24. Why was The Kite Runner so popular?

24. Why was The Kite Runner so popular?

Khaled Hosseini's debut novel The Kite Runner has sold over 10 million copies since its publication in 2003. What made it achieve such a stratospheric level of popularity? Is the story just that good? Or is there something else at play? Review by Harvey Thompson https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2008/03/kite-m25.html for the ad-free version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 "Crime and Punishment" by Fyodor Dostoevsky https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780679734505 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780679734505] "The Sympathizer" by Viet Than Nguyen https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780802124944 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780802124944] "Charlie Wilson's War" by George Crile III https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780802141248 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw This month, we're reading "Pachinko" by Min Jin Lee https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781455563920 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks [https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks] follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en] Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

Rainie Toll finds the link between The Giver and The Catcher in the Rye

Rainie Toll explains why "The Giver" and "The Catcher in the Rye" are more similar than you might think. We also talk about mushrooms, OCD, John Green, and why it's okay to not finish a book. On the Patreon version of this episode, we talk about life since we both got laid off. Sign up today, or purchase the episode for $3, at https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks [https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks] books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "Fantastic Fungi Community Cookbook" by Eugenia Bone https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781647222956 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781647222956] "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316769488 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316769488] "The Giver" by Lois Lowry https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780544336261 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780544336261] "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780525555377 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780525555377] "CivilWarLand in Bad Decline" by George Saunders https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812987683 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931] follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks [https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks] follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en] Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

22. talking about God with Jimmy Wong

Jimmy Wong (Game Knights, the Command Zone, Try Guys, Video Game High School) shares the 3 books he thinks you should read. We end up discussing how he surprised himself with his own paternal instincts, won a jet ski on the Price Is Right, redefines God as he gets older, and much more. follow Jimmy on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jfwong/?hl=en check out Game Knights: https://www.youtube.com/@commandcast for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. Conversations with God by Neal Donald Walsch https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780399142789 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780399142789] Letting Go: The Pathway of Surrender by David R. Hawkins https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781401945015 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781401945015] Exhalation by Ted Chiang https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101972083 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101972083] Tenth of December by George Saunders https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780812984255 join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks [https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks] follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en] Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

PATREON UNLOCK: "The Outsiders" film is mid (w/ Cailyn Hoertz)

Enjoy this bonus episode from the Shoulda Books Patreon. Every month, we compare a film to the book it was adapted from. Sign up today to unlock more episodes like this. My grandmother passed away this past weekend, so I've been taking a step back this week to focus on spending time with my family. I'll be back next week with a classic episode. Thank you very much for all of the kind wishes, everyone. It means a lot :) sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks [https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks] follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en] Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg

21. Annie Rauwerda (Depths of Wikipedia) loves The Power Broker (and MORE)

Annie Rauwerda, the mind behind one of my favorite Instagram accounts (Depths of Wikipedia, go check it out) joins me to share way more than 3 books you should also check out. We talk Robert Moses, literary gossip from the 1920s, cartoons, the internet, and the recent passing of a bottle of amaro. for the ad-free, extended version of this episode, sign up for the Shoulda Books Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/ShouldaBooks follow Annie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annierau/ follow Depths of Wikipedia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/depthsofwikipedia/ Annie's live show in LA on May 9th, 2026: https://hollywoodforever.com/event/depths-of-wikipedia/ books discussed below. these are affiliate links for bookshop.org. by purchasing books through these links, you support local bookstores, and I earn a (very small) commission. "Complete Poems" by Dorothy Parker https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143106081 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780143106081] "The Power Broker" by Robert Caro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780394720241 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780394720241] "Working" by Robert Caro https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780593081914 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780593081914] "Word by Word: the Secret Life of Dictionaries" by Kory Stamper https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101970263 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781101970263] "Gulp" by Mary Roach https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781324036067 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781324036067] "In the Beginning Was the Command Line" by Neal Stephenson https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780380815937 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780380815937] "The New Yorker Encyclopedia of Cartoons" https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316484770 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9780316484770] "City of Quartz" by Mike Davis https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781786635891 [https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781786635891] join the Shoulda Book Club on Fable: https://fable.co/club/the-shoulda-book-club-with-shoulda-books-225140024638?brid=yapSJjJ6zqETOwu3XngDDw This month, we're reading "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini https://bookshop.org/a/120498/9781594631931 follow Shoulda Books on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/shouldabooks/ follow Shoulda Books on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks [https://www.tiktok.com/@shouldabooks] follow Jonathan on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en [https://www.instagram.com/jf.kirk/?hl=en] Shoulda Books theme song by Skyler Klingenberg