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Edina Reads
is a One-Book, community-wide reading program
that encourages
active reading,
lifelong learning,
and thoughtful conversation. |
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The Kite Runner
by Hosseini, Khaled
Main Characters
Amir - The narrator Sanaubar - Hassan's mother
Baba - Amir's father Soraya - Amir's wife
Ali - Baba's servant Sohrab - Hassan's son
Hassan - Amir's friend and son of Ali
Assef - a neighborhood bully
1. The novel expresses the values of character, courage and
redemption. Amir begins by saying “I became what I am today
at the age of twelve.” To what is Amir referring? Is his
assertion entirely true? What other factors have helped form
his character? How would you describe Amir?
2. Which characters show courage? Are any of the characters
redeemed? How?
3. The friendship between Amir and Hassan is a central part
of The Kite Runner. How are their personalities different?
What brings them together and what strains their
relationship?
4. How does the kite running tournament reflect Afghan
culture? What is its significance to the story? How do
events at the tournament change Amir's relationship with his
father and why?
5. One way to examine Assef's assault on Hassan is to look
at it as an incident of severe bullying. In any bullying
incident, what is the responsibility of the bystander?
6. How does Amir's confrontation with Assef at Wazir Akar
Khan represent a turning point in the story?
7. Amir and his father, Baba, have a difficult relationship.
Are their problems in communicating unique to their
situation, or shared by many fathers and sons? Why do you
think Baba could not tell Amir the truth?
8. The women in the book have minor but important roles.
Think about the differences in the role of women in Afghan
and American culture. How does each of the women characters
adapt to or rebel against cultural expectations?
9. Amir and Baba come to America as immigrants. Do you think
their experiences were typical of new immigrants? Was
anything about their life in America unique to their being
from Afghanistan?
10. Were you familiar with the culture and history of
Afghanistan before you read "The Kite Runner?" What did you
learn about that part of the world from this book? How do
the difficulties faced by the characters in this book
compare with the difficulties faced by the people you know?
11. When cultural practices conflict with human rights, is
it possible to reconcile those two values? How?
12. Amir remembers his father's joking that "in [America]
even flies are pressed for time." How is the sense of time
different in Afghanistan and in America? How does this
affect your life?
13. Does the ending of the book express hope for the future?
How do you know?
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