1. Khaled Hosseini

2. Farah Ahmedi with Tamin Ansary

3. Literary Elements  Review Historical Context Set in the 1970’s before the civil war and before the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan  Review Compare and Contrast How might these stories be alike/different?

4. The Author (Khaled Hossieni)  Born in Afghanistan in 1965  Father was a diplomat assigned to the embassy in Paris  Family returned to the country in 1979, but it had drastically changed due to the Soviet invasion  Family received political asylum to the US and moved to California

5. Khaled Hosseini  Medical doctor as well as a writer  Wanted to make sure his Afghanistan heritage would never be forgotten

6. The Author (Farah Ahmedi)  Lost her leg when she stepped on a land mine at age 7  Due to civil unrest in Afghanistan, lost her father, sisters, and home by age 14  Writes of her past to help others  Focuses on a positive outlook

7. Kite Fighting  National pastime  2 man team  Very intricate designs of the wire  Kite runners chased the released kites  Great honor in catching a kite

8. Escape  Desperate to escape the Taliban regime in Afghanistan, the author and her mother journey across the border to Pakistan

9. Afghanistan

10. Vocabulary  Coveted – very much desired  Abhor – strongly hate  Integrity – honesty or trustworthiness  Gorges – deep valleys with steep sides  Clamor – loud uproar  Chide – to scold mildly

11. Assignment  Create a chart like the one below. Compare and contrast the characters Amir and Farah Ahmedi while you read. This chart is due tomorrow. AmirFarah Ahmedi Background Relationships Culture Present Circumstances