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Hassan's 10th Birthday - Harelip Surgery
Hassan thought the surgery as an "unusual present," but Baba told him that it was "'probably not what [he] had in mind, but this present will last [him] forever.'" (Hosseini 46). -
Kite Tournament in Kabul
In 1975, "the [kite] tournament was going to be held in [Amir's] neighborhood, Wazir Akbar Khan... Word had it this was going to be the biggest tournament in twenty-five years."(Hosseini 55) -
Pomegranate Scene
After incident from the kite tournament Amir grew angry of guilt leading him to hurl "the pomegranate at [Hassan]. It struck him in the chest, exploded in a spray of red pulp"(Hosseini 92). -
Amir's 13th Birthday
For Amir's birthday, on the invitation list, Amir could "not recogniz[e] at least three-quarters of the four hundred-plus Kakas and Khalas who were going to bring [him] gifts and congratulate [him] for having lived to thirteen" (Hosseini 94) -
Ali and Hassan Leave
Ali tells Baba, "'Life here is impossible for us now, Agha sahib. [Hassan and I]'re leaving.'... Ali glanced [at Amir] and in his cold, unforgiving look, [Amir] saw that Hassan had told him. He had told him everything, about what Assef and his friends had done to him, about the kite, and [Amir]"(Hosseini 106). -
First Soviet Troops in Kabul
The Soviet "troops came in response to a plea for help from a legitimacy constituted Karmal Government". Others thought it "as a pretext to replace Hafizullah Amin, the Afghan leader, who had lost their trust" (New York Times). -
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Soviet Invasion in Afghanistan
Soviet troops entered Kabul to assist Afghan Communist Leadership -
Amir and Baba flee from Kabul
Amir and Baba had to leave their home because of unpractical living conditions, people "couldn't trust anyone in Kabul anymore". There would be "Russian soldiers patrolling the sidewalks,... tanks rolling up and down the streets of [Amir's] city,... [and] Russian Army Personnel Carriers weaving through the bazaars"(Hosseini 113). -
Amir and Baba are in California
After Amir and Baba left Afghanistan, they went to Fremont, California and "the Bay Area's smog stung [Baba's] eyes, the traffic noise gave him headaches, and the pollen made him cough"(Hosseini 127). -
Amir Graduates High School
Amir "graduated from high school at the age of twenty, by far the oldest senior tossing him mortarboard on the football field that day"(Hosseini 131). -
Amir and Baba start participating in the flea market
To fill their weekends, Amir and Baba "stopped at garage sales and bought knickknacks that people no longer wanted.... Then early Sunday mornings, [they] drove to the San Jose flea market off Berryessa, rented a spot, and sold the junk for a small profit... By that summer, Afghan families were working an entire section of the San Jose flea market"(Hosseini 137). -
Rahim Khan finds Hassan in Hazarajat
Rahim Khan wanted to find Hassan becuase he "was lonely..., most of [his] friends and relatives had either been killed or had escaped [Kabul]... And with [his] arthritis, it was getting harder for [him] to maintain the house" (Hosseini 204). -
Soviet Troops Leave Afghanistan
In 1989, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan... [and] left behind a country that was not only devastated by the war but that had become a beacon to Islamic extremists" (New York Times). -
Sohrab is born
In the winter of 1990, "Sanaubar... delivered Hassan's son.... She stood beaming under a dull gray sky, tears streaming down her cheeks,... and clutching that baby in her arms like she never wanted to let go. Not this time.... They named him Sohrab" (Hosseini 211). -
Power Anarchically Divided
After the Soviet troops left, "power was anarchically divided among competing warlords and individual fiefdom. But one group would eventually gain control" (New York Times). That group was the Taliban -
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Taliban Takeover
The movement started to try to, "[purify] the country... domina[ted by the] ethnic group, the Pashtun" (New York Times). -
Amir and Sohrab arrive in America
When Amir brought Sohrab to America, "Soraya picked [them] up at the airport. [Amir] had never been away from Soraya for so long, and when she locked arms around [his] neck,... [Amir] realized how much [he] had missed her" (Hoseini 357). -
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Post 9/11 Invasion
After 9/11, the Taliban refused to hand over Bin Laden, causing the United States to join "forces with rebel groups... notably the Northern Alliance, [which] drove the Taliban out of major Afghan cities by the end of the year" (New York Times). -
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US military involvement in Afghanistan
American military has started there because of the 9/11 attack -
Rahim Khan's call
In America, Amir's "friend Rahim Khan called from Pakistan. He asked me to come see him... I knew it wasn't just Rahim Khan on the line. It was my past of unatoned sins"(Hosseini 1). -
Amir goes to Pakistan
Shortly after Rahim Khan's call, Amir "sat on a window seat aboard a Pakistan International Airlines flight, watching a pair of uniformed airline workers remove the wheel chocks" (Hosseini 194). -
The Start of America's Association with Afghanistan
America started the invasion "after the Sept. 11 attacks by Al Qaeda" (New York Times). -
Amir sees Sohrab smile
After Amir cut other kite, he "looked down at Sohrab. One corner of his mouth had curled up just so. A smile. Lopsided. Hardly there. But there" (Hosseini 371). -
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Obama's War
President Obama wanted to send troops to Afghanistan in order to fight "the Taliban [enough] that significant withdrawals would be under way by [2014]" (New York Times). -
America's Original End of the Invasion
There were "initial plans for American combat forces to begin withdrawing from Afghanistan in the summer of 2011, Obama increasingly emphasized the idea... until at least the end of 2014" (New York Times).
