“The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini is a book revealing the struggles and horrors occurring in the Middle Eastern countries. It showed the struggles occurring around the world, lies, life and true friendship. The story is about a young boy, Amir, growing up in Kabul, Afghanistan, with his best friend, Hassan, who is his family’s servant.

The background of the story is how the Afghanistan’s monarchy falls, Afghans sought refuge in Pakistan and the U.S. and the rise of the Taliban regime. Due to Hassan being at the bottom of the class structure, he is bullied by those above him, and Amir fails to prevent the acts of violence because he was continuously seeking approval by his father. Amir’s father adored Hassan, until Amir planted money under Hassan’s mattress and Hassan falsely confesses to the act. Amir and his father flee to California as the Taliban regime rises, and his father eventually passes away.

Amir is called back to Afghanistan as he finds out Hassan was his half-brother, who was killed by the Taliban, leaving his son in an orphanage. Hassan requests that Amir adopt his son, Sohrab, which he does after a long and heartbreaking process. This is a book that will hold a place in my heart forever, as it showed true friendship and love when I thought all was lost.

Another book by Khaled Hosseini, “A Thousand Splendid Suns,” is another book based in same time period as “The Kite Runner” but focuses on the female roles in the Middle East. The book is split into three parts: part one is about a woman, Mariam, who was an illegitimate child, who is faced with the stigma her entire life to include her abusive marriage. Part two is about a woman, Laila, of a higher class, but her family is killed by a rocket, and she eventually agrees to marry a man. The man is the husband to both Mariam and Laila, and they become confidants and best friends. This book was about women’s rights, treatment, love, protection and the struggles they continue to face today. Everyone deserves rights: old, young, black, white, male, female, homosexual, heterosexual … everyone is the same. We all came into this Earth the same way and shall all leave the same. So if you get time this summer, I highly recommend both of these books, as they truly change my outlook on my life goals.