A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini - Nov. 5 Book Selection

I loved the movie version of The Kite Runner as much as I loved the book by Khaled Hosseini. Before experiencing The Kite Runner, Afghanistan was a complete mystery to me. Other than knowing women pretty much have no rights, there are massive poppy crops that are ultimately sold as heroin and the country seems to be at war continually, Afghanistan was a total mystery to me.

This, along with myriad great reviews from several sites like Amazon.com, I selected A Thousand Splendid Suns by Kaled Hosseini for our second book-club novel for the Nov. 5 meeting. I also have to mention a small component of this decision is the fact that the book is 400 pages long. I know I’ll personally struggle to read anything much longer than this in the weeks between meetings.

This book is about two Afghani women over the span of 30 years, from war with the Soviets and through the Taliban’s ousting.

A review by Amazon.com Top 500 Reviewer Cynthia K. Robinson reads:  “I read many books in a year. Some I read for entertainment and others to increase my knowledge. Then there is the rare book that does both of those things, plus touches your heart as well. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini does just that. Hosseini's The Kite Runner was a magnificent book, and I enjoyed A Thousand Splendid Suns even more.”

I’m excited to read this book and learn more about a country and culture that still seems so different and mysterious. Of course, I have a feeling there will be surprising similarities among the people in this book and the U.S., and I hope this book reveals them.

It is sort of stressful selecting a book for a book club, as Tom has pointed out. I hope the book lives up to my expectations and everyone enjoys it. If not, then I would like to take this opportunity now to blame Tom for my selection (because, ultimately, he started the book club). (Just kidding Tom.)