I have read quite a few books about Afghanistan over the years since there seem to be a lot available right now. This was by far the best one of them. (All the others were fiction.)
Christina Lamb is a journalist who knows her job. She had been in Afghanistan before 9/11 and then went back straight after when almost no western correspondent was able to get there. She met a lot of people from all sides - politicians, Taliban, normal people, especially women. And she gives a great insight into this tormented country. You almost feel like you're there with her.
Great book about this topic.
From the back cover:
"Ten years ago, Christina Lamb reported on the war the Afghan people were fighting against the Soviet Union. Now, back in Afghanistan, she has written an extraordinary memoir of her love affair with the country and its people.
Long haunted by her experiences in Afghanistan, Lamb returned there after last year's attack on the World Trade Centre to find out what had become of the people and places that had marked her life as a young graduate.This time seeing the land through the eyes of a mother and experienced foreign correspondent, Lamb's journey brings her in touch with the people no one else is writing about: the abandoned victims of almost a quarter century of war.
‘Of all books about Afghanistan, Christina Lamb’s is the most revealing and rewarding…a personal, perceptive and moving account of bravery in the face of staggering difficulties.’ Anthony Sattin, Sunday Times
'As an account of how Afghanistan got into its present state, and of the making of the grotesque regime of the Taliban, this book could not possibly be bettered. Brilliant.’ Matthew Leeming, Spectator
'Lamb’s book combines a love of Afghanistan with a fearless search for the human stories behind the past twenty-three years of war…Her book is not only a necessary education for the Western reader in the political warring that generated the torture, murder and poverty, but also a stirring lament for the country of ruins that was once better known for its poetry and mosques.’ James Hopkin, The Times"
We discussed this in our international book club in May 2005.
See more comments on my ThrowbackThursday post in 2024.
I have also read "The Africa House: The True Story of an English Gentleman and His African Dream", just as interesting.
'The abandoned victims of almost a quarter century of war." Yes, this was how one of my older students felt. She was a really clever, very mature girl of about 12 or 13, and it was she who responded most helpfully to my acknowledgement that I didn't know anything about her country. (As you probably know, that's usually "the way in" when teaching ESL, to begin by using their culture to teach English). This was before the internet, and the only resource I had was a half-page entry in a 20-year-old Britannica. She brought in photos that showed their beautiful landscapes, buildings, art works and archaeological sites, the mothers brought in food, they explained the hospitality customs, I learned about kites and other sports, and I learned about how — despite 20 years of war — Kabul had a sophisticated modern culture with opportunities for women and so on. But this girl had never known her country at peace, and she felt a deep nostalgia because she thought she would never be able to go back because it would never be at peace.
ReplyDeleteThanks for that comment, Lisa. I had a lot of people to talk to about Afghanistan when this first came out, people who had been there or had connections to Afghanis like you had. But here, there is nobody, except for the refugees themselves and there are not many from there in our area, we have more Ukrainians and then Syrians, Iraqis etc.
DeleteBut you are right, it was even harder before the internet. It existed back then but not like today. And hardly anyone had a computer to check it out.
I am sure you would love this book. Christina Lamb is a great journalist, she also co-wrote Malala Yousafzai's book.
Thank you for getting involved and helping these people get settled in your country.
I'll keep an eye out for it, thanks for the recommendation.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome, Lisa. I hope you'll find it.
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