“No”. That word is often the freedom Afghan women have had 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 truly understood it as I understand it now after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. The author, Khaled Hosseini, was born in Kabul, Afghanistan and lives in California; I definitely saw this misconception and wrote A Thousand Splendid Suns to give us a glimpse into the lives of women in a third world country. Having earned his medical degree and his doctorate in physics, you can be sure that Hosseini is a very bright man. Rightly so, Khaled Hosseini also offers a special perspective as a native of Afghanistan and, more importantly, a refugee goodwill envoy for the United Nations. He also founded the Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a non-profit organization to help people in Afghanistan. Khaled Hosseini has high family values: "He's my father who I can't leave," Laila said. "I'm all he has left. Not even his heart could take it." Tariq knew it. He knew that she could no more erase the obligations of his life than he could erase his. (2.25.50-51)” exemplifies the importance of family and that is all they have in Afghanistan, for each other. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Our novel opens with our protagonist lacking a proper family, born as an illegitimate child or harami; which in English means “bastard”. “Mariam was an illegitimate person who could never legitimately claim the things others had, things like love, family, home, acceptance. (1.1.6),” needless to say, Mariam had a difficult childhood life. We fast forward to the future, where Mariam is married to a vulgar and crass man named Rasheed. The Soviet coup has taken place and Afghanistan is now a place of turmoil. Our second protagonist, Laila, bursts onto the scene as a little student from Kabul. He lives a normal life until his parents' death, caused by a stray missile from the local warlords they were fighting. Rasheed finds Laila stranded and takes her in as his second wife. He is not a kind-hearted man and can sometimes be considered evil. Laila and Mariam eventually kill him, when he had an outburst and was about to choke Laila to death. Being in a Taliban state, this would mean execution for both; however, Mariam becomes our "team player" and turns herself in to Laila so she can escape Afghanistan. Even though Mariam is far from her earthly presence, “Mariam is in the heart of Laila, where she shines with the bursting splendor of a thousand suns. (4.51.37)”.After reading this book with wet eyes, I would rank this book among some of my favorites. I highly recommend reading this book if you are a critic of feminism, as it sheds light on the reason feminism exists and why it is needed in some parts of the world much more 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 anyone living in a safe environment should read.