The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini

When you are done reading this book, you will probably sit and stare for a while just to absorb what you read. Khaled Hosseini is a powerful story teller and he engages you immediately. Hosseini tells the story of two boys, Amir and Hassan, growing up in pre-war Afghanistan. Amir is the son of a wealthy businessman and Hassan's father is a longtime servant of the family. The two grow up as close friends until a neighborhood bully, Assef, causes a turning-point in their relationship. Later, Amir and his father are forced to leave their beloved homeland and head to the US where they struggle to assimilate themselves into American culture. After his father's death, Amir finds himself heading back to Afghanistan where he has to wrestle with the ghosts of his past.
While this story does explain certain elements of Afghani life, it is not a scientific journal or a history book. Don't search it for facts to support your next argument on Afghanistan. It is a story about a man reconciling with his past. It is quite the pag-turner and the end will leave you hoping for a sequel.

Top of the Class - Soo Kim Abboud & Jane Y. Kim

This book is written from the perspective of 2 sisters raised by THEIR Asian parents - yes, they have some examples from their friends but the sample size does not justify generalizing to ALL Asian parents. I don't think either of them have their own children so it is about their parent's parenting style - if they haven't tested out these tips on their own kids, I'm wary of testing them out on mine. The writing style is not varied and becomes monotonous after a few chapters. The focus is on helping kids achieve fulfillment in high earning fields. They discourage parents from letting kids go into "high risk" careers (art, music, writing). Their argument is that financial instability will not lead to happiness. They do concede that financial security will not lead to happiness but it does not hurt. I once read or heard somewhere that middle class families raise their children to work for money while wealthy families teach their children to make their money work for them. It would be nice if all kids had the ability and desire to go into high earning fields. The reality is that some kids will not be fulfilled in those areas. Rather than have a miserable child, it may be helpful to teach them how to make their money work for them (i.e. how to make sound investments) so that they can pursue their talents, regardless of how much can be made in those areas. This would mean that in addition to helping children identify their strengths, parents would also be teaching their kids how to make sound financial decisions so that money is a means to an end, and not the goal in and of itself. Like with all self-help books, I found some good points that I will try to implement. They talk about instilling a love of learning, creating a sense of family pride, and realizing that no one can provide a child's upbringing as successfully as the parents (or primary caregivers). They advise parents to be involved in their children's lives rather than take a backseat to teachers, coaches, etc. In summary - a not-so-interesting read with a few great gems.