I just finished 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' by Khaled Hosseini. If you read 'The Kite Runner', and liked it, you will also like this book. If you loved 'The Kite Runner', like I did, you will also Love this book. Instead of a story of two boys, this is about two women in Afghanistan. It is such a powerful story, I honestly couldn't wait until there was a spare second that I could keep reading.
It is about two women living in Kabul and the events leading up to their meeting and then their lives together. It really is eye opening as to how wonderful living in a free country is and how great we really have it. This book really makes you empathize with people in Afghanistan and helps you understand that they have the same emotions, desires, and fears as we do.
I received 'The Kite Runner' as a gift last year, it took me about 8 months to actually start reading it. I don't know if it was prejudice or what, but I had never read anything set in the Middle East, and I just couldn't imagine myself liking it. But, believe me, it is time well spent. These books are not a series, so you don't have to read the first one to understand the second.
If you want a great read for over the Holidays, this is my recommendation. Just beware, you will need a box of tissues.
