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 The Places In Between :: 0156031566
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In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by an unexpected companion-a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was following.
Through these encounters-by turns touching, con-founding, surprising, and funny-Stewart makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map's countless places in between.
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Author: Guest
Rory Stewart's yarn begins a bit slowly. Then, like his journey, it picks up speed and color, with Stewart's quiet eye for telling detail and wry observations making for a totally absorbing tale. This volume will help round out any reading list on Afghanistan, with its surprising insights and Stewart's obvious empathy for the disparate citizens of this historically rich and divided country. Stewart's compassion for the mastiff dog whom he adopts and who shares his lot is a moving subplot as the author and his dog confront and survive perils both human and natural.
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Author: Guest
This is an absolute must read if you are at all interested in seeing why we will never bring Western-style democracy to the Middle East
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Author: Guest
This book is essentially a travelogue of Rory Stewart's walk across most of Afghanistan, from Herat (near the Iranian border) and Kabul in early 2002, immediately after the fall of the Taliban.
I spent a year deployed in Afghanistan with the US Army, working daily with a battalion of Afghan National Army soldiers. While I didn't visit all same the places Mr. Stewart did, I could see some of his story within my own. We patrolled all over northeastern Afghanistan, meeting many Afghan leaders along the way and visiting sites of cultural signifigance. I found Rory's description of Afghan customs and culture to be spot-on with my own experiences.
However, I was more impressed by the knowledge the author clearly has of Afghanistan and southern Asia. This is by no means a history book. Mr. Stewart does not beat you over the head with his knowledge of history. Rather, it comes out in glimpes and glances in the form of topical references and tangents. As a student of history, I found these to be gems pepppered throughout the text. If only there was a text as readable as this on Afghan history; I'd love to read it.
My only complaint with the book would be that I feel some understanding of Afghanistan is necessary as a prerequisite to get maximum enjoyment from this book. Nonetheles, that would not stop me from recommending this book to anyone with an interest in Afghanistan or in traveling in troubled parts of the world. His style is easy to follow, self-effacing, yet intellectually stimulating.
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Author: Guest
When the United States first invaded Afghansistan one of my friends wondered aloud if we intended on keeping it as a colony. I quipped that we already owned a mountainous desert area full of people that have a religion that we don't understand - we call it Utah. (with apologies to my Mormon friends out there)
After reading this book I truly realize the depth of our misunderstanding of the situation in Afghanistan. I keep up on the news better than most. I've spoken with veterans who have returned from Afghanistan. Yet, as I read Stewart's account of his walk across Afghanistan just weeks after the fall of the Taliban, I realized that this truly is a foreign culture - as alien to me as any on the planet. I am amazed that the mission in Afghanistan has been as successful as it has been.
Stewart introduces us to the variety of cultures that Afghanistan possesses. He also makes us see that the very concept of an "Afghanistan" is nebulous at best. His commentaries on the United Nations are biting and ring of truth. While the news has commented that Afghanistan is a feudal society, I always took their word "feudal" to be code for technologically backward. Stewart experienced that it truly and literally is feudal and for some parts of Afghanistan, life is like stepping into a time machine and going back in time to the Middle Ages - both politically and technologically.
Stewart's book is a joy to read. While I wonder at the sense in walking by yourself across a war-torn nation during the dead of winter (with the exception of some companions who were forced upon him by concerned governments from time to time and an adopted mastif dog he picked up along the way), I am pleased that he did. His impressions of what he witnessed and experienced were wonderfully conveyed. Stewart is truly a gifted writer.
This book is truly a wonderful experience. I cannot recommend it highly enough. What a great read to finish up the year with!
My final grade: A+
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Author: Guest
I can understand Stewart's decision to walk across Pakistan, Iran, India and Nepal, but Afghanistan, and then onto Iraq for a year as deputy governor of two Iraqi provinces?! Can you say death wish? By the time he was 30, Rory Stewart had experienced more than most people in two lifetimes. Stewart's walk from Herat to Kabul in Afghanistan was marred by the unforgiving Afghani winter weather, malnutrition, disease and in a couple of instances life threatening encounters with the locals.
Stewart's adventure provides the readers with a solid grasp of the various ethnicities and the dynamics of their relationships in Afghanistan. Almost everyone seems to be directly affected by the war with the former Soviet Union, the rise and fall of the Taliban.
The story takes a soft turn when Stewart is thrusted into the ownership of a toothless 140 lb. Mastiff that he aptly names Babur, after the 15th century emperor which he cites often in the book.
I'm not certain what to make of the author's decision to take on such a risky endeavor, but I'm glad he did it and put together an educational and entertaining book for others to relive the experience through.
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