Blog Entry 3: Why The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

I chose this book because I had heard such good things about it and I was curious to read a book by an Arab author. I never have so far so I thought I'd check this one out. Also, after reading some background information about the novel and the author, I wanted to get an insight into Afghan culture and its people's evolution throughout the years due to the so many conflicts that their country has had to face and is still facing today.

Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan in 1965 to his father, a diplomat in the Afghan Foreign Ministry and his mother, a teacher at a high school in Kabul. In 1976, the family was relocated to Paris by the Ministry and was supposed to go return to Kabul in 1980 but due to political unrest, sought political refuge in the United States. They lived in San Jose, California where Khaled finished high school in 1984 and entered Santa Clara University, earning a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. In 1993 he earned his medical degree from the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine. Between 1996  and 2004, Khaled was a practicing internist. He began writing The Kite Runner in March of 2001 and it was published in 2003 in 48 countries, making it a bestseller. Khaled was named a goodwill convoy to the UNHCR or United Nations Refugee agency in 2006. Khaled continues to provide humanitarian aid in Afghanistan through The Khaled Hosseini Foundation. He currently lives in northern California. 

After reading Yelena's blog entry and some background information on the book, it sounds like a sad novel that will require some tissues to be nearby. However, it sounds like such an amazing novel that I cannot wait to buy and read it. I usually enjoy sad novels anyway. They usually tell the best stories and teach the most memorable lessons.

Reference:

"Khaled Hosseini | Biography." Khaled Hosseini | The Kite Runner. AuthorBytes.com. Web. 22 June 2011. <http://www.khaledhosseini.com/hosseini-bio.html>.