I just started the book The Kite
Runner by Khaled Hosseini. I'm only on page 40, so I can't tell you much.
To me this book is very boring so far. I'm going to try and finish it, because
I'm sure it picks up towards the middle. Plus, I don't have every right to say
that the book is boring, because I'm only on page 40, as I said before. But, to
me, the book needs to have a hook, something that makes the reader want to keep
reading. The first line in the book, "I became what I am today at the age
of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975." (Hosseini, 1),
to me is a very good hook. It leaves the reader think what happened to make
this person who they are today, as well as, what is this person today? The
author begins to explain about their life before that summer, including many
flashbacks, as well as lots of references to the title. To me, a powerful hook
is very important, which the author included, but the author does not continue
with his suspense and powerful writing. He just writes how things happen,
which, in a nonfiction book, is very important, but I also think that he should
state things in a more interesting way. Add in more powerful diction. There are
lots of foreign words in this book, which make it a more difficult book to read
and comprehend.
I'm currently wondering, because I
have gotten to the point of the book where there was an attack, why there was
an attack and gun fire in the middle of the night near the characters home.
That question was answered on the next page, as the main character was
interacting with another character, "'Have you heard the news, boys?'
Assef said, his grin never faltering. 'The king is gone. good riddance. Long
live the president!" (Hosseini, 39). Here the reader discovers why there
was gun fire and lots of exploding the previous night before.
I predict that there will be a war
between the people and the president, who turns into a dictator and tries to
control the country, and the main character is forced to fight in the war for a
little bit, but then moves away with his family. One thing I know for a fact is
that the main character moves 5 years after, I'm assuming, the war starts. I
assume this because in the opening line it says that this event made him who he
is today in 1975 and in the author’s biography it says that he moved to America
in 1980. "Khaled Hosseini was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and moved to the
United States in 1980." Using this textual support, I can predict that
either he moved away or his family also moved with him to the United States
because of a war. I predict that there is a war because of the gun fire
exchanged and the bombings that happen on page 35, "Something roared like
thunder. The earth shook a little and we heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire...
A white light flashed, lit the sky in silver. It flashed again and was followed
by a rapid staccato of gunfire." (Hosseini). Because of all of the gunfire
and bombings that went on that night, I can assume that there will be a war. I
say that because their king had the throne taken away and a president took over
the government and the people where happy with the government that they had, so
they will probably retaliate because they dislike the new form of government.
I can make a text-to-word connection
to this book because this has happened in many countries where there was a war
due to their president, king, or dictator being thrown out of the government
and the people revolting due to disliking the new ruler, and the government
fighting back. One specific example of this is the war that happened in
Afghanistan, as well as Israel, and even back into colonial times with the
American Revolution, and the French Revolution.
I can make a text-to-text connection
to this book because there are many other books that are written about war over
government, such as A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, The Bookseller of Kabul by Åsne Seierstad, and My Forbidden Face: Growing Up Under the Taliban - A Young
Woman's Story by Latifa are a few examples.
I can't make any
text-to-self connections, because I have not been through any type of war, or
anything similar to what the main character has gone through in the book so
far.
Khaled Hosseini has a website!! Go check it out to
see all of the books that he's written and the book that he is currently
working on too!! Khaled Hosseini
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