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Kite Runner
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The Winter of 1975
At the beginning of the book, Amir states, " “I became what I am today at the age of twelve, on a frigid overcast day in the winter of 1975.” (1) This happened when he left Hassan in the alley with Assef, "In the end, I ran." (77) -
Ali and Hassan leave
Ali leaves Baba's household, "I watched Baba's car pull away from the curb, taking with it the person whose first spoken word had been my name." (109) Amir mentions that this was one of the only times he had seen Baba cry. -
Amir's Birthday
In July of 1976, Amir had an extravagant party thrown for him. There, he witnessed "Hassan serving drinks to Assef and Wali from a silver platter...[then] Assef grinning, kneading Hassan in the chest with a knuckle." (100) At this moment, Amir realizes what he has done to Hassan, regretting the party, "I didn't want any of it-it was blood money; Baba would have never thrown me a party like that if I hadn't won the tournament." (101) -
Afghanistan invasion by Soviet Union
Afghanistan was a stable until "the 1979 invasion by the Soviet Union and the reaction both by Afghans and by their allies in the United States and Pakistan." (NYT) This invasion caused Amir and Baba to leave Afghanistan. -
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History of Afghanistan
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Baba and Amir leave Afghanistan
In Afghanistan, the Soviet Union had invaded. Amir and Baba leave suddenly, “In the morning, Jalauddin – our seventh servant in five years – would probably think we’d gone out for a stroll or a drive.” (112) -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir wanted to get an education, even though he was 20 when he graduated. Upon graduation, Amir says, "That summer of 1983, I graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing his mortarboard on the football field that day." (131) -
Baba discovers he has cancer
When Baba discovers that he has cancer, "'That's a clear answer, Dr. Amani. Thank you for that,' Baba says, 'But no chemo medication for me.'" (156) This takes a massive toll on both Baba and Amir. -
Amir and Soraya get married
Before Baba dies, Amir requests that Baba ''ask General Taheri for his daughter's hand.'' (161) Baba does so, but dies before he can go to the wedding -
Amir publishes his first book
Amir states, "in the summer of 1988...I finished my first novel, a father-son story set in Kabul." (182) This brought in another source of income as he wrote more and more novels. -
Soviet Union withdraws from Afghanistan
The troops that previously invaded Afghanistan "left Afghanistan in February 1989, in what was in effect a unilateral withdrawal." (NYT) -
Sanubar returns to Hassan
In his time caring for Baba's house, Sanubar returns and "He became the center of her existence. She sewed clothes for him, built him toys from scraps of wood, rags, and dried grass. When he caught a fever, she stayed up all night" (211) She also helped to deliver Hassan's baby. -
Afghanistan is divided
The New York Times states, "by the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms." (NYT) -
The Taliban Takeover Afghanistan
The New York Times says, "[b]uoyed by Pakistani aid, the Taliban by 1996 had taken control of Afghanistan, imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law, banning movies and music and forcing women out of schools and into all-enveloping burqa clothing. -
Bin Laden has a safe haven
The Taliban supported Bin Laden and provided a safe haven, "who arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport in May 1996, and for Al Qaeda." (NYT) -
Soraya is adopted by Amir
When Amir wants to adopt Soraya, he says, "I'm not coming home alone. I'm bringing a little boy with me...I want us to adopt him." (325) -
Taliban Defeated by US
After the attack on the trade center, "In December 2001, Hamid Karzai, a supporter and relative of Mohammad Zahir Shah, the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban, making him the leader of the country." (NYT) -
Soraya attempts suicide
Amir says, "Suddenly I was on my knees, screaming. Screaming through my clenched teeth. Screaming until I thought my throat would rip and my chest explode." (343) The cause of the attempt was Amir breaking his promise of Soraya not having to stay in an orphanage. -
Amir gets a phone call from Rahim Kahn
At the beginning of the book, Amir mentions how he received a call from Rahim Kahn. He says, "There is a way to be good again." (2) -
Hassan and his wife are killed
During their time living in Amir's old house, Hassan and his family were eventually found by the Taliban, causing "[them to take] him to the street...and order him to kneel... and shot him in the back of the head...Farzana came screaming and attacked them...shot her too. Self-defense, they claimed later." (219) -
Amir goes and visits Rahim Kahn
Amir receives a phone call where Rahim Kahn says, "There is a way to be good again." (2) and Amir visits him in Pakistan, where he is sent to get Hassan's son from an orphanage. -
9/11 Attack
There was an "attack on the World Trade Center in New York on Sept. 11 2001." -
Bush's Ultimatum
NYT states, "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand over Mr. bin Laden. When it refused, the United States joined forces with rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule, notably the Northern Alliance, which represented minority tribes." (NYT) -
Amir and Soraya are at peace
After Amir finally is able to reach Soraya when he sees, "It was only a smile, nothing more. It didn't make everything all right. It didn't make anything all right. Only a smile. A tiny thing." (371) He finally is able to forgive himself, even after what happened with Hassan -
Additional Troops against Taliban
The public learned, "Mr. Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 additional troops." (NYT) -
Forces Still in Country
New York Times states, "the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014." (NYT)