Hosseini, Khaled

Afghan women Mariam and Laila grow close, despite their nearly twenty-year age difference and initial rivalry, as they suffer at the hands of a common enemy--their abusive, much-older husband, Rasheed.

"A short . . . illustrated book written . . . in response to the current refugee crisis . . composed in the form of a letter, from a father to his son, on the eve of their journey. Watching over his sleeping son, the father reflects on the dangerous sea-crossing that lies before them. It is also a vivid portrait of their life in Homs, Syria, before the war, and of that city's swift transformation from a home into a deadly war zone"--Publisher.

"In 1952 Afghanistan, Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their father and step-mother in the small village of Shadbagh. Their father, Saboor, is constantly in search of work and they struggle together through poverty and brutal winters"--Provided by OCLC.

Amir and Hassan are good friends growing up together in Afghanistan but when the Soviets invade the country, Amir and his family use their wealth and influence to flee to California, but Hassan and his impoverished family, who are also a shunned ethnic minority, stay and suffer.

In 1950s Afghanistan, Abdullah and his sister Pari live with their poor father, Saboor, in a small village. Saboor sells Pari to a wealthy childless couple with the help of his brother-in-law Nabi who works for them. These actions impact the lives of everyone involved for years to come as a grieving Abdullah immigrates to America and names his daughter Pari, Pari grows up alone in Paris, and Nabi feels guilty until his death when he tries to tell the truth.

Contains a complete plot summary and analysis of Khaled Hosseini's "The Kite Runner", as well as discussion of the characters and themes, and includes study questions.

The Kite Runner is the unforgettable and beautifully told story of the friendship between two boys growing up in Kabul. Raised in the same household and sharing the same wet nurse, Amir and Hassan grow up in different worlds: Amir is the son of a prominent and wealthy man, while Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant, is a Hazara-a shunned ethnic minority. Their intertwined lives, and their fates, reflect the eventual tragedy of the world around them. When Amir and his father flee the country for a new life in California, Amir thinks that he has escaped his past. And yet he cannot leave the memory of Hassan behind him.

Afghan women Mariam and Laila grow close, despite their nearly twenty-year age difference and initial rivalry, as they suffer at the hands of a common enemy--their abusive, much-older husband, Rasheed.

Amir, haunted by his betrayal of Hassan, the son of his father's servant and a childhood friend, returns to Kabul as an adult after he learns Hassan has been killed, in an attempt to redeem himself by rescuing Hassan's son from a life of slavery to a Taliban official.