Riverhead Books

play out. In the beginning of the book, readers are introduced to Reuven Malter, a son of a rabbi, who plays baseball. His team is about to play a game against the more traditional hasidic Jewish sect lead by Danny Saunders. Although Danny and Reuven’s relationship starts with rivalry, they soon become fast friends. What is perhaps more interesting, though, is how Danny and Reuven’s fathers, David Malter and Reb Saunders interact with their sons. Later in the book, this also develops into how…

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini follows the privileged life of a Pashtun, or Sunni Muslim, Amir, clashing with the dissimilar lifestyle of his half-brother and best friend by the name of Hassan, his lowly servant. The novel explicitly depicts the prejudice against Hazaras, also known as the Shia Muslims, in Afghanistan, when Hassan, who is part of the inferior race, is raped because of his religious beliefs. Choosing cowardice over courage, Amir sees the crime being committed against his best…

Khaled Hosseini is a well-known Afghan born American novelist. After his notably debut in The Kite runner, 2003 he dropped his doctor profession and became a full-time writer. The Kite runner is his first published novel which is set in his native Afghanistan, offered simple tales of redemption and grace while the ugly realities of war in the country rumbled through the news. It is a tale of two boys, Amir and Hassan, during their growing up years in Kabul. In the winter of 1975 an event takes…

Winston Churchill once pronounced, “If you're going through hell, keep going.” The former prime minister of England tries to push across the point of how you handle your hardships, directly reflects your rewards at the end of the road. Many of the characters, in The Other Wes Moore learned this lesson with difficulty since they chose the wrong path. The path to money and dark power often leads behind bars or to a grave. The Scarlet Letter exemplifies how mistakes can lead to a dark grave.…

his life in the shame of his decision to do nothing when Hassan gets raped. This novel is the prime example for showing just how big of an impact the past can have on the present. The rape of Hassan is an event that happens relatively early in the book but still has a major prevalence throughout this story. This is the first example of how the past contributes to the story as a whole. Hassan was attacked on the grounds of religion. “Shiites and Hazaras were persecuted” ("A Fragile" 2:12) in the…

Oskar Schell, the main protagonist in Jonathan Foer’s acclaimed book Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, is a creative yet awkward child who lost his father in the September 11th attacks on the World Trade Center. Oskar grows as a person throughout the story, as he goes on one final mission where he faces his biggest fears and challenges his social skills, all while attempting to get closure for his father’s tragic death. Through Foer’s depiction of Oskar, readers gain an in-depth understanding…

The test of a good friend, is their loyalty. What would a friend do if you are going through a rough time? Would they stay by you or walk away? What if you embarrass them? Would they hold a grudge or be understanding and forgive you? In The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, Hassan is the kind of friend most people wish to have; he is loyal, kind, understanding, trustworthy, brave, the list could go on. Amir, however, is the exact opposite of him, yet Hassan remains a loyal friend to him…

two different perspectives. In the novel starts with the search of the son eventually finding him in the custody and the father must admit the fact that his son will face death verdict. Everybody disappears in Johannesburg. The first chapter of the book states that all Stephan Kumalo’s relatives and his only son Absalom left to Johannesburg and never returned. He is afraid to open the letter because he is expecting the bad news from Johannesburg. As a father, he is cautious…

and even 6 years old are smarter. This also shows conflict with the severity of the war and how desperate the human race can be. In real life adults are the wiser and more intelligent, but in Ender’s Game children are smarter. This backed up on the book showing the military specifically choosing…

eyes, but he shook his head. ‘Amir agha won the tournament and I ran this kite for him. I ran it fairly. This is his kite’” (72). Hassan willingly accepts the assault, because of how important the kite is to Amir. Kite running appears again in the book when Amir runs a kite for Sohrab: “I looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided… ‘Do you want me to run that kite for you… For you a thousand times over,’ I heard myself say.” (371). Similarly to the…