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Amir is born
Amir tells his age subtly at the beginning of the novel when he narrates that he was "the age of twelve on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975" (Hosseini 1). This means that Amir was born in 1963, long before major conflicts in Afganistan. -
Hassan gets surgery to repair his cleft lip
Hassan was born with a cleft lip and as a birthday gift, Baba hires a plastic surgeon to repair Hassan's mouth. When the wound from the surgery repaired Hassan was left with "only a faint scar. Which was ironic because" (Hosseini 47) Hassan stopped smiling shortly after he had the surgery. Later that year Hassan is raped by Assef and becomes depressed and starts to avoid Amir. He feels ashamed for not standing up to Assef and powerless because he was left with no control. -
Hassan is raped
A major event in the book is when Hassan is raped by their enemy Assef. Assef told Kamal and Wali "there is nothing sinful about teaching a lesson to a disrespectful donkey" (Hosseini 75) before he displayed his dominance over Hassan. He gave Hassan the option to disobey Amir or to be attacked by the three boys, and Hassan hopelessly gave Assef power. -
Soviet Union invades Afganistan
In 1979 "the Soviet Union invades Afghanistan, under the pretext of upholding the Soviet-Afghan Friendship Treaty of 1978"(history.com) and easily takes control of Kabul with weak resistance from the Afganistan Army. Once they take control of Kabul, people begin to realize the mistake they made in not standing up for themselves during this part of the war. In the Kite Runner, Rahim Kahn tells Amir that he had celebrated during this time, but Hassan saw a change for the worse in his government. -
Soviet troops parachute into Kabul
On December 27th, 1979 the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kaul to assist Babrak Karmal, "Afghanistan has known little peace since 1979, when the Soviet Union invaded" (NYT). Barak Karmal was the president of the Afghan Communist Leadership. The Soviet troops remained in Afghanistan for over nine more years, fighting dominantly in the war. -
Baba and Amir leave their home
In chapter 10, which is titled March 1981, Amir and Baba sit in attempting to flee from Kabul in a truck. Amir narrates "we'd left Kabul just after two in the morning" (Hosseini 110). Baba and Amir had to leave in order to stay safe when the transfers of power in Afganistan started to become dangerous. They left their house and most of their belongings, to attempt to go to America, with every intent in returning home as soon as things settled down. -
baba and amir build new lives in Fremont California
Baba and Amir start to build more permanent lives for themselves in Freemont, California. Baba made friends with other foreigners in the area, he "would meet them for tea and rowt cake at the park [and] drive them crazy with his politics" (Hosseini 125). He did not love everything about their new home because he was not used to the less traditional lives of Americans. He was forced to leave behind a life of respect and replace it with an unfamiliar home. -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir graduates from Highschool "at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field" (Hosseini 131) and makes Baba very proud. He continues to work to gain Baba's respect, yet he is beginning to realize that he may have a brighter future in America than he could have in Kabul. With so many opportunities and classes, he has a much bigger chance of becoming a successful writer. -
Baba causes a fight with the Ngyens in their grocery store
When a fruit seller asks Baba for his Identification in his store, Baba panics and becomes offended. Amir hears the commotion and runs over to see "oranges, an overturned magazine rack, and a broken jar of beef jerky" (Hosseini 127)on the floor. Amir calms the situation, apologizing to the fruit seller, and pleading them to not call the police. Baba returns home with damaged pride and sulks like a child. -
Baba gets a job at gas station/ returns food stamps
Baba gets a job working at a gas station and decides to return their food stamps to the eligibility officer. Baba said "I work always. In Afganistan I work, In America, I work" (Hosseini 130). He sacrifices his food for his pride, showing Amir that sometimes working harder than usual is worth the satisfaction of not being pitied by others. -
Baba and Amir start working at flee markets
In the summer of 1984 Baba and Amir begin bargaining for "Knickknacks that people no longer wanted" (Hosseini 136) at garage sales and selling them at a flea market the next morning. They find company and see many familiar faces such as general Tahari, the father of Soraya. Amir falls in love with Soraya, but is denied her love by her father. -
Baba begins to show signs of Cancer
Baba had been mentioned smoking cigars and drinking alcohol throughout the novel since Amir was young. One day Amir "caught him coughing a wad of blood-stained phlegm into the toilet" (Hosseini 153) a few weeks into the summer of 1984. He immediately becomes worried and takes him to the doctor. Baba is a very independent man and does not want others to perceive him as weak so he denies his illness to Amir. Amir is not easily fooled and could see that Baba needed help. -
Babas cancer symptoms become worse
In the winter of 1984 "when sleighs appeared on front lawns and fake snow on Douglas firs, Baba stayed home" (Hosseini 158) becoming too unwell to accompany Amir to the garage sales. People begin to realize how sick Baba is becoming and notice that his weight loss turns from earning compliments to earning stares and gossip. -
Baba dies
Baba died peacefully in his bead, shortly after the marriage of Soraya and Amir. The night Baba dies he tells Soraya not to bring him morphine "there is no pain tonight" (Hosseini 173) he says to her with a smile. Amir had taken time to come to terms with his death and was not surprised when the time came, yet he was also not prepared. He was so used to having his father by his side, guiding him and helping him be an honorable man. -
Soviet Troops leave Afghanistan
On February 16, 1989, The New York Times published an article stating that "the last Soviet soldier came home from Afghanistan this morning" (NYT) announcing the end of their part in the war. The War had caused financial stress in Moscow, and they had decided to remove all of their soldiers from Afghanistan, not leaving a single person behind. While their withdrawal from the war made a major political statement, it did not have a considerable effect on the outcome of the war. -
