Reading and Writing Instruction for Intermediate and Advanced Learners, Spring, 2009, Hickory, NC

I am enjoying reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. Often, I find myself reading more than I intended because I need to know more. After living in America for twenty years, Rahim Khan’s phone call takes Amir back home to “be good again”. Surprisingly, Amir returns to Afghanistan. He has not made brave and bold decisions in the past.) I was happy to read that Rahim Khan had found Hassan and brought him to live at Baba’s house with him, but was saddened to hear of Hassan’s fate and not surprised to find that Baba was really Hassan’s father, that Amir and Hassan were half-brothers. I worried that Amir would not “stand up” and do the right thing by searching for his nephew. Hopefully, Amir will find Hassan’s son, Sohrab. I hope it is not too late for him...Amir should take the young boy to America to live with him and Soraya, not leave him in Peshawar. I look forward to the last five chapters. I wonder what became of "Assef"?

I am so glad we opted to read this book. One of the valuable aspects for me is that of being able to get a more personalized view of Afghanistan. Even though it's a part of 7th grade Social Studies curriculum and I have taught it for the last 3 years, reading about it from a more personal point of view makes it more vivid and real. So often we just watch the news or read in the paper about these cities and we are given blurbs of information or a few quick photos - seeing his personal interactions with the Taliban creates images that stay with you much longer.

I am so glad we opted to read this book. One of the valuable aspects for me is that of being able to get a more personalized view of Afghanistan. Even though it's a part of 7th grade Social Studies curriculum and I have taught it for the last 3 years, reading about it from a more personal point of view makes it more vivid and real. So often we just watch the news or read in the paper about these cities and we are given blurbs of information or a few quick photos - seeing his personal interactions with the Taliban creates images that stay with you much longer.

Oh My! So that is where Assef has been. How horrible! I was happily surprised that Amir did not back down from the "Nazi", although, Sohrab came to his rescue, as Hassan did in years past. The ending was a happy one, but at a price.
In The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini, has written about the fall of the monarchy and the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. I hear news about this country, but do not know much of the history. I have learned much by reading this novel. I, too, am glad we chose this book. Honestly, I was a little skeptical at the beginning, but would now like to read Hosseini other book.

The Kite Runner
I've wanted to read this book for some time now. In Burke County this book has fostered great debates, arguments and letters to the editor in our local paper. I was glad our group choice to read this book. Overall I like the book. I think it's well written and it gives such valuable insight into the Afghan world both past and present. It also is a great tale of human emotion, loyalty, friendship and ultimate betrayal. The main character Amir has few likeable qualities, while his friend and servant Hassan is one of great character. In our first book discussion we spent much time talking about the appropriateness of the book for school use. One of the main events in this story is a rape of one of the male characters. The book isn't especially graphic of this event; however the violence and horror are very evident. This section for me was extremely haunting and disturbing. I think as an overall consensus we agreed that a certain level of emotional maturity is required to really appreciate the themes and content of this story. Therefore it is most likely not the best choice for a high school class. However, we did entertain the possibility that maybe sections of the book could be used to discuss the cultural aspects of Afghanistan.

The Kite Runner
In our final book discussion we explored many aspects about the book (there are many themes and ironies). We all agreed that the book was without a true hero and how the later events of the book took Amir full circle, but without resolution for his guilt. We were glad that Amir brought Sorhab back to America with him, but agreed his life was so torn he would not be able to heal quickly or even at all. One of the most profound parts in this book to was when Amir is talking about Sorhab coming to America and how he doesn't really say he wants to come, but rather realizes he has no other choice. He says, "…I brought Hassan's son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from the certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty." This statement was so true for Sorhab and for Amir as well.

I really enjoyed reading this book - so much, in fact, that I bought and read his next book as well. In our last discussion, we talked about whether each of the characters acted in the ways he did because of his personality or his social standing. In thinking about the actions of these characters, I think that both their pre-wired personalities and social standing had something to do with the choices they made. Those two aspects of each character's personality played a part in the decisions that each made and how they felt after the consequences of those actions had played out.

In reading this book, I really felt a strong distaste for the main character. I just wanted him to stop being so spineless for once. I wondered why he couldn't be more like Hassan. What was his problem?? Then I began to realize as I got further into the book that maybe that was his problem. He wasn't enough like Hassan and not only did he hate himself for it, his father couldn't stand him for the same reason. This made me sad for Amir and his father. They were both stuck with the same problem. I kept asking myself about the nature of the beast. Could Amir overcome his cowardly nature and be more confident, or was it just not in him. I don't know, but I felt sorry for the way that he faced life.

Throughout our book group discussions, we touched on the subject of appropriateness. In fact, that was much of our motivation for choosing the book. We were interested in learning about the culture of Afghanistan but also, the reading of the book by high school students in our county had generated a lot of discussion and conflict. We wanted to see for ourselves what it was all about and we did. After reading the book, I have to say that I agree with the protesters in this case. I can't believe it, but I do. I just don't think that it is appropriate for students to read in high school. For my own purposes, I gleaned much from the story and character development through the book. However, I am at a very different place in my life now than when I was in high school and it was difficult for me to handle in my mid-twenties. Some of the events that take place are so overpowering that I think it would be hard to process for anyone, much less a teenager. I appreciate the redeeming nature of the conclusion of the story both in regards to Amir and his father and Amir and Hassan through
Sohrab. It was a powerful and haunting book. I'm glad to have read it.