"If only you had been kinder to me, I would have been kinder to myself."
Books are the silent orchestrators of symphonies spun from ink, weaving tales that transcend time and space, inviting minds to embark on odysseys through realms both familiar...
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Name of the book: The Kite Runner
Author: Khalid Hosseini
Before there was A little life, there was the Kite Runner.
I was 16, it was a hot day in August, COVID was at it's peak and in the midst of going back and forth with my sister to buy things for her to use as she cooks, I found something so amazing that I can not, not even if I want to, forget about. The Kite Runner is basically the reason why I am the way I am. Sure, A little life moved me and re-shaped my being, but it was The Kite Runner that gave me comfort in knowing that I was not a crazy person to give love, immense love, love that I am capable of giving to people around me because if Amir Agha asked Hassan to lick the dirt on the floor, Hassan would have but he knew his Amir Agha would never ask him to do such a thing. It gave me validation and strength to accept that I am that person who will always, willingly cross oceans for people I love.
If there's anything this book showed me, it is that love truly conquerors all. And no, it is not a love story, mildly yes, but not entirely. It's a book about found family. And terror. And Afghanistan, the land of "our youth".
I was also in the middle of my third month out of my ten months of research that I did for my Political Science project titled "How Do Events In The Middle East Affect World Politics?" (excuzé moî for the insane capitalization but i am very proud of myself for how that project came out, the knowledge that i still carry with me and how i see people just have their heads blow up when i tell them some insanely accurate thing about the Middle East- the fun never dies LMAO.) and reading this book gave me such an interesting perspective on Afghanistan and how vandalised our opinions of it has become; I mean, my family tribe also originated from Afghanistan so it also helped me understand that.
I will always suggest this book to anyone who asks me "Any book recs for a good cry?". Yep. That's it. This is the book you are looking for.
Just wow.
However, if you may be wondering, I do not view this book in the same light that I do with A little life because these two books impact for two completely different reasons. ALL being for allowing myself to be more honest with the ones I love and TKR for giving me more validation on how I love. Regardless, TKR is a beautiful book. Masterpiece and a book that hits way too close to home.
