the kite runner

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: May 29, 2003 in the United States
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Box Office: 73.2 million USD (movie) ... became New York Times bestseller for over two years.

Over the break, I read the popular The Kite Runner because it was one of the books out of the multiple choices I had to read from. I didn't regret choosing this book though. I actually really enjoyed it and managed to finish it in two days. The book is very emotional and full of awful moments that are somewhat resolved in the main character's attempt at redemption. The book was bittersweet. It was the first time that the protagonist was terrible in human nature and I loathed him for some portion of the book but gradually accepted him for who he was when he started facing the loss and hardships that he once placed on other people. I'd recommend it. It starts slow at first, which I didn't mind but I know some will. Towards the end, the action does pick up and I enjoyed it a lot for that. I'm still really sad about many events from the book but I don't think the book would have as much of an impact without these events occurring.

This book and "school" books are somewhat different. The Kite Runner is more brutal with its themes and there is no sugarcoating any of the tragedy that occurs within the novel. Some stories in school, although having rough themes themselves, generally hinder the themes because they may not be appropriate... for our age. We may not understand them. We might think the events of the story isn't teachable. I highly disagree with that since I believe the school system babies high school students when it comes to literature. I hate reading classics over and over again.

Speaking of classics, I'd prefer reading blockbuster bestsellers over them. Perhaps reading both is even better. Yes, I know reading several century old books is good for the future but they are boring. They have weird language in them that no one speaks in anymore. Yet, schools still push teenagers to read these books for the simple novelty of reading them. Oh, they're important. You should know this. Books within the recent decade don't compare to any classics. Shut the fuck up. I hate when teachers and parents say this because they usually say this with a superior nature in their tone. Excuse me. Please recite page thirty seven of Hamlet by Shakespeare before you act like you're intelligent for reading Jane Austen books in the fifth grade.

Anyways, that's just what I believe. It'd be nice to read The Kite Runner in class but unfortunately, the book is too long for teenagers and they will most likely immediately turn from it and read the book on SparkNotes instead. You can't force a kid to read after all. Unless they're in Creative Writing!