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Amir's Birth
Amir is born to Sofia Akrami and Baba in 1963. This is not directly told and is only known because Amir turns "thirteen that summer of 1976" (93). The birth did not go well, and Sofia Akrami unfortunately died during the childbirth. This stems Amir's belief that Baba's coldness towards him is a result of him inadvertently killing his wife. -
Hassan's Birth
Hassan is born on a "cold and rainy night" (6) into Ali and Sanubar's new family, right before Sanubar leaves Ali and Hassan to join a group of performers. It is later learned that Hassan was conceived by Baba, and that Ali was sterile. -
Hassan's Birth
Hassan is born on "a cold and rainy night" (6) to Sanubar and Ali. Only a week after Hassan's birth, Sanubar leaves Ali and Hassan and joins a group of travelling performers. It is also found out that Ali was sterile, and that Baba is Hassan's true biological father. -
Amir is taught a lesson by Baba on the importance of religious law
Amir is being taught about morals and how he should act by Baba. While Amir feels rejected by him, Amir takes his advice to heart, as he knows that Baba is sure that "...there is only one sin, only one. And that is theft" (16). -
Last King Overthrown in Military Coup
The last King of Afghanistan, Mohammed Zahir Shah, is overthrown in a military coup, and the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan takes power. -
Kite Running Competition
The long-awaited Kite Running contest was a great success for Amir and Hassan, as after may hours of practice, they finally won the event. The stakes were high for Amir, as he desperately wanted to gain Baba's approval, and thought that winning the contest would do so. He was so excited, that both he and Hassan were "hopping up and down, both of [them] laughing and both of [them] weeping" (66). This is right before Hassan tries to chase down Amir's kite, and ends up getting raped by Assef. -
More Tension Between Amir and Hassan
Hassan and Amir's friendship has been strained lately after Amir unknowingly walks in on Assef raping Hassan. Amir wanted to speak up about it, but decides not to and becomes so ashamed of himself he can't bring himself to talk to Hassan. While Hassan doesn't know that Amir saw what Assef did, he knows that something is wrong and tries to reconcile his friendship with Amir, by making a peace offering. Hassan "[wants to know] if you want to come along [to the baazar]."(76). Amir says no. -
Hassan Lies About Stealing Amir's Money
Due to rising tensions between Amir and Hassan, Amir feels like he needs to do something to remove Hassan from his life. While Hassan is at the Bazaar, Amir puts money under Hassan's bed and tells Baba that Hassan took his money and was hiding it under his bed. Amir, Ali, Baba, and Hassan all have a talk to see what they should do about the situation when Baba asks Hassan if he truly stole the money. He covers for Amir by saying yes, which is "Hassan's final sacrifice" (105) for Amir. -
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Afghanistan's New Constitution
Afghanistan's new Communist Party of Afghanistan proposes a new Constitution, which would break the norm of most middle-eastern countries by giving women power. While the legislature is being drafted, Kahn kicks out everyone in the government who he believes might disagree or not support him. -
Mass Emigration From Afghanistan
Russia (then the USSR) invades Afghanistan, which causes mass displacement and emigration throughout Afghanistan. Some 4.3 million people leave Afghanistan, headed mainly towards Iran and Pakistan. -
Baba and Amir Leave Afghanistan
When the Soviets decide to invade Afghanistan, Baba and Amir load themselves onto a truck to get smuggled across the border, into Pakistan. Amir was really sad that he had to leave Afghanistan, as "[he] left the house [he] had lived for [his] entire life" (112). While it was the only logical thing to do, Amir felt connected to Afghanistan and did not want to betray it. -
Amir Gets Published
After immigrating to America with Baba, Amir pursues his dream of becoming a writer. He spends countless hours reading, writing rough drafts, and even attends college to major in literature to practice writing. He finishes his novel and sends it to countless agencies before one finally agrees to publish it. Amir and his new family knew that this was a big deal, so "[they] had a celebration dinner with Soraya's parents that night" (183). -
Amir and Soraya Tie the Knot
Amir and his fianceé Soraya get married in a traditional Afghan marriage in Northern California, where Amir and Baba now live. After moving from Afghanistan to the Bay Area, Baba runs into his old friend, a retired general in the Afghan army named General Taheri. Amir falls in love with his daughter (Soraya), and they happily marry. By this time, Baba is becoming sick, so Amir asks Baba for his "last fatherly duty" (139) in asking for Soraya's hand from General Taheri. -
Baba's Death
Baba sadly dies on New Years Day in 1986. He died a peaceful death after a hard-fought battle with cancer. He died in his sleep, and only "...never woke up" (173). Baba died happy, as he was able to bring (what was left of) his family to America and got to see his son marry another Afghani girl. -
Bin Laden forms al-Qaeda
Due to the war between the Soviet Union and Afghanistan, a young Afghan named Osama Bin Laden forms a militia-styled group called al-Qaeda. al-Qaeda's objective is to fight against the invading Soviets, and becomes a very big group. -
Attack on America: 9/11
On September 11, 2001, the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda launched the foreign terror attack on the United States ever. 19 members of the group hijacked 4 flights, all which crashed into several parts of the Eastern part of the US. The most devastating attacks were two planes that were hijacked and flown into the Twin Towers, the two tallest buildings in New York City. The crashes killed upwards of 2,900 people, and over 6,000 were injured. The crashes sparked a war vs al-Quaeda in Afghanistan
