I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner. This is another incredible book written by this incredibly gifted author. Hosseini weaves rather complex story lines but does so with piercing clarity and realism.

I probably didn't care for this book quite as much as The Kite Runner though it is a more complex story, providing even greater insight to Afghan life and culture of the past thirty or so years.

I suppose that, somehow, reading these books should cause me to walk away with a more clear view of the war on terrorism and the Iraq War. Hosseini does not "preach" anything in that regard so I am not sure exactly how his books alter my feelings about the war. But he does give q clear view that things have been difficult for years and years in his homeland ... but yet A Thousand Splendid Suns ends with optimism and hope from this point going forward.

Did I mention that I wish I could write a thousandth as good as this guy? (Or should that be "well"?) I should have. That would be incredible.

Here's a quote from near the end of his most recent book:

"...every Afghan story is marked by death and loss and unimaginable grief. And yet, she sees, people find a way to survive, to go on."

Keep writing, Khaled. Your books are bringing increased understanding and, with that, I am convinced, comes a better chance for peace.