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Baba Is Born, Ali Is Brought Into the Family
After two young and wealthy brothers from Kabul killed a Hazara couple, leaving their child an orphan, Amir's "grandfather adopted him into his own household and told the other servants to tutor him, but to be kind. That boy was Ali" (Hosseini 25). Ali's introduction to Baba at such a young age is why Baba grew to have a respect and love for Hazaras unlike much of the Pashtuns in Afghanistan. -
Sanaubar Elopes
Right after Hassan was born, Sanuabar "eloped with a band of singers and dancers" (Hosseini 210), leaving Hassan essentially motherless. Amir and Hassan could connect because they both had their mother's missing from their lives. -
Baba Builds an Orphanage
Baba was a wealthy man, but a very generous one. When Amir was five he "decided to build an orphanage" (Hosseini 13). This shows Baba's generosity and his humbleness is why he is well respected by the Afghan community. Baba's popularity intimidates Amir because he believes he will never be as successful or noble as Baba. -
Amir Creates His Own Story
As a kid, Amir liked to play cruel jokes on Hassan because he was illiterate. One day he decided to make up a story as he flipped through a book, pretending to read. After he finished, Hassan excitedly said, "That was the best story you've read me in a long time" (Hossieni 30). Amir is fascinated by this and begins to start writing stories. H eventually becomes an author when he grows up. -
Amir's First Story
Amir wrote his first story that night, and proud of himself went to present it to Baba. Baba responded with a disinterested, "Well, that's very good isn't it" (Hossieni 31), crushing Amir's attempt to make him proud. However, Rahim Khan gladly took the story and inspired Amir to keep up his passion. -
First Gunshots Are Fired
As Amir awoke Hassan to read him his story, "something roared like thunder" and "the earth shook a little" (Hosseini 35). Amir and Hassan were terrified by the gunshots as they ran to the protective arms of Ali. The gunshots marked the last night or peace in Kabul. -
Hassan's Harelip Surgery
When Amir goes back to Afghanistan and visits Rahim Khan he reflects back on that day to the hospital room after the surgery, and realized "everyone in that room was either dead or dying" (Hosseini 219). Amir was still a young adult and all the people he had ever been close with in Afghanistan were gone forever. -
Hassan Gets Raped
In the winter of 1975, the fateful winter in which Amir's life changed forever, he witnessed Hassan get beat up and raped. As he watched cowardly from behind the alley he saw Hassan's face set in "resignation" as he let himself be raped to protect Amir's kite. This event is what most of the book reflects back to, and what Amir reminds himself of every day if his life. -
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Kite Runner & the History of Afghanistan
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Amir Suggests Firing Ali and Hassan
Amir feels terrible about abandoning Hassan and hates that he has to see him every day. One day while in the garden he suggests, "Baba, have you ever thought about getting new servants?" (Hosseini 89). Baba is of course angered by this because he hss been with Ali since birth, and we later learn Hassan is also his son. -
"Afghanistan's Next To Last Summer of Peace"
Amir reflects on one of the last memories of peaceful Afghanistan, his thirteenth birthday. Amir has a memory from that night that, "Hassan serving drinks to Assef and Wali from a silver platter" (Hosseini 100). Amir was surprised at respected Hassan for his ability to politely serve his guests even after what they had done to him. -
Soviet Union invades the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan
"The turmoil and extremism that have dominated its history" since 1979 when the Soviet Union invaded (NYT 3). -
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Soviet Union Occupation of Afghanistan
"Soviet troops stayed in the country for more than nine years, fighting a conflict that cost them roughly 15,000 lives and undisclosed billions of rubles, while undermining the cherished image of an invincible Soviet Army" and left Afghanistan a damaged state (NYT 2) -
Soviet Troops Parachute into Kabul
While the Soviet Union claims they sent troops in to "assist Babrak Karmal" the new president, while analysts believe that they "engineered the coup as a pretext to replace Hafizullah Amin; the Afghan leader, who had lost their trust" (NYT 3). -
Amir and Baba Leave Afghanistan
Baba decides to flee Afghanistan under the Soviet rule. Baba and Amir had "left the house where [Amir] had lived his entire life" in the dead of night, not letting anyone know for the safety of their lives. They were fleeing over the border to Pakistan with the final destination to be America. -
Rahim Khan Seeks Out Hassan
