*Parental Warning: Chapter 7 includes a disturbing scene (the rape of Hassan) that parents will want to either pre-read or skip altogether. This scene is integral to the novel and has strong historical ties to atrocities the Taliban committed throughout their regime in Afghanistan. The Teacher Guide also contains this warning prior to reading.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country that is in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption; and an exploration of the power of fathers over sons—their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

A sweeping story of family, love, and friendship told against the devastating backdrop of the history of Afghanistan over the last thirty years, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful novel that has become a beloved, one-of-a-kind classic.