What do the words friendship, family, and love mean to you? After reading The Kite Runner, you may have to redefine those words for yourself.

The Kite Runner is a story about Amir, who we first meet as a man, a writer in his late thirties living in San Francisco. He receives a call from a friend of the family who ends the conversation with a cryptic message, in reference to something that happened in Amir's childhood: "There is a way to be good again."

Immediately we are thrown into the life of Amir as a boy living in Afghanistan. The year is 1975 and Amir is twelve years old. His father, Baba, is not only wealthy, but is held in high regard by everyone in the city of Kabul. Holding such a high standing in society, Baba has high hopes when it comes to his son. Amir spends the rest of his life trying to appease his father's wishes but always feels that he falls short of his expectations.

Amir leads a privileged life and he spends his childhood with Hassan, the son of the family servant who is also his best friend. Together, they spend their days climbing trees to spy on neighbors, reading and listening to stories on a hill behind the house, and running kites. A kite runner is someone who chases down kites that have been cut from their strings in kite-fighting tournaments held during the winter. The entire town would gather to watch the skies as boys battle one other to be the last person standing. Winning a tournament brought honor not only to the boy but his family as well.

One night, Amir learns about Hassan's people, the Hazaras, and in doing so, he also discovers a part of the history of his own people, the Pashtuns, not taught in school. He discovers: