Kite Runner

I just finished reading Kite Runner. Wow. I haven't read something that compelling in a while. Lately, I've just read for entertainment. But I think I've shortchanged myself. I truly love a literary work that is uplifting in a cathartic kind of way, where some thread of nobility or selfless sacrifice surfaces in a flawed character who rises to greatness in the end. Maybe that's why one of my favorite books of all time is A Tale of Two Cities. As for Kite Runner, I had a hard time with the first seventy five pages. Ick. The narrator was a selfish, spoiled, unkind brat - the type of character (and person) for whom I have little patience. I wanted to yell quit whining, start thinking of others and find ways to help them, and then be grateful for what you have you little snot. If I hadn't had the sense that the story was about to change, I would've stopped reading. I'm glad I didn't. And as the story narrator said, it's the ending that matters. This ending was wonderful. However, just so you know, the story is set against the ongoing conflict in Afghanistan and has some really dark, gritty elements that jangled my sensibilities of human decency and respect. Those acts were not glorified in any way, but I abhor violence and cringe at descriptions of the truly evil things some people do. So I skipped a few paragraphs here and there. Most people are good people who make mistakes, but for the most part, live decent lives. Then there are the animals - the depraved sociopaths who use power to subdue, hurt, and destroy others. This story has both, as well as the rarer person with a pure heart who rises above it all.