Set in Afghanistan, The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini, is the story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed by the Soviet invasion of 1979. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption, and it is also about the power of fathers over sons - their love, their sacrifices, their lies.
In Parvana’s Journey, the Taliban still control Afghanistan, but Kabul is in ruins. Parvana’s father has just died, and her mother, sister, and brother could be anywhere in the country. Parvana knows she must find them. Despite her youth, Parvana sets out alone, masquerading as a boy. She soon meets other children who are victims of war – an infant boy in a bombed-out village, a nine-year-old girl who thinks she has magic powers over landmines, and a boy with one leg. The children travel together, forging a kind of family out of sheer need. The strength of their bond makes it possible to survive the most desperate conditions.
Saratoga Reads events celebrating The Kite Runner included an Afghan kite-making workshop, staged readings, a taped interview with the author, and a Novel and Naan potluck and discussion group sponsored by local book clubs and the Friends of the Saratoga Springs Public Library.
An artist creates a henna tattoo at a family event celebrating Afghan culture on Skidmore College's Case Green. Photo by Emma Dodge Hanson.
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A kite-making workshop on Skidmore College's Case Green. Photo by Emma Dodge Hanson.
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Saratoga Springs Mayor Michael Lenz presents a proclamation honoring Saratoga Reads to Elliott Masie, Marie Glotzbach and Phyllis Roth. Photo by Phil Haggerty.
