Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?, 18 Sep 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male members of Sultan's family, despite them being allowed more freedom in Afghan society, is also callous and tyrannical.

It is easy to understand why the bookseller in question decided to take legal action against the author. The Bookseller of Kabul is billed as a non-fiction account of life with an Afghan family, written in the form of a novel. This is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the book, and, for me, created a strong sense of moral unease. If the author wished to write a true-life account of the sufferings of women in a traditional Afghan family, why did she not do so? Simply changing the name of the real life bookseller to her fictional Sultan Khan was not enough to protect the anonymity of her sources. Whatever one thinks about the bookseller - and his behaviour towards his family, if accurately reported, is indeed despicable - it is difficult not to conclude that Seierstad is guilty of a huge betrayal of trust. She must have known that merely changing the name of her subject would not protect his identity, when he is apparently such a high profile figure in Kabul. More importantly, she has exposed the identities of all of his family members, some of whom may now suffer the consequences.

Despite my misgivings about Seierstad's personal conduct in producing the book, it did provide a poignant account of the suffering and unhappiness that some Afghan women must endure at the hands of their men folk.

Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )


An interesting portrayal of life in Kabul at the beginning of the 21st century , 02 Sep 2008
Seirstad begins the book with a foreword in praise of Sultan Khan, the bookseller she meets in Kabul. I (or the reader) is maybe expecting a warm account of family life amongst the unsettled times in Kabul during 2002, and after the terrorist attacks in America. Alongside that, a little history of Afghanistan and the political environment that saw soldiers burning his books in the street.

However...what we get is a disturbing account of everyday life for that particular family and others who are mentioned. The author tells us that this is not necessarily a picture of all Afghani families but a picture she gleaned from her stay with the Khans. It is clear however that there are many families that the women gossiped about who have a similar way of life.

It's sociologically interesting because Sultan's sons are a different generation and don't necessarily have the views of their father. They are are scared to go against him because he will disown them...and no matter what culture you are from it would hurt to be disowned by your family. Yet unlike more western cultures where you would remain in contact with some members of your family, the women in this account are so suppressed that they follow their husbands no matter what their own views.
It was sadly ironic to read of Leila's hard and unfair life to which she wakes every day "...to the sound of 'Allahu akhbar' - 'God is great'. A new day which smells and tastes like every other day: of dust."

How awful it must be to worry about things (the sex of an unborn baby, or an attraction to someone from the opposite sex) that are out of your control, for fear of how you or your children will be treated.

Although written in novel form, you are always aware that the people in the story, albeit with changed names, are very real.

Another very good read on Afghanistan, 30 Jul 2008
This was the 4th book I had read about Afghanistan, after The Swallows of Kabul and Khaled Hosseini's two classic bestsellers. The difference is that this is a non-fiction book.

The author is a Norwegian journalist who lives with an Afghani family for a few months and observes their daily lives and interactions. The head of the household in which she resides is the owner of the bookstore. The book highlights the male dominated Afghani culture, and the author frequently relates her anger (and even disgust) at the inevitable but sad destinies of most women in Afghanistan. No matter how educated or ambitious, many are forced to settle for a role as housewife and essentially servant to the men of the house. Step out of line...and expect a beating.

A real insight into a culture very, very different from ours... an interesting read.

Never take books for granted, 12 May 2008
Asne was privileged to live with the `Khan' Afghan family in Kabul and was able to mingle with both men and women, probably because she was a westerner and knew no better. As a successful journalist Asne had spent six weeks with the commandos of the Northern Alliance - in the desert, the mountains, the valleys and the steppes, following their offensive against the Taliban.

What makes this book so interesting is that Asne has dared to describe thoughts and feelings of the family members - based on what they told her. This creates an immediacy and intimacy many similar books lack. We can definitely feel the frustrations of the men and the women - especially the downtrodden women!

Afghanistan in the 1970s was `westernised' in many ways, with luxurious hotels, electricity and running water in the towns and cities. (Since the fall of the Taliban, that's not the case now - it's a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated). Women didn't have to wear the burka and could be seen in public without a veil; they could work and helped the economy keep afloat. Unfortunately, three years of drought and a catastrophic famine in 1973 led to a coup against the ruling monarchy. The new regime was more repressive and proved incompetent. The Soviet invasion in 1979 was supposed to stabilise the area but had the opposite effect. Egypt, China, Pakistan and the US armed the rebels fighting the Soviets and war raged for almost ten years, devastating the country. Into the vacuum left by the departing Soviets came the Taliban. White flags - Taliban's holy colour - flew over the mosques. The war was over - a new war was about to start, a war that would trample all joy under foot. Art and culture were anathema to these religious bigots.

