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Amir's First Short Story
One night Amir "wrote [his] first short story. It took [him] thirty minutes. It was a dark little tale" (Hosseini 30). Amir showed this story to his father who did not show much interest. Like his mother, Amir has an interest in writing but his father wants him to be doing other things in his childhood like playing around with other kids instead of reading and writing. -
Gunfire In the Streets
One morning in 1973 Amir and Hassan woke to the sound of "thunder. The earth shook a little and [they] heard the rat-a-tat-tat of gunfire" (Hosseini 35). That morning there was screaming, explosions, and gunfire that woke everyone up. King Zahir Shah's reign was ended with a "bloodless coup" (Hosseini 36). He was replaced by his cousin Daoud Khan. Baba arrieved home late that evening because the roads were blocked. This is the first even in the book that shows terror in afganistan. -
New Constitution Gives Women Some Rights
In 1975 Khan passes a "new constitution that grants women rights and works to modernize the largely communist state" (pbs.org). This means that the country is slowly reacing twareds equality. -
The Alley
Amir "stopped watching [the rape], turned away from the alley" (Hosseini 76). Assef and his friends had found Hassan in an alley chasing Amir's kite. With Amir secretly watching, Assef rapes Hassan. Like a coward, Amir runs away in fear of getting beat up like his "friend" Hassan. This is the start of the end of their friendship. Amir feels so bad about this later on, that he just wants to get rid of Hassan. -
Kite Tournament
The crowd was cheering for Amir as he "closed [his] eyes and loosened [his] grip on the string. It sliced [his] fingers again as the wind dragged it. And then... [Amir] didn't need to hear the crowd's roar to know. He didn't need to see either. Hassan was screaming and his arm was wrapped around his neck" (Hosseini 65). Amir and Hassan just won the kite tournament together for the first time. This was a good bonding experience for both of them because they worked together to win. -
13th Birthday
Amir's 13th "birthday was a huge success. [He'd] never seen the house so packed" (Hosseini 94). Baba threw this huge party for Amir because he won the kite tournament. Everyone in the neighborhood attended this party, even Assef who humiliated Amir and gave him a biography of Hitler as a present. Unfortunately, Amir, after receiving many presents from many guests, thought of his presants as "blood money" (Hosseini 94) and discarded them in a pile. -
Khan Is Killed
After Khan is killed, "Nur Mohammad Taraki ... takes control of the country as president, and Babrak Karmal is named deputy prime minister. They proclaim independence from Soviet influence and declare their policies to be based on Islamic principles" (pbs.org). -
To Pakistan
Baba and Amir left one night to go to Pakistan in a "fuel tank [that] was pitch black [and had] thick almost solid air". The Russians were invading Afganistan at the time and Baba had to make the choice to stay or leave. From Pakistan, they travel to the Bay Area in California. Baba felt that it was no longer safe to live in Afganistan and left everything behind to move to the U.S. -
Baba's Cancer
Baba was selling a lampshade at the flea market when he suddenly had a seizure. Before this happened, Baba had been diagnosed with cancer. When he was rushed to the hospital, he got a CAT scan that showed "Baba's brain ... riddled with tennis ball-shaped gray things" (Hosseini 158), which his doctor said was cancer. Baba can no longer help Amir and guide him through life. Amir is on his own (with his wife) for the rest of his life. -
Wedding
After being engaged for a short period of time, Amir and Soraya decide to marry each other. Dying baba spends "nearly $35,000, the balance of his life savings on the the awroussi, the wedding ceremony" (Hosseini 168). Baba realizes that he will not be with them much longer and puts forward all of his money for his son. Baba wants the best for his son and his son's wife. -
Afganistan Gains Independance
After a war, "U.S., Pakistan, Afghanistan, and the Soviet Union sign peace accords in Geneva guaranteeing Afghan independence and the withdrawal of 100,000 Soviet troops" (pbs.org) -
Taliban Rises to Power
After "Taliban rises to power on promises of peace. ... [he] crack[s] down on crime and curtail the education and employment of women. Women are required to be fully veiled and are not allowed outside alone" (pbs.org). -
Drought
