" Every street of Kabul is enthralling to the eyeThrough the bazaars, caravans of Egypt passOne could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofsAnd the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls"
-Josephine Davis translation of the poem "Kabul", by the 17th-century Iranian poet Saib-e-Tabrizi:
This book was beautiful. I cried while I read it. For some reason I love reading novels written by people of other nationalities. I love reading about their past struggles and how they overcame it above all odds. I have always enjoyed learning about different countries. So far, my favorite is Egypt (I was an Egytian in my past life! Every Sunday on the history channel from noon- midnight they have an Egytian History special :D). But Afghanistan is surely my 2nd favorite! Learning about other countries and their histories helps us realize that there are other places out there besides the US, and one day I will get a chance to explore it! There are so many different unique cultures, and traditions. Learning about other nations' histories can helps us be more grateful for the lives we are able to live. To be honest, in my opinion, things never really change in the US. Sure, cities grow and business moguls get richer while there is a growing middle class. We go into debt, then come out of it. We go to war, soldiers return. But its just a cycle. One that repeats and repeat itself. Think about it, war, then more jobs, then debt, then when we get back into war, we get out of debt. We complain about prices going up. Heck, I complain about gas prices and I dont even have a car, and I complain about how terrible it is that when I get out of college I'll have a very hard time finding a job. But compared to what has gone on in other countires. War in their towns. Bombs going off and destroying neighbors houses. Living in fear that your house might be the next one to get bombed. We have nothing to be complaing about. Over in Afghanistan, the 1950s was their modern time. There were businesses, women were allowed to work anad wear their hair out and wear make-up, too. There were even women in Parliament! This was thier Golden Period. Women were doctors, professors, lawyers, writers and judges, they were encouraged to become economically active! People were allowed to own televisions and read! Then during the Taliban rule, they lost that freedom. Women had to cover their faces, and be accompanied with a male relative if they went outside. Only men were allowed to work. Women were forced to stay at home. TVs and books, and cinemas were all destroyed.
Today, things are going back to how they were in the 1950s. But just imagine how that must have felt back then. To have something you've always wanted and earned, taken away from you. Thousands of women had to suffer. Thousands. And we have the nerve to complain. Well I shouldnt say, 'we', because I dont know what you all do, but I cant believe how I had the nerve to complain about my life, and I never had to go through any of that. Ever since I read A Thousand Splendid Suns, I have become fullly aware of how ungrateful I have been. I hope you will pick up this book and read it. It is four hundred and forty- three pages, that covers thirty-three years of Afghanistans past. It's filled with triumph and joy, heartbreak and destruction, sorrow and love, and even happiness in the darkest moments.
Khaled Hosseini is now one of my favorite authors, and has inspired me to be grateful for what I am now able to call, a happy childhood.