Our Favorite Books
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mummy of 2:
What's the Kite Runner about? Worth reading?
IMHO, yes. The author himself migrated from Afghanistan to the US. These two places serve as the backdrop of the novel. It's about the innocence of childhood and early friendships; how a young child sees a nebulous relationship with a servant boy - is he friend or servant? It's also about betrayal, unspoken events that, when we are disappointed with ourselves, can cause us to reject others around us who serve as a reminder, and about coming to terms with ourselves.
The servant boy, Hassan, is a Hazara. This is a race of people who are quite spread out across Pakistan and Central Asia. I've always been fascinated by them because they can look so Asian! Their bloodline was probably left behind by Genghis Khan's hordes as they trampled across the Central Asian plains.
Anyway, I couldn't bring myself to watch the movie. -
Blobbi:
I read the book too. Highly recommended. Also his next one entitled \"A Thousand Splendid Suns\"mummy of 2:
What's the Kite Runner about? Worth reading?
IMHO, yes. The author himself migrated from Afghanistan to the US. These two places serve as the backdrop of the novel. It's about the innocence of childhood and early friendships; how a young child sees a nebulous relationship with a servant boy - is he friend or servant? It's also about betrayal, unspoken events that, when we are disappointed with ourselves, can cause us to reject others around us who serve as a reminder, and about coming to terms with ourselves.
The servant boy, Hassan, is a Hazara. This is a race of people who are quite spread out across Pakistan and Central Asia. I've always been fascinated by them because they can look so Asian! Their bloodline was probably left behind by Genghis Khan's hordes as they trampled across the Central Asian plains.
Anyway, I couldn't bring myself to watch the movie.
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Blobbi:
I didnt watch the movie either.
Anyway, I couldn't bring myself to watch the movie. -
autumnbronze:
Yep, I finished this too. There're so many frayed copies of the kite runner in the library, it is definitely a very popular read. And I remembered queueing for several weeks just to get a copy of the splendid suns from the library.
I read the book too. Highly recommended. Also his next one entitled \"A Thousand Splendid Suns\" -
I read the Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini back in 2007, when events in Afganistan prompted me to pick up the book.
From wikipedia: The story of Amir, a well-to-do Pashtun boy from Kabul, who is haunted by the guilt of betraying his childhood friend Hassan, the son of his father's Hazara servant. The story is set against a backdrop of tumultuous events, from the fall of the monarchy in Afghanistan through the Soviet invasion, the mass exodus of refugees to Pakistan and the US, and the Taliban regime.
Hazaras were massacred when the Talibans came to rid Afghanistan of filth.
The book described how Hazara men and boys were shot right in front of their families and their bodies left on the streets for dogs to eat. As in the words of a Talib..dog meat for dogs. According to the book, Hazaras were Mogul descendants, and that they looked a little like Chinese people. Pashtuns were Sunni Muslims, while Hazaras were Shi'a. I was surprised to find out that the hazaras are mogul descendants and looked like Chinese too.
The first English book written by an Afghan, though simple in writing, left a lasting impression on me with these..
and I brought Hassan’s son from Afghanistan to America, lifting him from a certainty of turmoil and dropping him in a turmoil of uncertainty.
There are a lot of children in Afghanistan, but little childhood.
I wondered how forgiveness budded, not with the fanfare of epiphany, but with pain gathering its things, packing up and slipping away unannounced in the middle of the night.
That was a long time ago, but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it. Because the past claws its way out
A reminder of a dream that was wilting even as it was budding.
I had wanted so much to watch the movie, but eventually couldnt bring myself to watch it, just like Blobbi.
It's a great book, mummy of 2. Go read it! It’ll bring tears to your eyes. And get your mind off petty worries. -
Thanks for all the reviews and sharing. Sounds like a very touching book. Will look for a copy during my next trip to library :celebrate:
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I'm not really a bookworm, but this book left a deep impresson on me, partly becos i have a son of this age myself.
Roddy Doyle's \"Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha\" is about the childhood of a boy called Paddy and tells how he's being forced to grow up. Made me cry so much !! :oops:
I recommend all fathers (and parents with son) to read this, I'm sure it will strike a chord with them
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autumnbronze:
Also his next one entitled \"A Thousand Splendid Suns\"
How's this one, autumnbronze? Am quite tempted but during the Kino book sale, I bought so many, I better finish first.
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My Recommendation:
1. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime by Mark Haddon
Fifteen-year-old Christopher John Francis Boone is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.
Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor’s poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington’s Christopher resolves to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations. This book is written from his point of view.
2. Tuedays with Morries by Mitch Albom
In moments of Morrie’s final days as he lies dying from a terminal illness on his deathbed, this twinkling-eyed mensch manages to teach us all about living robustly and fully.
3. Outlier: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell
Why do some people succeed, living remarkably productive and impactful lives, while so many more never reach their potential? Challenging our cherished belief of the "self-made man," Gladwell makes the democratic assertion that superstars don’t arise out of nowhere, propelled by genius and talent: "they are invariably the beneficiaries of hidden advantages and extraordinary opportunities and cultural legacies that allow them to learn and work hard and make sense of the world in ways others cannot." Examining the lives of outliers from Mozart to Bill Gates, he builds a convincing case for how successful people rise on a tide of advantages, "some deserved, some not, some earned, some just plain lucky." -
Blobbi:
Hey, Blobbi. \"A Thousand Splendid Suns\" is a good book too. You shd try and read it if you can. Whilst \"Kite Runner\" discusses the relationship between father and sons and male friendship, \"Splendid Suns\" talks about mothers and daughters and female friendship.autumnbronze:
Also his next one entitled \"A Thousand Splendid Suns\"
How's this one, autumnbronze? Am quite tempted but during the Kino book sale, I bought so many, I better finish first.
Even tho I enjoyed reading \"Splendid Suns, my personal fave is still \"Kite Runner\".
Oh... and I saw the movie too. Managed to catch it on Starhub Cable. It was touching and followed the book rather closely. But I think I cried more reading the book!!!
:lol:
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