A Thousand Splendid Suns
By Khaled Hossein
Riverhead Books
Retail Price:  $25.95
Amazon Price: $15.57

Book Description:  Thousand Splendid Suns is a breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afghanistan’s last thirty years—from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to the post-Taliban rebuilding—that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this country in intimate, human terms. It is a tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives—the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness—are inextricable from the history playing out around them.

Propelled by the same storytelling instinct that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once a remarkable chronicle of three decades of Afghan history and a deeply moving account of family and friendship. It is a striking, heart-wrenching novel of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love—a stunning accomplishment

This is a wonderful book about women in Afghanistan under the rule of the Taliban.  As American women, we often take for granted the freedom that we have.  Reading this book was a wake up call for me.  Thought this is fiction, it is well researched and based on the real lifestyle in many Middle Eastern countries.  These women lived a very difficult life under Taliban rule.  The book was very descriptive of the horrible conditions that women were forced to live under and the despicable things that the Taliban did to women and children.  As you read this book, you felt like you were there....yet glad you were safe and sound in your American home.

Though it was difficult to read in spots because you knew it was true, it was worth reading.  I came away feeling grateful I'm an American and wondering what I can do to help women in foreign lands who are forced to live in unspeakable conditions.

~Reviewed by Alice Brasky