-
Baba was born and Zahir Shah began ruling Afghanistan
The same year that Baba was born, "Zahir Shah began his forty-year reign of Afghanistan" (Hosseini 24). This was also the same year that Ali was brought to Amir's grandparent's care and came to know their family. Baba and Ali first crossed paths and became good friends all throughout childhood. -
Amir was born
Amir was born a year before Hassan and his "mother died giving birth" leaving Amir in the care of Baba (Hosseini 6). The main character of the story is born and for a year, Amir is the only child of Baba. For one year only is Amir the only family Baba has. -
Hassan was born
Only one year after Amir's birth, "Hassan was born in the winter of 1964" (Hosseini 6). It's been a year after Baba's wife died and nine months since Hassan was concieved. This is the time of year that Amir's little brother was born, -
Baba builds an orphanage
When Amir "was five or six, Baba decided to build an orphanage" (Hosseini 13). Three years later, it was finished and Baba gained respect from the othe Afghans. This is where he starts to gain reputation and Baba starts to get used to the respect and trust placed in him. -
Amir, Hassan, and Ali hear shots at night
Conflict has started in Afghanistan and "they had frightened [Amir, Hassan, and Ali] badly, because none of us had ever heard gunshots in the streets" (Hosseini 36). This is when Amir first gets a taste of his furture and the futre of Afghanistan. Hassan will have to live in this warring country and will die because of the conflicts that arise from the war and the battles that will rage in his country with the Soviet Union and the Taliban later in life. -
Kite competition and Hassan's rape
Hassan was on the top of the world on the beginning of that day and "he held the kite high over his head, like an Olumpic athlete showing his gold medal" (Hosseini 62). When Hassan went to run the last kite, Assef cornered Hassan and raped him. Amir speculated that Hassan was "the lamb [he] had to saly, to win Baba" (Hosseini 77). Amir sacrificed Hassan's mental stability for acceptance from his father. -
Amir celebrates his 13th birthday party
Amir had become of age at thirteen and baba threw him a huge party which Amir judged as "a huge success" (Hosseini 94). Amir acumulated a huge amount of presents, most of which he didn't want to keep. Despite the fact that he didn't want to keep them, he didn't give any to Hassan. -
Hassan and Ali move away
Amir didn't want Hassan around because he remeinded Amir of his cowarice, so he tried to get him to go away by framing Hassan with theivery. When Baba asked if Hassan had really stolen the money and Hassan replies that he did, Amir realized that "he was rescuing me once again, maybe for the last time" (Hosseini 105). This is the last time that Amir will ever see Hassan and the last time that he could say he's sorry. But Amir lets him go. -
Afghanistan flourished
Up to before the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan, "Afghanistan was a stable, relatively prosperous and relatively secular country" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Period: to
Soviet Union invades Afghanistan
Afghanistan was a prospering, stable country until "the first Soviet troops parachuted into Kabul on Dec. 27, 1979" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). After 10 years of war, "the last Soviet troops left Afghanistan in February 1989" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Amir and Baba begin to move out of Afghanistan
Baba finds a way to get smuggled out of Afghanistan when the Russians invade to help ensure Amir's safety. Amir was still young and didn't fully understand or comprehend the events transpiring around him. Amir thinks, "What was I doing on this road in the middle of the night" (Hosseini 113). Baba wanted to get Amir to safelty because he loves Amir and wants to protect him despite their differences. -
Amir graduates from high school
Amir finally finished high school, "at the age of twenty, y far the oldest senior" (Hosseini 131). Amir had to graduate later because his education has holes in it when he moved to America and had to be smuggled from Afghanistan to Pakistan. This also one of the few times that Baba was prou of Amir. So proud, in fact, that Baba gave Amir a car to use and took him to nice places for dinner. -
Amir first meets Soraya
On this Sunday morning, Amir is introduced by Baba to General Sahib, Soraya's father. AMir instantly became infatuated in his "Swap Meet Princess" (Hosseini 142). Amir meets his future wife there and despite her shady past and repuation, Amir still feels attracted to her. -
Amir and Soraya get married
Amir and Soraya get married after Baba goes to ask General Taheri. The preparations are rushed and the wedding comes quick. But the rush had a good reason; "Baba didn't have months to live" (Hosseini 169). It isn't long after that Amir and Soraya find out that they're infertile and could never have children of their own. Nothing they do or try can help, so Amir and Soraya start to live more subdued lives after the news without children. -
Baba dies
About a year before, Baba was diagnosed with cancer, and it couldn't be cured. He was slowly deteriorating by the time he died. Amir has trouble dealing with the death of Baba because Baba is the only family he ever knew. Amir felt lost for the first time in his life now that "Baba couldn't show [Amir] the way anymore" (Hosseini 174). -
Sohrab is born
After giving birth to a stillborn daughter, "Farzana became pregnant again" (Hosseini 209). Sohrab was born and Sanaubar also came back to see her son. Hassan finally recieved the happy family he deserved and reunited with his mother. -
Pakistan starts funding Taliban
With the Taliban's growing popularity and power, "Pakistani intelligence officers began funneling arms, money and supplies to Mullah Omar's men" ("Afghanistan - An Overview") -
Taliban gains almost 12,000 followers
The Taliban has grown from a student organization, to a powerful and "genuinely popular movement in a country weary of corruption and brutality" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Power in Afghanistan was anarchically divided
Soviet forces left five years previous, but thequestion on who should lead the country hung in the air. "[B]y the summer of 1994, power was anarchically divided" and Afghanistan was broken into pieces each ruled by a warlord or a fiefdom ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Period: to
Taliban controls Afghanistan
In 1994, Pakistan started funding the Taliban, leading to the Taliban "tak[ing] control of Afghanistan [and] imposing strict enforcement of fundamentalist Islamic law" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). After that, America intervened, causing the defeat of the Taliban's power in 2001. -
Amir goes to see Rahim Khan
After recieving a call from Rahim Khan, Amir decides to fo to Pakistan alone to see Rahim Khan before he dies. By the time Amir gets there, Rahim Khan is sickly and he "didn't remember the notebook" that Amir got from him (Hosseini 198). Rahim Khan didn't remmeber that far back, but he remembered the story of Hassan, and told Amir what happened to him from the reunion of Rahim Khan and Hassan to Hassan's death. Amir then learns that Hassan is his little brother and then agrees to fin Sohrab. -
Attack on World Trade Center
bin Laden organized the attack on the World Trade Center, so "President George W. Bush gave the Taliban an ultimatum to hand" bin Laden over ("Afghanistan - An Overview").This ultimately led to the US intervention in Afghanistan and the Taliban. -
Hamid Karzai was names chairman of Afghanistan government
In December, Hamid Karzai "the exiled former king of Afghanistan, was named chairman of an interim government that replaced the defeated Taliban" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). This basically gave Karzai enough power to be the leader of the country. -
Sohrab smiles
When Hassan was still alive, Sohrab learned how to kite run. So when kites took the skies in America, Amir took the chance to entice Sohrab into taking part in an activity. When Amir was trying to cut the other kites, he looked over at Sohrab and "one corner of his mouth had curled up just so" (Hosseini 370). After a year or two of being adopted by Amir, he smiled for the first time again when flying kites. -
General Petraeus took charge of the military operations
General Petraeus took "responsibility for military operations in Iraq. Afghanistan and across the region" ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). -
Obama plans to send more troops to Afghanistan
In a speech, "Obama announced his plan to deply 30,000 additional troops" to Afghanistan ("Afghanistan - An Overview"). He then went on to say that he would bring the troops back home in 2011.