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A review by justinliew
Farewell Kabul: From Afghanistan to a More Dangerous World by Christina Lamb
5.0
Farewell Kabul is a journalist's view into modern Afghanistan and the forces that shaped it, both foreign and domestic. Her visits to Afghanistan were throughout the 90s and the 21st century, so a lot of her focus is on those periods, although there is obvious emphasis on the period around 1979 and the pivotal events in Iran as well as the Soviet invasion.
The breadth of knowledge presented inside a compelling narrative makes this book worth reading. The author's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan put her right in the heart of the story, and she met many of the major players on the Afghan side.
The author isn't determined to push an agenda, although she certainly paints a harsh picture of the lives of a culture that has received the short end of the stick throughout history. The interventions by Britain and the USA are examined with a critical eye, and the role Pakistan plays in the current violent climate is more than hinted at. For my part, I learned a lot about the current state of the country and the events that touched the Western world from 2001 onwards, and is a good balance to the primarily fear-mongering media typically being pushed in the Western world.
This is a book well worth the time investment. It is not an account from afar, but rather a brave book from a dangerous world.
The breadth of knowledge presented inside a compelling narrative makes this book worth reading. The author's visits to Afghanistan and Pakistan put her right in the heart of the story, and she met many of the major players on the Afghan side.
The author isn't determined to push an agenda, although she certainly paints a harsh picture of the lives of a culture that has received the short end of the stick throughout history. The interventions by Britain and the USA are examined with a critical eye, and the role Pakistan plays in the current violent climate is more than hinted at. For my part, I learned a lot about the current state of the country and the events that touched the Western world from 2001 onwards, and is a good balance to the primarily fear-mongering media typically being pushed in the Western world.
This is a book well worth the time investment. It is not an account from afar, but rather a brave book from a dangerous world.