Dear Readers:

I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving. In the spirit of the season, I am thankful for all the support and encouragement that I have received from you over the past several years. In addition, I am thankful for your empathy and generous offers to aid the Afghan people. It’s really a great honor for me if these novels have helped make the hardships of the Afghan people feel real and not something academic and distant. Many many thanks to all of you who have offered to help, and to all of you for your support of these books.

I also want to thank my publisher, Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin Group (USA). They donated money on behalf of all the booksellers, librarians, and educators who supported The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns, and built a primary school in Arababshirali, in northern Afghanistan. The school, which will benefit 270 students, will be a sanctuary of hope and happiness for many children. I was in northern Afghanistan last year and recall vividly that one of the main wishes of virtually everyone I met was for a local school. Afghan children are eager and hungry for education. They apply themselves very hard and take pride in their work. Many of them walk long distances and overcome many obstacles (not the least of which is threats from the Taliban) to learn to read and write and for the chance to contribute to their country. This school will be a godsend. It’s very humbling.