Review: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, YA, Contemporary

Edition : Paperback, Published February 28th 2017 by Walker Books

Pages : 438 pages

Goodreads Ratings : 4.64 ☆

My Ratings : 4.5 ☆

This is ownvoices. Wonderful told story. Have serious story line but some parts are seriously funny. This is important story and needed to be told. Angie Thomas tackled the social issues of racial so well involving black community. Though it is fiction, the book simply educates, in simplest way for me as the non american people who lives outside the states. And I know, what happens in real life is scarier. Racism is everywhere, around the world.

Maverick, of all, is the coolest dad! I love his character. I love the little family. It's nice to read about the kids respect the parents and the elders. "Yes ma'am.", "Yes sir.". I even smile every time I read them. I have been reading about kids stomping out of the house whenever their parents give them "education" and that sicken me. And it's nice that in the story, the kids gets to tells and talk every thing to their parents. I love that the story focus on family. A little touch of romance is nice too. Interracial relationship. I would want a boyfriend like Chris. There is nothing wrong with interracial relationship. Chris is respectful and have the effort to understands Starr and her culture and I love that he shows the effort. Character like Hailey, Starr's friends however is otherwise, she even makes sh!tty comments on Khalil will died some other way because she believes he was a drug dealer/thug, without the slightest curiosity to ask Starr about him.

I must say this book is longggg but it is definitely strong, powerful, brave, angry, beautiful and important. Recommended indeed!

Review - The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Assalamualaikum and good day!

Genre : Fiction, Historical Fiction, Contemporary

Edition : Paperback, International Edition by Riverhead Books 

Pages : 401 pages 

Goodreads Ratings : 4.25 ★

My Ratings : 5.0 ★

"For you, a thousand times over!"

I am really mad at myself because I'm talking too long to read this good book. It broke my heart so many times.The Kite Runner is about friendship, betrayal, war, family relationship, decision making. Those are strongly portrayed in this book. It is a very beautiful story. 

With strong opening, each characters background is very well described, Amir was fantastically developed throughout the story. Set in Afghanistan, the readers is welcomed with the inseparable friendship between Amir and Hassan. Though at some point, I hate Amir because of what he did to Hassan, (a Hazara, a friend and eventually Amir's half brother), which bring himself almost a lifetime guilt. Beauty. The phrases and words combined, as smooth as melted chocolate!

I love for its highs and lows and everything in between. Amir and his father, Baba migration to America, live quite a good life while in Afghanistan is chaos with Taliban. Fifteen twenty years past, married to Soraya and the demise of Baba. News from Rahim Khan and fly to Pakistan only to know Hassan was killed. Leaving Amir with another decision in to make. I'm glad it is great in the end. 

Some of powerful quotes in the book:

"Children aren't coloring books. You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors." 

"And the beggars were mostly children now, thin and grim-faced, some no older than five or six. They sat in the laps of their burque-clad mothers alongside gutters at busy street corners… Hardly any of them sat with an adult male - the war had made fathers a rare commodity in Afghanistan."

"I'm so afraid…. Because I'm so profoundly happy, Dr Rasul. Happiness like this is frightening. They only let you be this happy if they're preparing to take something from you."

I feel love, I feel hatred and horror, I feel love and hate and angry and i feel a lot more of love. I cried. I cried a lot for Hassan, The Kite Runner.