The Kite Runner (by Khaled Hosseini)

Q. Why did you choose this book?
A. I passed it up when it was on the best-seller list because it seemed like a darker story than I wanted to read. In the end, the publicity surrounding the film based on this book aroused my curiosity, and I decided to give it a chance.

Q. Did you like the story?
A. I loved this book!

Q. Were the characters believable?
A. They were believable, and I cared deeply about every single one of them -- the ones I loved despite their flaws and the evil one I hated. I cared about him in the sense that it mattered to me what happened to him.

Q. Did you like the writing style?
A. Khaled Hosseini is a brilliant writer. His vivid imagery made me feel as if I were standing invisibly beside him in Afghanistan and in California, as a child and as an adult. I'd read another book of his (A Thousand Splendid Suns) last year and enjoyed it, but this one was even better.

Q. Did you think about the book when you were doing other things?
A. Constantly. Again, I cared very much about these characters, and it was important to me to know what happened to them.

Q. Was there anything about the book that drove you nuts?
A. Nothing at all.

Q. How did you feel when you finished the book?
A. As if this author had given me a personal gift by writing this incredibly moving book.

Q. Will you keep the book to reread later?
A. You bet.

Q. Any final thoughts about the book?
A. This book took me to a foreign country, immersed me in an uncomfortable culture, introduced me to characters whose names were unfamiliar, then showed me, page by page, the humanity that these people share with the people I see every day. At a time when there's so much unrest in the Middle East, I think it's important for us to recognize how much we do have in common with those who don't look like us or dress like us. Kite Runner makes a significant contribution to society in that regard.