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okiecozyreader's review against another edition
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I can see why it’s on so many lists- both of books you should read and books that people are banning. Khalid Hosseini writes in the introduction of my copy how he writes to tell himself a story. But after September 11th, his wife demanded he send his work to a publisher to show them a different side of Afghanistan. I thought it was interesting he also has a MD in internal medicine.
KITE RUNNER is the story of Amir, the son of a wealthy, hardworking businessman. His father has a servant whose family has worked for them for 40 years, who has a son of similar age Hassan, who is a Hazara - a shunned ethnic group. Hassan is very loyal to Amir and Amir is not as good of a friend to Hassan. When a tragic event occurs, Amir’s guilt makes him miserable, and he can no longer face Hassan. About the same time, the Afghanistan country is invaded by Russia and he and his father escape to the United States. In THE KITE RUNNER, we see how the Afghanistan culture changes with all of the power struggles and how Amir’s loving family and friends change him for the better.
“For kite runners, the most coveted prize was the last fallen kite of a winter tournament. It was a trophy of honor, something to be displayed on a mantel for guests to admire.” P47
“Now, no matter what the mullah teaches, there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft. Every other sin is a variation of theft. Do you understand that?”
…
"When you kill a man, you steal a life," Baba said. "You steal his wife's right to a husband, rob his children of a father. When you tell a lie, you steal someone's right to the truth. When you cheat, you steal the right to fairness. Do you see?" P16
“It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime, Amir, he said.” p125-126
“Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn't been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute.” P218
Graphic: Cancer, Rape, Self harm, and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual violence, Violence, and Death of parent
sareidle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Additionally, I think that Kite Runner pairs very well with A Thousand Splendid Suns in showing how the Taliban affected life across gender, class, and ethnicity.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Rape, Self harm, Medical content, Grief, Suicide attempt, Toxic friendship, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Bullying, Chronic illness, Infertility, Racial slurs, Blood, Religious bigotry, and Death of parent
redefiningrachel's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Terminal illness, Violence, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, and War
Moderate: Body horror, Gore, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Cannibalism
rileydobereading's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Sexual violence and Suicide attempt
Moderate: Bullying, Cancer, Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Trafficking, Death of parent, War, and Classism
Minor: Racial slurs and Alcohol
tabbiscuit's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Rape, Torture, Suicide attempt, and War
Moderate: Racial slurs and Death of parent
theemster's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Death, Emotional abuse, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
b3ttysbooks33's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
note: some people criticize the depictions of religion and politics, but I feel that because most of these controversial opinions come from characters who is clearly deeply flawed, the author leaves room for such issues to be discussed rather than dictating a specific narrative.
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Islamophobia, Grief, Medical trauma, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, War, and Classism
megatron25's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Rape and Suicide
Moderate: Racial slurs, Violence, and Suicide attempt
Minor: Classism
alex_nicole's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Graphic: Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Infertility, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Violence, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Grief, Mass/school shootings, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, and Sexual harassment
kibiiiariii's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Ableism, Adult/minor relationship, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Bullying, Cancer, Child abuse, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Genocide, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Infertility, Infidelity, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Self harm, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Terminal illness, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Xenophobia, Blood, Police brutality, Islamophobia, Trafficking, Grief, Religious bigotry, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, Alcohol, Sexual harassment, War, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism