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Afghanistan was ruled by King Zahir Shah
King Zahir's rule ended when he was on vacation, and Mohammad Daoud Khan seized power. -
Amir is born & Amir's mother dies
Amir's mother Sofia, dies during childbirth forever putting a strain on Baba's relationship with Amir. Unlike Amir, Hassan's mother left him and Ali when Hassan was born and Amir thinks about how Hassan feels and "Did he ache for her, the way I ached for the mother I had never met?" (Hosseini 7). At the beginning of the book, Amir appears to be nothing like Baba by sharing few interests and actions. -
Hassan is born
Hassan is born in 1964 with his mother being Sanaubar and his father being Ali. Later we find out the Baba is Hassan's true father because of an affair which Amir finds out later in the story. -
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Afghanistan was under the control of President and Prime Minister Mohammad Daoud Khan
he was violently overthrown by the PDPA, People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. Daoud was killed in the coup along with most of his family. -
Amir wins the Kite flying contest and Hassan is raped
This is a pivotal part of the story when Hassan shows his loyalty while Amir shows his cowardice. This is the begging of the end of Amir's relationship with Hassan due to Amir's lack of ability to face up to his actions. Amir becomes traumatized from his own disgraceful actions and he internalizes that "'I watched Hassan get raped,' I said to no one" (Hosseini 86). Hosseinin illustrates how much one moment can change the course of the entire book. -
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Afghanistan Under the control of the PDPA (People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan)
Afghanistan had long insisted on maintaining its independence from Russia, the PDPA was a Communist party and therefore held close ties to the Soviet Union. This brought Afganistan into a long and costly war. And After the collapse of the PDPA Afganistan split into factions. -
The Soviets invade Afghanistan
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Baba and Amir move to America (Fremont, CA)
Baba and Amir arrive in America from Pakistan. Amir and Baba have differing opinions about America and, “For me, America was a place to bury memories. For Baba a place to mourn his” (Hosseini 129). Amir sees America as a place to forget his past while Baba mourns the loss of his successful life in Afganistan. -
Baba and Amir Escape to Pakistan
They used an oil tank truck to escape Afghanistan with others, which was poorly ventilated, and the air was so polluted his “nose caught fire with each breath. You could die in a place like this, I thought. A scream was coming” (Hosseini 121-122). Amir and Baba are in the tank of an oil tanker and the is poor airflow. They barely have enough air to breathe and Amir is in discomfort. -
Baba dies
After Baba passes away in 1986 Amir finds out that Hassan is his half-brother through an affair. After learning about the affair Amir thinks differently about his father because “Baba had been a thief. And a thief of the worst kind, because the things he’d stolen had been sacred: from me the right to know I had a brother, from Hassan his identity, and Ali his honor. His nang, His namoos” (Hosseini 145). -
Amir gets the call from Rahim Kahn to come to Afghanistan
After Baba's death, Rahim Kahn calls for Amir to come to Afghanistan. Amir, after being asked begrudgingly comes to Pakistan to visit Rahim Kahn. Right before Amir hangs up Rahim Kahn makes his final plea and says, "Come. There is a way to be good again, Rahim Kahn had said on the phone" (Hosseini 192). -
9/11 Attack
The US believed the leader of Al Qaeda (Osama Bin Laden) who organized 9/11 was hiding in Afghanistan, therefore the US attacked the country to find him.
