Author: Khaled Hosseini  
Publisher: Riverhead Trade
Year: 2004
Price: About $14.95

Even though this coming of age novel by Khaled Hosseini was released a few years back, its great success and powerful story turned this into a classic.  It just got the Hollywood treatment and hit some theaters under “limited release” on December 14.  Book-to-big screen movies are always iffy, you might want to read this book before seeing the movie. 
You will laugh, you will be angry, and you will cry- a lot.
Reading this book is a true emotional roller coaster.  Once you start reading you will not want to stop. 
The Kite Runner follows the story of Amir and Hassan, the son of Amir's father's servant. As children in Afghanistan the boys are inseparable. They spend idyllic days running kites and telling stories of mystical places and powerful warriors until an unspeakable event changes the nature of their relationship forever, and eventually cements their bond in ways neither boy could have ever predicted. Even after Amir and his father flee to America, Amir remains haunted by his cowardly actions and disloyalty. In part, it is these demons and the sometimes impossible quest for forgiveness that bring him back to his war-torn native land after it comes under Taliban rule.