The Sewing Circles of Herat - by Christina Lamb (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"Lamb's long experience as a journalist is a solid stage upon which to build the story of her voyage through Afghanistan, told with a deep, loving honesty." -- Montreal Gazette (Canada)

A brilliant British war correspondent who has spent ten years in Afghanistan gives a first hand report on the war and its genesis.

Award-winning journalist Christina Lamb chronicles the human stories behind the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. Lamb spent the last phase of the Soviet War in Pakistan, relying on her friendship with exiled Afghans to smuggle her in and out of Jalalabad. Many of these friends are now the Taliban, giving her exclusive and critical insight into the brutalization of this tragic, war-ravaged land.

Her own professional history equips Lamb to discover the people no one else is writing about: the battered and abandoned victims of a quarter century of war. These include people like Khalil Ahmed Hassan, a former Taliban torturer who admits to inflicting horrific beatings, and to breaking the spines of men, then making them stand on their heads. A business graduate with no strong religious convictions, Hassan joined the Taliban on hearing that his 85-year-old grandfather had been captured and would only be released if a male relative joined the Taliban. Lamb also tells the story of Afghan women who would covertly continue academic lessons at a great risk to themselves and their families.

From the Back Cover

Twenty-one-year-old Christina Lamb left suburban England for Peshawar on the frontier of the Afghan war. Captivated, she spent two years tracking the final stages of the mujaheddin victory over the Soviets, as Afghan friends smuggled her in and out of their country in a variety of guises.

Returning to Afghanistan after the attacks on the World Trade Center to report for Britain's Sunday Telegraph, Lamb discovered the people no one else had written about: the abandoned victims of almost a quarter century of war. Among them, the brave women writers of Herat who risked their lives to carry on a literary tradition under the guise of sewing circles; the princess whose palace was surrounded by tanks on the eve of her wedding; the artist who painted out all the people in his works to prevent them from being destroyed by the Taliban; and Khalil Ahmed Hassani, a former Taliban torturer who admitted to breaking the spines of men and then making them stand on their heads.

Christina Lamb's evocative reporting brings to life these stories. Her unique perspective on Afghanistan and deep passion for the people she writes about make this the definitive account of the tragic plight of a proud nation.

Review Quotes

"The scope of Lamb's book sets it apart from similar works; readers will find it both comprehensive and absorbing." -- Booklist

"Lamb is a fiercely independent correspondent who shies away from the cocktail corps....[she] brings texture and dimension to a part of the world that most Americans view as a cardboard cutout." -- San Francisco Chronicle

"A penetrating account written in prose that sparkles." -- Washington Post Book World

"A heartbreaking look at war's toll....this book helps us understand what Afghanistan has been through." -- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

"It's an enthralling tale of terror and absurdity, underpinned by one constant--an obvious affection for the people and country of Afghanistan." -- Time Out London

"Lamb writes with pace, conviction and honesty, uncovering both the terrible human cost of the Taliban experiment and the enduring strength of spirit of those who refused to join it." -- Sunday Telegraph (London)

"Lamb's personal tale is powerful, frightening and human....this is a profoundly touching memoir." -- --Trevor Mostyn, Times Literary Supplement (London)