My Library’s Book Club Pick Of January 2023

“A Thousand Splendid Suns” By Khaled Hosseini

Have I mentioned how much I love being a part of a book club? It’s wonderful finally going to a place where we can have a conversation about a book. And that book conversation morphs into more meaningful conversations that help you learn about one another.

This year, I want to highlight those books. My local library holds a book club every month. And as a way to show appreciation, I’m writing my thoughts about the books every month. I’m also adding bits we talked about that I never considered when I read.

Let’s get to it! Here is Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Here Is A Disclaimer

I’ll admit, I don’t know much about Islam. I know the basics of the religion and practices. I know very little of Afghanistan and its culture. In advance, I apologize if something I say comes off as disrespectful towards the religion or the country.

What Is The Book About?

I could oversimplify the book and focus on the friendship of two wives. But I see more than that. I see the steady decline of a country from showing freedom to religious oppression.

The book follows the lives of two women married to the same man. Mariam is a harami woman, born out of wedlock. And Laila is an orphaned girl who marries Mariam’s husband for a sense of security. The two women start as potential enemies, but when Laila’s first child is born, Mariam and Laila become close friends.

When this book came out, I avoided it. I tried reading Hosseini’s first book, The Kite Runner, and I hated the book. Some of the scenes were too much for me, and the main character struck me as a coward. Now that I’m older, I could give it a chance.

I couldn’t put this book down. I stayed up late reading it! I liked the mix of education while showing how the war destroyed the lives of one family.

All One Had To Do Was Say The Book’s Title, And The Conversation Began

In the year and a half I’ve been going to Book Club, I’d never seen a book spark conversation as quickly as A Thousand Splendid Suns did.

Library staff runs Book Club every month. On a typical Book Club day, her first question is, “How’d you like it?” It takes a couple of seconds before someone starts sharing their thoughts. This time, she didn’t ask the question before we started talking about our opinions.

The book had us talking about pedophilia, comparing our rights vs. the rights of women under the Taliban, communism, and burqas. Hardly a lull when we talked.

We Talked The Longest About The Burqa

In the US, if we hear the words “hijab” and “burqa” we start thinking about oppression. It’s funny watching some of the most anti-feminist people go on a rant about female oppression when you say the word “burqa.”

Seriously, try it. Watch what happens when you say the words “burqa” and “hijab” around the average American. Watch how many of them go on a rant about female oppression while calling any American who call themselves a feminist a Femi-Nazi. It’s funny and depressing at the same time.

My take on the burqa topic is that as long as it’s your choice to cover up, then it’s fine. If you’re forced to cover up, there’s a problem.

Toward the end of the book, you could see the Taliban forcing their rules, and it angered me. However, before the Taliban, women made the choice to cover or not.

There was an angle around it I never thought about. One lady brought up how it made Mariam feel loved because only her husband could see her. I would’ve never considered hiding myself a romantic gesture towards a husband.

I Don’t Think Anyone Expected To Talk About Communism In Book Club

As we talked about the book, the librarian asked the question, “Did it surprise anyone women had more rights under Communism in the book?” I was the only one who said no, and it surprised the other readers.

Here’s the thing. I lived in China for six years. I loved it. It wasn’t perfect, and I did have some foreign privilege while there, but I felt people were treated equally. Say what you want about Communism, but they take equality seriously. I saw it in China and saw it in A Thousand Splendid Suns.

I’m not saying Communism is a utopia. There’s no such thing as utopia. It has its problems, but it’s better than religious extremism.

Should Future Book Clubs Try This Book?

When I first heard about this book, I avoided it for years. I hated The Kite Runner and expected to hate A Thousand Splendid Suns too.

I’m glad my library picked this book for Book Club. I wouldn’t have tried this book if it wasn’t the one for the month. I liked it better than I thought I would. I’d consider giving The Kite Runner a second chance after finishing this book.

If you run a book club and can’t think of a book, Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns is a good choice. Saying the title will give you an eye-opening conversation. You’ll learn more about the members than you expect.

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