The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner - Amir and Hassan grew up together in Kabul, Afghanistan. Amir, 1 year older, was the son of a wealthy man, Hassan, the son of the servant. Although Amir spent most of his time with Hassan, he never really treated him as a full friend, leaving him out when other friends came to play. Amir was not an athlete. In fact he was a coward. When he was threatened by others, it was Hassan who fought for him. The two things Amir could do were write fiction and kite fighting. Hassan was probably the greatest kite runner. After a kite fighting tournament Amir and Hassan entered, Hassan got into trouble and needed Amir’s help. Amir failed him and this changed the rest of their lives.

With the background of the Afghanistan wars of the last 30 years, this story is a poignant and gripping. It will also make you think about how you treat your friends and relationships and what your actions now will have later.