For August, 2012, our Online Book Club continues by discussing The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Each week, we'll put forth a different question to prompt reflection on the book and it's ideas. We hope you will participate in the discussion by leaving comments below!

Question for Week 4:
When Amir and Baba move to the States their relationship changes. Discuss these changes in their relationship.

As I considered the changes in the relationship between Amir and Baba during their lives in America, I was struck by the details the author does not talk about, as well as the ones he does. Baba and Amir moved from a large, wealthy home to a refugee camp to a small apartment. How did the intimacies of sharing this small space with only each other affect them? Also, Amir becomes more dominant as he becomes "the English speaker" for a father who speaks only broken English. How does that affect them?

Baba certainly retains his authority as the father. "Don't you challenge me in public, Amir. Ever. Who do you think you are?" he says after leaving the doctor's office. Baba is also the one to speak to General Taheri about Amir and Soraya becoming engaged, following Afghan custom.

He shows his love by supporting Amir financially through his job at the gas station, and later spends his life savings on Amir's wedding. And on the day of "lafz, the ceremony of "giving word" for the engagement of Amir and Soraya, Baba says that "It's the happiest day of my life, Amir." Finally, Baba retained his nang and namoose throughout his life. "Honor and pride. The tenets of Pashtun men."

One of Amir's childhood wishes comes true. In America, he and Baba spend a great deal of time together, at home and later working together buying and selling flea market items. I think this time together, as well as Baba's illness, shows Amir that Baba is not just his father, but a man with human frailities. Such a man is less intimidating and more approachable than a distant, lionized authority figure. After Baba called General Taheri to ask if he could come by to discuss "an honorable matter... Amir bursts into giggles, and Baba joins in". It is good to see them sharing such a moment.

Amir also realizes that his father is proud of his writing ability when Baba shows Soraya the book Amir first wrote stories in. Baba accepted Amir's writing as he went to college, but showing the book off was more... much like showing off the blue kite from Amir's tournament.

Readers, please join us at 7:00 PM tomorrow, August 23, 2012 as Khaled Hosseini comes to San Jose Public Library for an author talk and discussion at Almaden Library and Community Center. Meet the author of this month's book, The Kite Runner. We hope to see you there!

See our Online Book Club page for more information about this book and the previous weeks' questions

For August, 2012, our Online Book Club continues by discussing The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Each week, we'll put forth a different question to prompt reflection on the book and its ideas. We hope you will participate in the discussion by leaving comments below!

Question for Week 3:
What is the significance of the novel's title? What might the kite fighting tournament symbolize?

There are two main characters in the book who act as kite runners, Hassan and Amir. Hassan was the first, "the best kite runner in Wazir Akbar Khan. Maybe all of Kabul". Hassan ran for the blue kite, the last opponent's kite that was cut down from the sky during the tournament Amir won. At the end of the book, Amir acts as kite runner for Hassan's son, Sohrab, during a gathering of Afghani refugees in California.

The circularity of these runs is stunning. Both Hassan and Amir embraced their roles as assistants and runners. By doing so, they showed their love for the kite fighter and the lengths they would go to in order to serve him... "a thousand times over". Hassan had always embraced this love. Amir had to change, take action, and grow into his role over the course of the book.

Amir states that "In Kabul, fighting kites WAS a little like going to war". As in war, the victor who cut the last opponent's kite string was feted and cheered. The last downed kite was the biggest trophy of the battle, and the kite runner who found it got to keep it. (In Hassan's case, he wanted to give the kite to Amir).

"Afghans cherish customs but abhor rules." "And when a kite runner had his hands on a kite, no one could take if from him. That wasn't a rule. That was custom." However, it was not the case for Hassan. Asef's brutality and his rage at Amir and Hassan led him and his friends to hunt Hassan down. In order to keep the blue kite he'd found for Amir, Hassan endured Asef raping him. At the end of the book, when Amir ran for Hassan's son, he says "I ran with the wind blowing in my face, and a smile as wide as the Valley of Panjsher on my lips. I ran."

Kite fighting is found not only in Afghanistan but throughout Asia, including India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, Malaysia, Japan, and Korea. It can also be found in the Caribbean, South America (Chile), and most recently, in the United States.

See our Online Book Club page for more information about this book and to preview the next weeks' questions

For August 2012, our Online Book Club continues by discussing The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Each week, we'll put forth a different question to prompt reflection on the book and its ideas. We hope you will participate in the discussion by leaving comments below!

Question for Week 2:

What parallels can be drawn between Amir and Hassan's relationship, and Baba and Ali's? Why is Amir afraid to be Hassan's true friend?

SPOILER ALERT!  If you have not read up to Amir's reunion with Rashid Khan, be advised that this blog will give away secrets...

Amir, the book's narrator, grew up in pre-Russian Afghanistan with his father Baba in a beautiful house in a wealthy area of Kabul. Baba  and Amir were Sunni Muslims of Pastun ethnicity. Their servants were Ali and his son Hassan, who lived in a mud hut on the property and were Shiite Muslims of the despised Hazara ethnicity. Ali, a young child, was taken in by Baba's father after his parents were killed. There is little action between Baba and Ali described in first portion of The Kite Runner. It is not until much later in the book that we learn Baba considers Ali to be his brother, is proud of providing for him and Hassan, and is devastated by them moving away.

Amir and Hassan, both without mothers, were breastfed by the same woman. Ali would remind them that "there was a brotherhood between people who fed from the same breast, a kinship that not even time could break". They grew up together, played together, and spent most of their time together until... the incident.

Both sets of relationships (Baba and Ali, Amir and Hassan), were marked by betrayals, secrecy, guilt, loyalty, and sacrifice. Baba betrayed Ali by having sex with Ali's wife and fathering Hassan. Ali kept this secret throughout his life, sacrificing his own honor for Baba. Amir betrayed Hassan by hiding rather than trying to stop Hassan's rape, (which was an act of revenge for Hassan's loyalty to Amir). Hassan later sacrified himself by not denying Amir's false accusation of theft. Ali and Hassan sacrificed themselves again by leaving their home without telling Baba about Amir's lie. 

Amir was afraid to be Hassan's true friend for various reasons. One was the ethnic and class tensions between the Sunni Pastuns and the Shiite Hazara minority. The Hazara were often reviled and tormented, called "mice-eating, flat-nosed, load-carrying donkeys".  Standing up for Hassan could have meant that Amir himself would be beaten and insulted as well.

In addition, Amir was jealous of Hassan's relationship with Baba. He was jealous of the attention Baba paid to Hassan, and afraid of Hassan being found more "worthy" by Baba than Amir was. He was also unhappy about sharing Baba's time with Hassan, who was always brought along on trips and outings.

After the rape, Amir found it impossible to even look at Hassan, who was a constant visual reminder of Amir's cowardice and guilt. As Amir said, "one of us had to go". This is what led to Amir saying that Hassan had stolen from him.

I find myself wondering how the lives of the four protagonists would have changed if the secret behind Hassan's parentage had been revealed while all of them were still alive...

See our Online Book Club page for more information about this book and to preview the next weeks' questions

For August 2012, our Online Book Club continues by discussing The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Each week, we'll put forth a different question to prompt reflection on the book and its ideas. We hope you will participate in the discussion by leaving comments below!

Question for Week 1:
KHALED HOSSEINI VIVIDLY DESCRIBES AFGANISTAN. HOW DID HIS DESCRIPTIONS DIFFER FROM IDEAS THAT YOU MAY ALREADY HAVE HAD ABOUT AFGANISTAN?

Before reading The Kite Runner, I knew more about Afghanistan than many Americans. I had spent a month in Turkey, and had met travelers who had gone through Afghanistan on their way to and from India. The departure board at the airport in Istanbul always included Kabul. I actually knew where Afghanistan was, that the terrain and weather were harsh, and that the people living there were fierce and proud. I knew that Asian cultures included many different elements than the cultures of Europe and America.

Later on, I learned about coups, a failed invasion by the Soviet Union, and the imposition of new rules on the people by the Taliban. I saw the United States drawn into the region, and yet another invasion of Afghanistan take place. Each of these were meant to change the national identity of the Afghani people. Each would have limited success.

The Kite Runner provided me with the intimate details of life within Afghanistan. In just one page, I learned about the passage of the Kochi (the nomads) through Kabul. I learned that John Wayne movies were shown, and it was a shock to find out that he was American and not Iranian. I learned that walks through the bazaars could end with rosewater ice cream topped with crushed pistachio nuts, as well as warm Coca-Cola.

One of the great things about this book is its ability to touch its readers and humanize the Afghani people. It has provided readers in America and around the world with glimpses into Afghanistan's peoples and cultures. These moments may seem far more real and personal to people than what they have heard on the news reports. I believe this to be a good thing, indeed.

See our Online Book Club page for more information about this book and to preview the next weeks' questions

Enjoy a special evening with Khaled Hosseini, best-selling author of The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns.  

Date: Thursday, August 23, 2012

Time: 7:00 p.m.

Location: Almaden Branch Library and Community Center

6445 Camden Ave. San José, CA

The event is free and open to the public.

Light snacks and refreshments will be available.

Join us as author Khaled Hosseini talks about his writing inspirations, life experiences and upcoming projects.  Audience members will have the opportunity to ask questions and meet the best-selling author.  The event will be followed by a book signing.

About the author:

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, moved to San José as a teenager, earned a bachelor's degree in Biology at Santa Clara University, and a Medical Degree at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine. 

While in medical practice, Hosseini began writing his first novel, The Kite Runner.  In 2003, The Kite Runner, was published and became an international bestseller, published in 70 countries.  In 2006, he was named a goodwill envoy to UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency.  His second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in May 2007.  Khaled works to provide humanitarian assistance in Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation.

Join the discussion!

Our Online Book Club is reading The Kite Runner this month. 

This program is made possible by a grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services.