The Kite Runner

Hello. My name is Kali. Over Christmas break, I had the opportunity to read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for my AP Literature class. I am not going to lie; I really did not look forward to reading this book because I heard some parts were sad. I cry easily. A few days ago, I told myself I would start reading and take a break whenever the book was too sad for me to handle. I started at 1:30 pm and finished at 9:00 pm the same day. The only break I took was for dinner. I was surprised by how much I liked the book (even though I did cry) and was glad I had the chance to read it. I was hooked by the setting taking place in Afghanistan in the beginning of the book. I did not know much about Afghanistan; I could only point it out on a map. By reading The Kite Runner, I was able to learn about the culture, people, and place before and after the wars that Afghanistan was involved in. It was scary to see how much a place can change in a small amount of time. I never realized the how strong tensions were between the Sunni and Shi'a Muslims. The Kite Runner helped me understand that tension and how destructive tensions between religious groups can be. I, also, thought it was interesting that school kid's Afghanistan have winter break instead of summer break. I was stunned. I cannot imagine what I would do if I had a three month long winter break. I would rather swim in a pool than ski, wear flip flops instead of snow boots, and drink fruit smoothies instead of hot chocolate. One of the concepts I struggled most with this book was Amir's betrayal of Hassan. I cried when Amir started pushing Hassan away, framed him, and pretty much thought "good riddance" when Hassan left. I did judge Amir at first, but I was wrong to cast him as a terrible monster so quickly. The things Amir did to Hassan were inexcusable, but everyone makes mistakes. I can never say that I have not hurt someone because I was jealous. I have not sunk to the level that Amir did, but that does not matter— I still hurt someone by words. Everyone has. Everyone makes mistakes every once in a while, but it is how someone reacts and deals with those mistakes that defines him or her. It might have taken Amir years, but he was able to try to redeem himself by saving Sohrab. As Rahim Khan said on page 302, "And that, I believe, is what true redemption is, Amir jan, when guilt leads to good." The next time I have the opportunity to be kind to a person I have hurt with my words, I will take it. I will always be looking for an opportunity to set things right; I just need to open my eyes.