Quicklet on Khaled Hosseini's A Thousand Splendid Suns

ABOUT THE BOOK

“One could not count the moons that shimmer on her roofs, or the thousand splendid suns that hide behind her walls.”

A Thousand Splendid Suns is a gripping story of two women learning how to survive under the thumb of an abusive husband in Taliban-controlled Afghanistan. Mariam grew up as the illegitimate daughter of a Herat businessman raised by a bitter and depressed single mother. Laila was the beloved daughter of a Kabul man who believed in a world where men and women are equal. When the circumstances of war bring them together under the roof of the cruel Rasheed, their only comfort is in the special bond of sisterhood they form during years cut off from the rest of the world.

Khaled Hosseini weaves a tale of love and survival that begins during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1970s and ends with the American invasion and occupation in the early 2000s. Although ultimately a story of love and friendship, A Thousand Splendid Suns reveals the devastating affects of war on those caught in the middle – particularly women and children.

MEET THE AUTHOR

Lacey Kohlmoos is a writer, traveler and lover of the arts. After graduating from the University of Virginia with a BA in Drama & the Studies of Women and Gender, the only thing she knew for sure was that she wanted to travel. So, she embarked on a 10 ½ month round-the-world trip, then traveled to Costa Rica where she spent one year teaching elementary school English in a small mountain town. Throughout her two years of travels, she's always kept a blog.

EXCERPT FROM THE BOOK

At first, Rasheed treats Mariam well, albeit distantly. But, after she has multiple miscarriages he turns abusive. It becomes clear to Mariam that the only reason Rasheed married her was so that she would bear him sons. When she does not give her husband what he wants, Mariam finds herself trapped in a home with a man who believes that husbands should always keep a good handle on their wives.

Living just down the street from Mariam and Rasheed is a young Kabul beauty – Laila. Though largely ignored by her mother, she is doted upon by her father Hakim who believes that women should be treated as equals to men. But, the reality of living in Soviet-occupied Afghanistan comes crashing down on Laila when her two older brothers are killed while fighting with the Mujaheedan. She finds comfort in Tariq, a slightly older neighborhood boy who protects Laila from bullies and other harm…

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