In Search of the Kite Runner (Popular Insights) (Paperback)

~ Judi Slayden Hayes (Author)
Key Phrases: kite fighting, blue kite, finding forgiveness, The Kite Runner, Doing Good, Being Religious (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

In Search of the Kite Runner looks at the basic themes that make The Kite Runner (Riverhead Books, 2003) such a fascinating and thought-provoking story. Written from a Christian perspective, In Search of the Kite Runner begins with the rudiments of Islamic faith and the Islam of Afghanistan. Hayes brings to light the complexities of interpersonal and intrafamily relationships and examines the impact that power, guilt, and the quest for forgiveness and redemption can have on our lives

From the Publisher

Until the events of September 11, 2001, few Americans knew little, if anything, about the cultural, political, and socio- economic state of Afghanistan or the lives of its people. Islam was a strange religion far removed from western civilizations. The Taliban was some fundamentalist group occasionally mentioned on the evening news. After September 11 the world became a little smaller. Americans became acutely aware of how events in the Persian Gulf could directly affect their personal lives. Suddenly Islam became associated with jihad--an Islamic holy war against Westerners and Christians--and Muslims who had been neighbors were being watched with a suspicious eye.

We see a different side of Afghanistan and its people in Khaled Hosseini's best-selling novel The Kite Runner (Riverhead Books, 2003). Hosseini shows us an Afghanistan rich in tradition and culture and an Afghanistan torn apart by war and political strife. We also see Muslims who are not so different from Christians or Jews.

In Search of the Kite Runner looks at the basic themes that make The Kite Runner such a fascinating and thought-provoking story and that make it personal for anyone who has ever wished for a chance to do something over. It begins with a look at the rudiments of Islamic faith and the Islam of Afghanistan and how it has given identity throughout history to the Afghan people. The author likens the struggles of The Kite Runner's characters and those of other literary figures to the struggles and stories of biblical patriarchs. She brings to light the complexities of interpersonal and intrafamily relationships and examines the impact that power, guilt, and the quest for forgiveness and redemption can have on our lives. Exploring both the individual and the collective basis for doing good, Hayes probes our perceptions about what it means to be religious and what it means to be human.

Written for Christians, In Search of the Kite Runner provides a basic introduction to Islam, Pashtuns and Hazaras, Sunni and Shia Muslims, as well as the human factors that motivate our actions and define who we are.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Chalice Press (March 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082723029X
• ISBN-13: 978-0827230293
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #323,974 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Followup to the actual novel for discussion groups, November 6, 2009

By	C. Fagan (La Verne,, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was interesting and would have been better if I was involved with a discussion group about the actual novel The Kite Runner, and how the people from Pakistan must have felt when the Taliban came in. I purchased the book thinking it was a follow-up to the novel, and not a tool for discussion, so was not exactly what I was expecting.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kite Runner's Connections to Other Great Literature, December 9, 2007

By	Kate Eliot (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews

Reading Hosseini's Kite Runner inspires both an emotional and spiritual response. Author Judi Hayes explores these reponses in her book by bringing in connections to other great "coming of age" literature. She also provides clear insight into the different paths people take in developing a spiritual nature and how some of these paths are reflected in Hosseini's novel.

1 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Popular insights, August 31, 2007

By	P. A. Kearns "Interior Decorator" (Honolulu, HI USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Not really what I thought it would be, not really needed after reading The Kite Runner unless you're doing a bit of research.