NON-FICTION
Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. This book has nothing directly to do with Afghanistan, but is the story of a Somali woman and her journey in exile from Somalia through various countries including Saudi Arabia, primarily chronicling her odyssey away from Islam to aetheism. The family eventually ends up in Kenya, and after being promised as a wife to a Canadian Somali man, she seeks asylum in the Netherlands, gains citizenship and eventually becomes a member of parliament. I listened to this on CD read by the author, and being of Dutch descent myself, it was quite a fascinating story.
The Punishment of Virtue – Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban by Sarah Chayes (served as overseas correspondent for NPR. In 2002 began running a nongovernmental aid organization, Afghans for Civil Society, founded by Qayum Karzai) An eyewitness account of the return to the violence and corruption of warlordism in Afghanistan in the wake of the defeat of the Taliban. Currently works with an agricultural cooperative in Kandahar and also as a consultant to NATO.
Inside Afghanistan by John Weaver.
Weaver went to Afghanistan after the 1998 earthquake to work with Shelter For Now (now Shelter For Life International headquartered in Maple Grove MN). He soon became involved in running huge relief camps swelled by Afghanis fleeing the Taliban rule in the south and stayed after the events of 9/11. Weaver is still in Afghanistan although he is no longer with SFL.
Kabul Beauty School: an American woman goes behind the veil by Deborah Rodriguez with Kristin Olsen.
Wisconsinite Rodriguez went to Afghanistan in 2002 with a Christian medical relief team, just after the fall of the Taliban, volunteering as a nurse's aide, but soon found that her skills as a beautician were much more in demand. She learns about the beauty culture of Afghan women, and eventually develops a training school so Afghan women can own and operate their own beauty schools. A really delightful story.
Prisoners of Hope: the story of our captivity and freedom in Afghanistan by Dayna Curry and Heather Mercer with Stacy Mattingly.
This is a gripping and inspiring story of two women who travel to Afghanistan from a church in Texas. They are arrested by the Taliban for showing the Jesus movie in Afghani homes, imprisoned and eventually rescued by U.S. Special Forces following 9/11.
Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace – One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.
The astonishing, uplifting story of a Minnesota missionary’s kid turned nurse/mountain climber and his humanitarian campaign to use education to combat terrorism in the northern reaches of Pakistan and Afghanistan. Greg’s mother lives here in Roseville.
Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson
A continuation of the amazing story of the Central Asia Institute and their mission to establish schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan, focusing primarily on the Wokhan Corridor.
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad, translated by Ingrid Christophersen.
An international phenomenon translated into 17 languages, this book became a bestseller. It tells the Danish author’s story of living with a family in Kabul for several months, taking part in the fabric of their lives. This book has stirred some controversy, with the bookseller himself claiming the book to be an inaccurate portrayal.
Ghost Wars: the secret history of the CIA, Afghanistan, and bin Laden, from the Soviet invasion to September 10, 2001 by Steve Coll.
This book was recommended to me by Mustafa Omar, an Afghani medical school graduate who is currently Director of International Development for Shelter For Life International. It is a gripping tale of the US involvement in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the conflicting agendas of the US State Department and the CIA. Most Afghanis I know believe this book provides a very accurate picture of Pakistan’s role in the formation of the Taliban.
The Great Gamble: the Soviet war in Afghanistan by Gregory Feifer.
National Public Radio's Moscow correspondent presents a groundbreaking account of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, as seen through the eyes of the Soviets themselves. An absolutely fascinating book which reads like an unbelievable spy novel.
Kabul in Winter: Life without Peace in Afghanistan by Ann Jones
The personal story of a journalist and women's rights activist who traveled to Kabul following the ouster of the Taliban in December 2002, "after the bombing stopped". In three sections entitled In the Streets, In the Prisons, and In the Schools, Ms Jones provides a frank account of life immediately post-Taliban. This is must reading for anyone who thinks Afghanistan should be allowed to return to Taliban rule.
FICTION
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Privileged young narrator Amir comes of age during the last peaceful days of the monarchy in Afghanistan, then must endure revolution and exile. He returns to Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban to attempt to atone for a sin of his childhood. This has been made into a marvelous movie, very true to the book, and gives an intimate look into the inter-tribal tensions.
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Another marvelous tale from the author of the Kite Runner, this book gives insight into the world of the women of Afghanistan during the communist and Taliban regimes. Don’t read this if you don’t want to cry.