From 1995 to 1999, "drought devastate[d] farmers and [made] many rural areas uninhabitable. More than 1 million Afghans fled to neighboring Pakistan, where they languish in squalid refugee camps" (pbs.org). -
Bin Laden Hides in Afghanistan
An international terrorist, Bin Laden, is hiding in Afghanistan "where he is cultivating thousands of followers in terrorist training camps. The United States demands that bin Laden be extradited to stand trial for the embassy bombings. The Taliban decline to extradite him. The United Nations punishes Afghanistan with sanctions restricting trade and economic development" (pbs.org). -
To Bringing Sohrab To The US
Amir wants to bring Sohrab to California to live with him and his wife. An immigration lawyer tells him to send Sohrab to an American orphanage. Amir says "I promised him I wouldn't send him back to an orphanage" (300). Sohrab suffered while in an orphanage in Afghanistan and does not want to go to another one. This is Amir's best chance at bringing Sohrab back so he tells him. Sohrab has a mental breakdown after hearing this and tries to commit suicide because he will avoid going at all costs. -
Amir Gets a Call
Amir gets a call from Rahim Khan asking him to help Rahim. Rahim tells him that "there is a way to be good again" (Hosseini 192). Amir still feels bad about the things he did to Hassan and Rahim offers him a way for Amir to atone himself. Amir will be alone on his trip to Afganistan, leaving his wife behind. -
Rahim Khan's Sickness
Amir asks Rahim Khan how he is; he responds "Dying, actually ... I don't think I'll see the end of this summer" (Hosseini 201). Earlier when Rahim called Amir on the phone, Amir did not know that he was so terribly sick. Amir tries to get him to see a doctor to extend his life but Rahim (like Baba) refuses. Amir deeply cares about him and wants to do something. Rahim later wants Amir to grant his one dying wish. -
Rahim's Dying Wish
Rahim's dying wish is that he wants Amir "to bring Sohrab here" (Hosseini 220). Sohrab is Hassan's son. Rahim is allowing Amir to atone himself by bringing Sohrab from Kabul to him. At first Amir is fully against doing this because he does not want to go back to Kabul. Later he realizes the importance of getting Sohrab. -
The Remains of Afghanistan
On Amir's way to Kabul, he passes "charred remains of a tiny village ... rubble ... beggars... dressed in shredded burlap rags [who were] mostly children" (Hosseini 207 [online version]). Afghanistan is not the way Amiri remembers it at all. The Taliban have destroyed so much of his county leaving so many children homeless. Amir feels lucky that he and his father left Afghanistan before the land was destroyed. -
Amir Gets Sohrab
Amir finds that Assef has Sohrab. Assef says that Amir "cant just take [Sohrab] for free ... [he] has to earn him" (Hosseini 246). In Amir's childhood, Hassan fends off Assef from beating him up. Assef promises to get him back. Amir must fight the brass knuckle bearing Assef to take Sohrab. When he takes Sohrab he will feel more relieved of his sins against Hassan. -
Sohrab Flies A Kite
After Amir takes Sohrab home, Sohrab is a little depressed. But one evening, they go to a park with other Afghans and fly a kite. They cut someone kite together and win. Amir runs the kite and says "For you, a thousand times over" (328). When they cut the kite, Sohrab smiles a bit which shows that he and Amir are getting closer. Amir says this because it is what Hassan said to him so many years ago when they won together. -
9/11
On September 11th, 2001, "A total of 19 terrorists hijacke[d] four planes. All of the men were from nations in the Middle East. They belonged to a terrorist group called Al Qaeda led by Osama bin Laden... The group is intensely opposed to the United States and other Western, democratic nations" (scholastic.com). -
New Constitution
A new constitution in Afghanistan is accepted by the Loya Jirga and "calls for a president and two vice presidents... The official languages, according to the constitution, are Pashto and Dari. Also, the new constitution calls for equality for women" (pbs.org). -
First Peaceful Election
Afghanistan has "its first parliamentary elections in more than 30 years. The peaceful vote leads to the parliament’s first meeting in December" (pbs.org). -
Obama Announces New Strategy
The US president, Barack Obama "announces a new strategy for the Afghanistan war that would dispatch more military and civilian trainers to the country, in addition to the 17,000 more combat troops he previously ordered. The strategy also includes assistance to Pakistan in its fight against militants" (pbs.org).