I recently finished the critically acclaimed novel “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini and understand why the book received so much praise. The story contains vibrant characters and a compelling plot, but for me the most interesting and beneficial aspect of the story was the exposure to a different culture, one where all my previous knowledge originated from news reports of war and violence. Reading about this tiny part of Afghan life helped me realize how little I knew about their customs and beliefs.

Although gripping and entertaining, I would not consider this novel my favorite of all time, but definitely liked it enough to read the follow up book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which I plan to do in the coming months.