Original Oratory. He lives in Northern California with his family. He is fluent in English as well as his native Persian and Pashto. Haris now attends Columbia University in New York

Awards:

2004 : The Kite Runner

2008: A Thousand Splendid Suns for Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year

2008: A Thousand Splendid Suns for Adult Fiction

2007: A Thousand Splendid Suns for Fiction

2013: And the Mountains Echoed for fiction

2. As soon as I became engrossed in Mariam’s story, which got me hooked on page one; I was transferred to Laila’s journey. In Mariam’s part I was spellbound and couldn’t believe all the hardships Mariam faced; how much can one person handle? I was foolish enough to think that Laila would have a happy life with Tariq and was heartbroken when I learned that he was killed while trying to escape from the war. And was shocked when he returned toward the end of the book; at first I thought he might be a phony, but after learning that Rasheed had paid someone to lie about her Love’s death in order to trap her; I was relieved and happy that they would be able to be together after so many years of separation. After Rasheed’s death I thought it was very honorable that Mariam choose to risk her life, and take the blame for his “murder” in order for Laila, Tariq and her children to have a life together. The ending, with Laila revisiting Mariam’s childhood home and walking through her past was a wonderful closing to A Thousand Splendid Suns, bringing closure to the characters and the reader.