First Thoughts

I am enjoying this book because it is written from a perspective of a culture I do not know much about. The new girls from Serbia on my team say that the rest of the world pictures Americans as out of touch, silly, ignorant, and wasteful. It shows when I read this book because it has been so long since I’ve studied the difference between Sunni and Shia, and now learning about the difference of Pashtuns and Hazaras, I feel like I’m being exposed to the way this society works for the first time. Especially in recent times people just clump together the ideas and cultures of “Middle Eastern” people and people of the Islam religion, yet don’t really know what they are talking about. I hope we talk a little bit about that in class but I think I need to take the time to look up from a historical standpoint whats happening as well. 

The author is pure and honest because he exposes some of his darker and not “good” thoughts like envy and jealousy. I was mostly drawn to the uncomfortable and sad dynamic of between Amir and his father. Even though they have a deeper past then most with the cloud of his dad believing its Amir’s fault for stealing his mothers life, I could still find them relatable. With many of us not far from choosing a college it brings out that side in parents where they try to make you understand them, but don’t attempt to understand you. I thought that was a huge problem with Amir because his dad was disappointed his son did not end up more like him, but at the same time he was not any better because he did not try to adapt to the way his son is.