A Thousand Splendid Suns is written by Khaled Hosseini, the author who also gave us The Kite Runner. This story is about two Afghan women from different generations named Mariam and Laila. The women face escalating dangers in their home and in the streets of Kabul. Reviews of the book say it's hard to read, but ultimately worth it because of the love, self-sacrifice and heroism demonstrated throughout.