A Thousand Splendid Suns

1. A Thousand Splendid Suns An Introduction

2. Why Are We Reading This? The book exposes students to the way of life and belief system of a country that the US has been at war with, allowing teenagers to be introduced to a topic that is current and relevant to US history and world news events. Students will read about the Taliban, Afghanistan’s history of invasions, and the treatment of women under the Taliban. Though the topics in the book are difficult for its portrayal of war, violence against women, and human suffering, the writing style and characters draw interest and are accessible to all reading levels.

3. Setting

4. About Khaled Hosseini Born in Kabul, Afghanistan, in 1965 Son of a diplomat with the Afghan Foreign Ministry and a teacher In 1976, the Afghan Foreign Ministry relocated the Hosseini family to Paris. They were ready to return to Kabul in 1980, but by then Afghanistan had already witnessed a bloody communist coup and the invasion of the Soviet army. The family then sought and were granted political asylum in the United States, moving to California in 1980. Hosseinigraduated from high school in 1984 and enrolled at Santa Clara University where he earned a bachelor's degree in Biology in 1988. The following year, he entered the University of California-San Diego's School of Medicine, where he earned a Medical Degree in 1993. He completed his residency at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. Hosseini was a practicing internist between 1996 and 2004. While practicing medicine, he wrote The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns was published in 2007.

5. Politics The political backdrop is important. Begins in Herat, Afghanistan in 1964 Ends in Kabul, Afghanistan in 2003. Era of Soviet Control Within that period, there was the era of King Zahir Shah, Mohammed Daoud Khan's Republic, communist rule, mujahideen conflict after Soviet troops left, the arrival of the Taliban, and the interim presidency of Hamid Karzai. The violence and oppression the people of Afghanistan, women in particular, endured directly related to politics plays a major role in determining the courses Mariam's and Laila's stories twist and turn. Often, the political violence and oppression is mirrored in the interactions between characters on a personal level as well. The aftermath of 9/11 from the view of citizens of Afghanistan is also included within the novel. 

6. Religion Religion (and its influence on societal expectations) plays a large role in understanding character motives. With each change in political leaders, the influence of religion on daily life, especially for women, drastically changes.

7. Women’s Issues Oppression Abuse Religious/Cultural response to the treatment of women Article: http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2007415,00.html

8. Themes Afghan identity Discrimination against women The human capacity for evil Loyalty and devotion Marriage vs. love Hope

9. Characters • Novel follows: • Mariam: first wife of Rasheed • Laila: second wife of Rasheed

10. Lit Stuff • How important is perspective and point-of-view? • What kind of point of view are the stories told from? • What kind of narrator is telling the stories? • Third person • Omniscient

11. About the book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4kyalTT_wY