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King Zahir Shah is removed from his title
After nearly 40 years as ruler of Afghanistan, King "Zahir Shah was deposed" (Encyclopeadia Brittanica). -
Amir and Hassan hear gunshots
Amir and Hassan were awoken in the middle of the night by a series of loud gunshots that "roared like thunder" and shook the earth. This event, which Hassan and Amir will later find out was the overthrowing fo their leader, started a chain reaction of change for Amir and Hassan's lives. After this day, nothing was ever the same for either of them. -
Amir wins the kite-fighting tournament
After Amir cuts the last kite, he turns to Hassan and yells, "We won! We won!" (Hosseini 66). This event was significant for Amir because it temporarily bridged the gap between him and Baba and helped him earn the respect he had so badly wanted. -
Ali and Hassan leave Baba
After Amir framed Hassan for stealing his watch, Ali told Baba, "We are leaving, Agha sahib...we can't live here anymore" (Hosseini 106). This event marked the end of a chapter in Amir's life and the beginning of a new one. After Hassan and Ali left, the relationship between Amir and Baba steadily grew worse and worse. -
First Soviet troops arrive in Kabul
On December 27th, 1979, "The first soviet troops parachuted into Kabul... in response to a plea for help" (New York Times 2). -
Amir and Baba leave Kabul
Amir and Baba had "left Kabul just after two in the morning" and had been smuggled out in an old Russian truck. Durring this sign, Baba's true strength is revealed, and also Amir's true fear of not pleasing his father. The traumatizig events that Amir and Baba must go through in order to leave Afghanistan show their most, good and bad, inner personalities. -
Amir and Baba arrive in the US
After traveling to Peshawar then flying to to San Francisco, Amir and Baba were finally in the Us. Unfortunately, Baba had a hard time adapting because, he "loved the idea of America. It was living in America that gave him an ulcer" (Hosseini 125). -
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4.3 Million Afgans flee Afghanistan
In 1982, 4.3 million Afghans flee to Iran and Pakistan to escape the war. (PBS KQED) -
Amir graduates from highschool
After Amir had walked accross the stage and recieved his diploma, his father told him, "I am moftakhir, Amir", proud (Hosseini 131). One of Amir's biggest challenges had always been pleasing his Baba, so hearing these words meant alot to him. The fact that Baba told Amir that he was proud made all of the hard work Amir had put in worth it. -
Amir meets Soraya for the first time
When Amir first meet Soraya, he though that she was, "a slim-hipped beauty with velety coal black hair" who he could not take his eyes off of (Hosseini 140). This event sparks the begginning of Amir's obsession over Soraya, that will eventually lead to marriage. -
Baba is diagnosed with cancer
After the doctors tell Baba that he has "Oat Cell Carcinoma", he decides that he does not want to undergo chemo but will spend his last days chemical free. Amir is crushed and begins to imagine a world without his father. This is around the time that Amir realises hoe much of his reputation and connections are based on his father. -
Amir and Soraya get married
Baba asked Soraya's father if Amir could have her hand in marriage, and Soraya's father agreed. At Amir and Soraya's wedding, Baba smiled and said to Amir, "It's the happiest day of my life" (Hosseini 166). This even marks a new chapter in Amir, and Soraya's, life. -
Baba passes away
When Amir and Soraya spoke to Baba for the last time, they asked if he wanted morphine, but he replied, "Not tonight,,, there is no pain tonight" (Hosseini 173). This simple sentence demonstrates Baba's amazign strenth and determination. He wanted to die without all of the medicine and had had the will to tell Amir and Soraya that he didn't need it. -
Amir and Soraya enroll in college
Despite disaproval from both of their fathers, Amir studied English and Soraya "enrolled, to her father's chagrin, in the teaching track" (Hosseini 181). This act shows that now that Soraya and Amir are married, they are much more independent and willing to follow their passions and not their parent's wills. They are much happier being able to persure what they love and this makes them more detirmined to succeed. -
Al-Qaida is formed
In September of '88, "Osama bin Laden and 15 other Islamists form the group al-Qaida", which was created to continue their "holy war" against the Soviets. (PBS KQED) -
Amir publishes his first novel
After a more than six month process, Amir's agent called and told him that he "was going to be a published novelist" (Hosseini 183). This event was huge for Amri becuase it proved to everyone that had doubted it, that although he may have not become what they had wanted to be, he had accomplished what he had wnated to do, and that was even better. -
Last Soviet troops leave Afghanistan
After the United Nations held many peace talks, "the last soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989", leaving behind a corrupt leader-less country. -
Amir and Soraya discover that they are infertil
After Amir and Soraya undergo a series of tests to figure out why they cannot have a child, they find out that they have "unexplained infertility". (Hosseini 185). This event causes Amir to wonder if he is being punished for what he had done wrong in his life, which brings him both guilt and relief. It also reveals how big Afganis are on ancestry and family, becuase Soraya's father tells her that adoption is not at all an option. -
Taliban recieves support from Pakistans
The Taliban's neighbors, the Pakistani, "began funneling arms, money, and supplies to Mullah Omar's men" (New York Times). -
Taliban takes control of Afghanistan
The Taliban, an "extreme Islamic group...seized control in 1996 after years of civil war" (New York Times 1). -
Osama bin Laden arrives in Afghanistsn
After the Taliban had control of Afghanistan, they "provided a haven for Mr. bin Laden, who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996" (NYTimes). -
Amir goes to Pakistan to visit Rahim Khan
Rahim called Amir to ask him to visit him and before Amir hung up, Rahim Khan added, "Come. There is a way to be good again" (Hosseini 192). This event is extremely important to Amir's life because it reminds him of his past sins and gives him a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to atone for them. -
Amir and Sohrab return to the US
"We arrived home about seven months ago, on a warm day in August 2001" (Hosseini 357). When Sorhab meets Soraya and moves into his new house, he avoids talking to either Amir or Soraya and effectively shuts them out. The first time Soraya meet Sorhab, she knelt down and told him that she had been waiting for him, he, "shifted on his feet and looked away" (Hosseini 358). -
Attack on World Trade Center
On September 11th, 2001, Osama bin Laden led an "attack on on the World Trade Center in New York" (New York 3). -
Obama plans to deploy more troops
President Obama announced in a speech at West Point that he would "deploy 30,00 additional troops" to Afghanistan. (New York Times).