The Afghans - by Åsne Seierstad (Hardcover)

About the Book

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bookseller of Kabul, an expansive, deeply felt portrait of Afghanistan, examining the human cost of wars fought, lost, and won.

Book Synopsis

"An astonishing feat of writing and reporting and one of the finest books written on Afghanistan in a generation." -Eliza Griswold, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Amity and Prosperity

"A valuable addition to the canon of literature on the country . . . [Seierstad] manages to achieve a rare intimacy." -New York Times Book Review

From the internationally bestselling author of The Bookseller of Kabul, an expansive, deeply felt portrait of Afghanistan, examining the human cost of wars fought, lost, and won.

From Soviet occupation to the rise of the Taliban, from the outbreak of the War on Terror to its disastrous fallout, The Afghans is an extraordinary journey told over the course of three lives. Since she was a girl, Jamila fought tirelessly for her education. At 25, strengthened by the Quran and supported by the flow of international aid that accompanied U.S. invasion, she set off on a campaign to lead Afghanistan to a better future. Meanwhile, teenager Bashir joined the Taliban, eager to kill infidels in a holy war he would one day lead. In their crosshairs, Ariana grew up with hopes of becoming a lawyer-only to have them dashed in 2021 as the U.S. military pulled out and the Taliban retook Kabul, shuttered schools, and wiped the country clean of Western influence.

Taking us through the Taliban's first year in power, The Afghans is an essential contribution to the American reckoning with our longest war and a profound work of empathy for three people shaped by a ruinous battle for the soul of their nation.

Review Quotes

""A valuable addition to the canon of literature on the country . . . Seierstad writes compellingly, with an eye for the details and dialogue that make her subjects come to life. She manages to achieve a rare intimacy, something that is tough in a book about Afghanistan, a place where outsiders are seldom allowed inside homes and most men don't speak the names of their wives publicly."" --New York Times Book Review

"Ambitious . . . absorbing . . . Burrowing into both Afghan family life and the country's convoluted politics, the book follows three people over several decades, culminating in the dramatic first year of the Taliban restoration . . . Seierstad's short, punchy sentences, ably translated by Seán Kinsella, draw readers into the narrative." --The Boston Globe

"Deeply researched and empathetically reported, this volume is a monumental modern history of a country about which most Westerners know little." --Ms. Magazine

"A gripping, richly textured account of Afghanistan's ordeal that humanizes all sides." --Publishers Weekly

"Seierstad chronicles years of war and the rise and resurgence of the Taliban through the intimate, affecting portraits of three lives lived in history's shadow." --Booklist

"An astonishing feat of writing and reporting and one of the finest books written on Afghanistan in a generation. On each page, as she follows these three lives with empathy and care, Asne Seierstad is working at the very pinnacle of her prodigious powers, and, in her compelling story-telling, demanding we do not look away." --Eliza Griswold, National Book Award finalist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author of AMITY AND PROSPERITY

"Åsne Seierstad is one of the greatest, most courageous journalists of our time. While others were desperately fleeing Afghanistan, Seierstad traveled there alone to see the impact of the Taliban victory. This is an important, heartbreaking book about the limits of military power, religious fundamentalism, America's broken promises and the profound betrayal of Afghan women." --Eric Schlosser, author of Pulitzer Prize finalist COMMAND AND CONTROL

"Åsne Seierstad is the supreme non-fiction writer of her generation." --Luke Harding

About the Author

Åsne Seierstad has worked as a correspondent since 1993. She has written seven books and received numerous awards for her journalism. The Bookseller of Kabul was translated into over 40 languages. One of Us about Anders Breivik, was selected as one of the ten best books of 2015 by the New York Times and was awarded the 2018 Leipzig Book Award for European Understanding. Her latest work, Two Sisters, was awarded the Brage Prize in Norway.