The Kite Runner Controversary
​The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a powerful novel which contains explicit scenes of sexual violence, intense physical violence, and deep emotional trauma. These elements, while integral to the story’s impact, can be challenging for students or adults to process, prompting debate about whether the novel is appropriate for high school curriculum. Wake County Public Schools believes it is and are using it as part of their high school school English Language Arts Program. The Pavement Education Project Team believe it is not appropriate. Read the book report/review and if you agree that it is not suitable, sign the petition that will be submitted to Superintendent Taylor and Wake County School Board. Please share with your friends and family.
Summary: The Kite Runner
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner follows Amir, a privileged Pashtun boy in 1970s Kabul, and Hassan, the devoted son of his father’s Hazara servant. Despite their close friendship, ethnic and class divisions shadow their bond. During a kite-fighting tournament, Hassan is assaulted while retrieving Amir’s prize, and Amir, too afraid to help, hides his guilt by framing Hassan for theft—driving him away. After the Soviet invasion, Amir and his father flee to the U.S. Years later, Amir learns Hassan was his half-brother. In 2001, he returns to Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, discovering Hassan has been killed and his son, Sohrab, is in danger. Amir confronts Assef—the same bully from his childhood—now a Taliban official, and rescues Sohrab. Traumatized and withdrawn, Sohrab joins Amir in America, where Amir seeks redemption through patience, care, and the small but hopeful act of flying kites together. The novel intertwines personal betrayal and atonement with Afghanistan’s turbulent history, from monarchy to Taliban rule. ​
View Book Reports with pages and book images from the graphic novel HERE
Examples of Removal
Khaled Hosseini’s The Kite Runner has been removed from high school curricula in various U.S. school districts due to its portrayal of sexual assault, violence, suicide, and other mature themes. The following is a list of some school systems where the book has been removed or excluded from high school reading lists,:
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Higley Unified School District (Gilbert, Arizona): In 2017, The Kite Runner was removed from the English curriculum at Williamsfield High School without explanation, despite being part of the curriculum for five years. Teachers were instructed not to use it in classrooms or assign it for independent reading. The decision sparked student protests, and the book was replaced with Of Mice and Men, which has also faced challenges.
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Volusia County Schools (Florida): In 2024, the traditional novel version of The Kite Runner was removed from all school libraries and media centers after a parent, Jenifer Kelly, read an excerpt at a school board meeting on February 11, 2025, prompting a board member to stop the reading due to its content. Florida statute 1006.28 mandates removal of material if a parent is stopped from reading it aloud due to objectionable content. The graphic novel version had already been removed in the 2023/2024 school year
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Hernando County School District (Florida): In 2024, The Kite Runner was banned from high school libraries following a school board meeting on February 7. Despite review committees recommending retention, the board voted to remove it, with board chair Shannon Rodriguez claiming legal risks if the book remained.
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Cedarburg High School (Wisconsin): In 2023, The Kite Runner was removed from the 10th-grade curriculum after a parent’s complaint about its depictions of sexual assault, depression, and attempted suicide. The book was pulled despite the complaining parent’s child being offered an alternative text.
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Wallingford Public Schools (Connecticut): In 2015, The Kite Runner was removed from the required high school freshman English curriculum after a parent objected to references to “homosexuality, date rape, masturbation, and the glorification of alcohol use and drugs.”
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Centennial High School (Champaign, Illinois): In 2009, The Kite Runner was removed from the reading list due to objections from a parent whose child was assigned the book for summer reading.
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Jackson County School District (Marianna, Florida): In 2009, The Kite Runner was removed from the required reading list for one class but retained in the library after a challenge citing graphic violence and sexual content.
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Additionally, the book has been challenged but retained in several other districts, including:
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Wake County Public School System (North Carolina): In 2025, a parent’s request to remove The Kite Runnerfrom the high school English curriculum was rejected, allowing it to remain a core instructional resou
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Buncombe County Schools (Asheville, North Carolina): In 2016, the book was temporarily suspended at A.C. Reynolds High School following a complaint but later reinstated for 10th-grade honors English classes with an option for alternative assignments.
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Waukesha School District (Wisconsin): In 2014, a parent’s attempt to ban The Kite Runner from the high school curriculum was denied by a district panel.
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Fishers High School (Indiana): In 2018, a parent challenged the book’s inclusion in the Advanced Placement English curriculum due to a same-sex gang rape scene and depictions of distrust in adults, but it was retained with an option for alternative assignments.
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Troy Area Schools (Pennsylvania): In 2012 and 2013, the book was challenged as optional reading in 10th-grade honors classes for its graphic depiction of rape and vulgar language but was retained.
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Valley High School (Jonesboro, Arkansas): In 2012, The Kite Runner was challenged for a scene depicting male-on-male rape, sexual innuendo, and vulgar language but was retained in the Senior Advanced Placement English curriculum.
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Freedom High School (Morganton, North Carolina): In 2008 and 2009, the book was challenged for its graphic depiction of a sodomy rape and vulgar language but retained in the 10th-grade honors English curriculum.