Soviet Air Force rendered useless
The Soviet Union was severely harmed when the United States supplied missiles to the rebels in Afghanistan "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal"(NYT). They removed every soldier from their duties in Kabul and returned home to repair the damage done to their army. The Soviet troops faced many difficulties in this war, and ultimately did not benefit in the end, and was officially dissolved in 1991. -
Sohrab is born
After Hassan's wife Farzana delivers a stillborn child, she finally gives birth to Sohrab. It was Hassan's mother, "Sanaubar who delivered Hassan's son that winter of 1990" (Hosseini 211) and helped Hassan and Farzana to raise him. Hassan felt blessed to have a child and raised him well, training him to use a slingshot, and teaching him to read. He did not want to let his son grow up with any disadvantages in his life the way that he did. -
Mullah Omar gained followers
A new Pashtun joined the battle in "1994. Mullah Omar had nearly 12000 followers and was rolling up the Warlords to the north and east"(NYT). He promised to restore the centrality of Islam to daily life, creating a popular movement. He began attacking warlords who had wronged others, like a Robin Hood of Afghanistan, committing crimes for the benefit of others. -
Pakistan Intelligence officers help guide Mullah Omar in battle
Beginning in "1994, Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers"(NYT) to help them make important war decisions. This assistance from Pakistan is what lead the Taliban to great success during the war. The aid they received from the east gave them more power and was exactly what the Taliban needed to take control of Afghanistan. -
Taliban provides home for Bin Laden
The Taliban gave shelter and protection to Bin Laden, who"arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996 and for Al Queda"(NYT) members. The Taliban refused to hand over Bin Laden to the United States, even when President Bush tried to make a deal with them. The Taliban made a big mistake of trying to hide someone who was so hated by America. Bin Laden had carelessly destroyed the lives of thousands of people, and that is not something Americana can let go of. -
Hassan and Farzana die
Sohrab becomes an orphan when Rahim Khan leaves his home for a trip and members of the Taliban come and accuse Hassan and Farzana of stealing the house of a respected man. Amir later hears the story of "a man dressed in a herringbone vest pressing the muzzle of his Kalashnikov to the back of Hassan's head" (Hosseini 219) and killing him in front of his wife. He feels shame for never redeeming himself to Hassan, and is left with no way to apologize. -
Taliban influence spreads to Southern Afghanistan
After a defeat in 2001, the "Taliban regrouped and began to extend its influence in the southern part of Afghanistan" (NYT). The Taliban proved again to be very strong and resilient. The people in the Taliban were driven by success and personal benefit rather than a global cause. The leaders of the Taliban have power, money, and bring fear to others. -
Amir gets a call from Rahim Kahn
Amir receives a phone call from Rahim Kahn, living in Kabul, who tells him he has become ill. Amir flies to Peshawar and discovers that the city had changed completely the "aroma pakora and the nihari Baba had loved so much now blended with the sting of diesel fumes." (Hosseini 196). Amir is even more shocked to see how much Rahim Kahn has changed. The once healthy kind-eyed man was now "a thing made of skin and bones" (Hosseini 197) who was determined to tell Amir the truth about his family. -
Amir travels to Kabul to rescue Sorhab
Sorhab becomes an orphan and Rahim Kahn tells Amir to bring him home to a couple in Peshawar. He visits the orphanage where Sohrab was and discovers that there is a Talib official who "visits once every month or two. He brings cash with him" (Hosseini 256) and takes a child from the orphanage. He had taken Sorhab and was using him as a slave. Amirs loyalty and need for redemption are tested by the challenges he faces, and whether or not he chooses to continue risking his life to save Sohrab. -
Amir and Sohrab take down Assef
Amir finds Sohrab with Assef and Assef challenges him to a fight. He says "when it's all done, only one of us will walk out of this room alive" (Hosseini 287) but Sohrab uses his slingshot skills to save Amir from Assef. The event replicates the encounter that Amir and Hassan had with Assef when they were eleven, and is yet another example of foreshadowing in the novel. In the end, he does become "one-eyed Assef" just as Hassan predicted. -
US gets involved in war
The United States becomes militarily involved in Afghanistan after the attacks on September 11th by Al Queda. When the Taliban refused to give the location of terrorist Osama Bin Laden "the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule" (NYT) and began to drive the Taliban out of capital cities in Afghanistan. Their invasion succeeded in the destruction of Al Queda and removing the Taliban from power, yet it did not completely get rid of either group. -
Attack on World Trade Center
Now known as the 9/11 terrorist attack, on September eleventh a group of men lead by Osama bin Laden "hijacked four airplanes and carried out suicide attacks against targets in the United States" (history.com) crashing two planes into the twin towers in New York, and killing almost 3,000 people. Innocent people died because of this attack, and it struck fear into millions of people worldwide. The safety of the United States had been destroyed, and we became the victims of a terrorist attack. -
Pres. Obama announces plan to deploy 30,000 troops
An article written on November 30th, 2009, tells that "President Obama issued orders to send about 30,000 additional American troops to Afghanistan as he prepared to address the nation" (NYT) about the war and how his next actions will define his presidency. He was forced to make very important decisions during this time, knowing that what was happening in Afghanistan was wrong. However, that the power of the Taliban puts American soldiers at high risk in their territory. -
OSama Bin Laden dies
President Obama announced "Osama bin Laden, the mastermind of the most devastating attack on American soil in modern times and the most hunted man in the world, was killed in a firefight with United States forces in Pakistan" (NYT). The Perpetrator of the attack on the world trade center was killed, four months from the ten year anniversary of the nine eleven attacks.