“No”. This one word often refers to the freedom that Afghan women have enjoyed since 1978. Before reading this book in a country where a woman almost became president, I knew that women's rights were an issue in other countries. However, I never really understood it like I do now after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. The author, Khaled Hosseini, was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and lives in California; I most certainly saw this misunderstanding and wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns to give us a glimpse into the life of a woman in a third world country. Having earned his doctorate in medicine and physics, you can rest assured that Hosseini is a very brilliant man. Fittingly, Khaled Hosseini also offers a special perspective as a native of Afghanistan and, importantly, as a refugee goodwill envoy for the United Nations. He also created the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a non-profit organization aimed at helping Afghans. Khaled Hosseini has high family values: “It’s my father I can’t leave,” Laila said. "I'm all he has left. His heart couldn't take it either." Tariq knew it. He knew that she could no more erase the obligations of his life than he could. (2.25.50-51)” illustrates the importance of family and that is all they have in Afghanistan, each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay Our novel opens with our protagonist lacking a suitable family, having been born as an illegitimate or harami child; which in English translates to “bastard”. “Mariam was an illegitimate person who would never have a legitimate claim to the things that others had, things like love, family, home, acceptance. (1.1.6)”, it goes without saying that Mariam had a difficult childhood life. We fast forward to the future, where Mariam is married to a vulgar and crude man named Rasheed. The Soviet coup has occurred and Afghanistan is now a place of unrest. Our second protagonist, Laila, bursts onto the scene in the role of a little schoolgirl from Kabul. She leads an ordinary life until her parents' death, caused by a stray missile from the local warlords' battles. Rasheed finds Laila stranded and takes her as his second wife. He is not a good-hearted man and can sometimes be considered mean. Laila and Mariam end up killing him, as he had an explosion and was going to choke Laila to death. Being in a Taliban state, this would mean execution of both of them; however, Mariam becomes our "team player" and goes to Laila so she can escape Afghanistan. Although Mariam may have left her earthly presence, “Mariam is in Laila’s heart, where she shines with the brilliant radiance of a thousand suns. (4.51.37).” After getting wet eyes after reading this, I would rank this book among some of my favorites. I highly suggest reading this book if you are critical of feminism, as it sheds light on what feminism is all about and why it is much more needed in some parts of the world than others. I would also suggest reading this book if you want to be angry, sad, happy and scared all in one book. Overall, Khaled Hosseini has created a masterpiece that everyone who lives in a protected environment should read.