Reflections on a Year or Reading Afghani Literature
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
In most of the books I read for the independent reading project, they all had elements of things that actually happened in Afghanistan. For instance, all three of the books I read mention the war between the Taliban. They also mention how Hazaras are treated terribly and looked down upon. The books use phrases from real languages that are spoken in the country. They also mention Muslims in the books and things Muslims in real life actually follow and believe in doing. A common theme I saw was betrayal. In The Kite Runner, Baba betrays his wife by getting another woman pregnant, his best friend’s wife. He never even had the audacity to tell him that it wasn’t his child. He never even told Amir that he had a brother. For years Baba lived with Ali and didn’t tell him. This led to Hassan having a son, but then dying and leaving him in an orphanage in that orphanage he was raped and abused repeatedly. If Baba had just told the truth Amir would’ve known about Hassan’s death immediately and would’ve taken Sohrab in immediately. Amir also betrays Sohrab by telling him he’ll never take him to an orphanage, but later on he does and this leads to Sohrab’s depression and suicide attempt. In A Thousand Splendid Suns Tariq betrays Laila because he doesn’t tell her he’s leaving the country until two days before he leaves. Another common theme in all three books is violence in abuse. In all the books the authors portray an image of war. One of the books portrays an abuse husband, another portrays war, and another portrays hate crimes. Something about life I learned from A Thousand Splendid Suns is that I should treasure my life. In the book it portrays girls being forced into marriage at a young age and and being abused. I am thankful that I am not in that situation and that I live in America, which it is illegal to do that. In Afghanistan that actually happens to women all the time everyday. Even in my country this happens and no one can or is willing to do anything about it. Girls in countries like that are not free to make the choice of who they marry and they can’t report abusive behavior. No one will do anything about it because it’s normal, they don’t care. Something about life that I learned from Three Cups of Tea is that I should value my freedom. In America I have the freedom to do so many things that can’t be done in Pakistan and Afghanistan. I can go to school and hold jobs that are higher and better than a man. I am able to get birth control and an abortion if I wanted to. I can hold offices in the government and I can be president. Something about life that I learned from The Kite Runner is that life is too short and to not take it for granted. In the book so many characters die and both Amir and Sohrab lost their parents. I’m lucky that both my parents are alive and well. I’m lucky that I can see my parents everyday, that I can talk to them, and that I can see them. Not everyone is lucky enough for that. I’m glad that they’re here to put food on the table and a roof under my head. What I learned about myself is that I actually really like Khaled Hosseini’s books. I also learned that my ability to read has worsened. The last time I read a book outside of school I actually enjoyed I was in the eighth grade. Imma reading level was always a year higher than I actually was. I also learned I don’t want to get married. When I was reading I didn’t really want to get married and reading these books confirmed that. I also learned that I’m privileged compared to the characters in the book. They don’t have the privilege to make decisions for themselves.