The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Set against the backdrop of a deteriorating Afghanistan, The Kite Runner is the fictional story of a boy named Amir and his relationships with his hard to please father and his eager to please servant. Amir is a selfish little kid and he does some horrible things in this book to gain his father's affection. But as an adult he eventually finds himself on a path towards redemption.

This is a heartbreaking story but also an educational one. It shows the downfall of Afghanistan and it's people during the Soviet war in the 70s and the Taliban rule up til 2001. As time goes on, the characters that begin this book happy and free-spirited all suffer in one way or another as the country they love crumbles around them. For most of us Americans who never gave Afghanistan much thought before 9/11, it is interesting yet tragic to read about it as it devolves into the devastated country we forcibly invaded a few years ago.

Beyond the historical level, though, this is mainly a story about character and history on a personal level. About dealing with your own past and the person that you grow up to be.