The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini · first published 2003
53% recommend47% neutral
Why HN recommends it
Emotionally gripping novel that gives a view of Afghanistan before the Soviet intervention and the Taliban era; readers call it heartbreaking and an excellent, easy-to-finish read.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies. A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and
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…True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie The Catcher in the Rye by J.D Salinger Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini The Giver by Lois Lowry Ulysses by James Joyce
on “Banned and Challenged Books Everyone Should Read” ↗The Kite Runner
on “Ask HN: What is the best book you have read with the greatest impact on you?” ↗The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini gives a great look into the 'then-and-now' of Afghanistan. An excellent read as well.
on “Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan” ↗…or succeed" (non-fiction) Iván Repila - "The Boy Who Stole Attila’s Horse": short intense novel about 2 boys who are trapped in a well Margaret Atwood - "The handmaid's tale" Khaled Hosseini - "The kite runner" Agatha Christie - "The murder of Roger Ackroyd" (very surprising plot) Andy Weir - "The Martian" Charles Dickens - "David Copperfield" Clare Mackintosh - "I let you go" Carlos Ruiz Zafón - "The…
on “Ask HN: What are your favorite books of all time, and why?” ↗And I thought it was by Khaled Hosseini. (He wrote The Kite Runner (among others), which is a heartbreaking novel).
on “Due to failure in the IT system, it is not possible to run any trains today” ↗Thanks, I know it wasn't always like this. And I don't think there's something genetically wrong with the Afghans. Heck, I've read the Kite Runner (which was heart-wrenching). And I've seen first-hand that they seem to do just fine in other parts of the world, and are particularly fun-loving (as hinted at in the OP's post). My instinct says, "just…
on “How I coached a basketball team in Afghanistan and what went wrong” ↗…one from outside. It's incredible, harrowing and keeps you in a vice-like grip from start to finish. I loved it so much I bought a copy for my Mother in Law as I kept raving about it. If you liked the Kite Runner then you'll love this (it's by the same author).
on “Ask HN: Best book you read in 2010 and briefly why” ↗>This almost exactly describes what the Taliban did. Except in their moral system, the One Rule is different than in your moral system. Read The Kite Runner for a gripping insight into what the Taliban was. There was no rule, only naked force in the name of religious fundamentalism. Enforcement was (and is) arbitrary and brutal. The One Rule is totally,…
on “How I coached a basketball team in Afghanistan and what went wrong” ↗This reminds of the book The Kite Runner. It describes a very different Afghanistan in the 70s before the Soviet intervention.
on “Afghanistan in the 1950s and 60s” ↗It was surprising to me just how many of the banned books have immense literary value. The Color Purple, The Handmaid's Tale, The Kite Runner, etc. aren't random books that may be a little obscene, they're literary classics. In my opinion this is what makes it obvious that these bans were made in bad faith.
on “"None of These Books Are Obscene": Judge Strikes Down Much of FL's Book Ban Bill” ↗…author, but to an entire state's education system. > Among the titles that have been removed and banned in the course of the vetting in her school district are Toni Morrison’s ‘The Bluest Eye,’ ‘The Kite Runner’ by Khaled Hosseini, ‘The Stranger’ by Albert Camus, ‘Revolting Rhymes’ by Roald Dahl, and a skateboarding magazine called ‘Thrasher’. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/florida-bo...
on “Hundreds of changes made to latest editions of Roald Dahl's books” ↗…Tiffany D. Jackson Tricks by Ellen Hopkins Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood Beloved by Toni Morrison Looking for Alaska by John Green The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini Crank by Ellen Hopkins Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie An American Tragedy by Theodore Dreiser…
on “Iowa using AI to automatically scan and ban books” ↗…will not recur; on the contrary, it is likely that humanity will struggle with bigotry and oppression for as long as it exists in its present form, transhumanism notwithstanding. Those who have read The Kite Runner will of course recognize that even Afghanistan once had a liberal social structure that made some attempts to respect individual freedom and the rights of women. During the Islamic Golden Age, the Arab…
…whole, posses "serious artistic, political, or scientific value", and few are "prurient" in nature, nor do they describe sexual conduct in a "patently offensive" way. To use the examples from above, Kite Runner and Beloved are both critically acclaimed, award-winning novels, to claim they have no artistic merit is...simply wrong.
on “Florida to Supreme Court: Let us regulate social networks as common carriers” ↗I now I am late on reading this one, but Pragmatic Programmer. Then there was The Kite Runner Also, Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanence Then Becoming a Technical Leader by Gerald I wish I had read more.
on “Ask HN: Books you read in 2016?” ↗