Rahim Khan traveled to "Hazarajat to find Hassan" becasuse he was "lonely" (Hosseini 203). Most of his "friends and relatives had either been killed or had escaped the country" and he was living alone in Baba's mansion (Hosseini 203). His decision to find Hassan allowed for Hassan to live a loner fuller life, and have a son who would eventually find peace in America. -
Last Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
The Soviet Union "left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists" who eventually took control of the country (NYT 2). -
American Antiaircraft Defense System
"[T]he Soviet Air Force was also rendered largely useless by advanced Stinger antiaircraft missiles supplied by the United States to the rebels" who were uncooperative with the Afghan government (NYT 2) -
Sanaubar Returns
Sanaubar returned to be lovingly taken in by Hassan and Rahim Khan after many long years away. Hassan told her she "was home now... with her family" (Hosseini 210), and she lived the rest of her life there. She was able to reconnect with Hassan and bring joy to Sohrab's life. -
Farzana Becomes Pregnant Again
Rahim Khan tells of how Hassan's first baby had been still born so it was a relief when "Faranza became pregnant again" (Hosseini 209). Hassan's son is why Amir traveled back to Afghanistan and atone for his sins. -
The Origins of the Taliban
Mullah Omar, a Pashtun who "gathered a small band of men and attacked a group of warlords who had raped a girl and shaved her head" and promised "the centrality of Islam to daily life" (NYT 2). Mullah Omar's following had grown to almost 12,000 followers by the end of 1994. -
Pakistan's Intervention
"Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men, as well as military advisers to help guide them in battle" (NYT 3), fueling the rise of the Taliban. -
Afghanistan: A Nation Divided
The Soviet Union left the nation with "power... anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdoms (NYT 2). This unstable power dynamic is what allowed for the Taliban to gain control. -
Taliban Control (Extremist State)
The Taliban "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" (NYT 3), destroying Afghan society. -
Osama bin Laden Arrives in Afghanistan
The Taliban catered to bin Laden who "arrived by chartered jet at Jalalabad Airport" who came with intent of strengthening Al Qaeda (NYT 3). -
Taliban Destroy 800-year-old Buddha Statues at Bamiyan
"Al Qaeda helped persuade Mullah Omar to order the destruction" of the statues, "an act condemned around the world", demonstrating the power Al Qaeda had over the Taliban (NYT 3). -
Taliban Driven Out of Major Afghan Cities
The United States along with the rebel groups opposed to Taliban rule led a successful "air and ground campaign... that drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (2001) (NYT 3). -
Amir Arrives Back Home With Sohrab
After long, frustrating and scary months, Amir was finally able to adopt Sohrab and bring him back to America. When he got back he was glad to see Soraya and "smelled the apples in her hair" and "realized how much [he] missed her" (Hosseini 357). Sohrab was so important to Amir that he left his wife for two years as he lived in war torn countries across the world. -
Hamid Karzai Named Chairman of Interim Government
"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" and leader of a damaged country (NYT 3). -
Twin Towers Terrorist Attack
After Al Qaeda refused to surrender bin Laden, "the United States joined forces with the rebel groups that had never accepted Taliban rule" (NYT 3). -
Sohrab Smiles
After Amir journeys back to Afghanistan, braves the Assef, and fights for Sohrab's adoption, he finally get Sohrab to America. Sohrab goes mute for a year, showing no emotion, until one day they go kite flying at a park in Fremont. As Amir flew his kite he turned to see Sohrab, "one corner of his mouth ha curled up just so... a smile" (Hosseini 370). Amir's quest was to atone and in order for him to truly atone he wanted to make Sohrab happy. Sohrab's smile had given his life's nightmare a rest. -
Hamid Karzai Takes Office
Hamid Karzai "took office as interim president... saying he hoped to secure peace for Afghanistan and win the country much-needed international aid" (NYT 3). -
Hamid Karzai Elected to Five Year Term
Hamid Karzai "was elected to a five-year term as president in 2004" (NYT 3). -
General Petraeus Takes Command of the United States Central Command
General Pretraeus was given the "responsibility for military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and across the region" (NYT 4). -
Obama Announces Plan to Deploy 30,000 More Troops
President Obama announced his plan to deploy 30,000 more troops in Afghanistan on "December 1, 2009, at West Point" (NYT 4). -
President Obama Removes General McChrystal From Afghanistan
General McChrystal was remove "after contemptuous quotes from [himself] and his staff about senior administration officials appeared in an article in Rolling Stone magazine" (NYT 4). -
American Troops Out of Afghanistan
The Obama administration announced its plan "that the United States will have forces in the country until at least the end of 2014" (NYT 4).