It was against the backdrop of this regime that Sultan Khan tried to save parts of Afghanistan's culture - books about the history and geography and the people, including poetry. We take books for granted in our country, we have more than enough clogging up charity shops - yet in Afghanistan - and in other restrictive regimes such as the now-defunct Soviet Union - books were rare and therefore treasured, passed from hand to hand until they fell apart. Sultan risked imprisonment and worse by secretly buying and selling books.

Then of course the terrorist attack on 11 September changed everything. The Taliban were ousted and for once in almost a generation it was felt that people could return to normality - if the warring power-hungry tribal leaders would let them.

Sultan was able to open his book shops. The books are Sultan's life and his livelihood. He employs his sons in his shops too. The women stayed at home, providing for the men.

So since the fall of the Taliban, things have improved, but not greatly, it seems. A woman's lot is better, but not by much, in Afghanistan. Some women have abandoned the restrictive burka. Asne describes the archaic clothing - it pinches the head and causes headaches; it's difficult to see anything through the cloth grille; you're enclosed, little air gets in and you continually perspire; and you must walk with care because you can't see your feet. How liberated the women feel when they get home and take off the burka!

In Afghanistan a woman's longing for love is taboo. Young people have no right to meet, to love or to choose. Young women are above all objects to be bartered or sold because marriage is a contract between families or within families. Some women protested with suicide and song and Asne quotes from a book of poems: one asks Gods to make her a stone in the next life, rather than a woman.

It's the men's attitude to their women that really annoyed Asne. To all appearances there's no sex life in Afghanistan. Women hide behind the burka. Men and women who do not belong to the same family mustn't sit together in the same room. They must not talk to each other or eat together. But human nature can't be deprived; under the surface all is seething. In spite of running the risk of the death penalty, in Afghanistan too people have lovers and mistresses.

Asne has an observant eye and her fascination with everything she witnessed comes across, infusing the book with wonderful dialogue. Besides writing about weddings and journeys, relations and family squabbles, she also tells the stories of some female family members and how they face up to the bullying and hypocrisy of their men-folk. Especially poignant is Leila's story - frustrated in love, she is used as a virtual slave by her family. Asne's writing is fine and often moving: `... her crushed heart she leaves behind. Soon it blends with the dust... That evening she will sweep it up and throw it out...'

There's no happy ending. Let's hope the country will one day find one.


A captivating read., 15 Mar 2008
I read this book in a day, hardly moving from my sunbed on holiday. It's an amazing insight into life in Afghanistan. As a female, I was totally horrified by the sad existance the women lead. They truly are seen as 2nd class citizens! The author lived with the Khan family and you get a birds eye view of real Afghan life behind closed doors. If you enjoyed the Kite Runner then this is worth reading.

Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?, 18 Sep 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male members of Sultan's family, despite them being allowed more freedom in Afghan society, is also callous and tyrannical.

It is easy to understand why the bookseller in question decided to take legal action against the author. The Bookseller of Kabul is billed as a non-fiction account of life with an Afghan family, written in the form of a novel. This is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the book, and, for me, created a strong sense of moral unease. If the author wished to write a true-life account of the sufferings of women in a traditional Afghan family, why did she not do so? Simply changing the name of the real life bookseller to her fictional Sultan Khan was not enough to protect the anonymity of her sources. Whatever one thinks about the bookseller - and his behaviour towards his family, if accurately reported, is indeed despicable - it is difficult not to conclude that Seierstad is guilty of a huge betrayal of trust. She must have known that merely changing the name of her subject would not protect his identity, when he is apparently such a high profile figure in Kabul. More importantly, she has exposed the identities of all of his family members, some of whom may now suffer the consequences.

Despite my misgivings about Seierstad's personal conduct in producing the book, it did provide a poignant account of the suffering and unhappiness that some Afghan women must endure at the hands of their men folk.

Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )


An interesting portrayal of life in Kabul at the beginning of the 21st century , 02 Sep 2008
Seirstad begins the book with a foreword in praise of Sultan Khan, the bookseller she meets in Kabul. I (or the reader) is maybe expecting a warm account of family life amongst the unsettled times in Kabul during 2002, and after the terrorist attacks in America. Alongside that, a little history of Afghanistan and the political environment that saw soldiers burning his books in the street.

However...what we get is a disturbing account of everyday life for that particular family and others who are mentioned. The author tells us that this is not necessarily a picture of all Afghani families but a picture she gleaned from her stay with the Khans. It is clear however that there are many families that the women gossiped about who have a similar way of life.

It's sociologically interesting because Sultan's sons are a different generation and don't necessarily have the views of their father. They are are scared to go against him because he will disown them...and no matter what culture you are from it would hurt to be disowned by your family. Yet unlike more western cultures where you would remain in contact with some members of your family, the women in this account are so suppressed that they follow their husbands no matter what their own views.
It was sadly ironic to read of Leila's hard and unfair life to which she wakes every day "...to the sound of 'Allahu akhbar' - 'God is great'. A new day which smells and tastes like every other day: of dust."

How awful it must be to worry about things (the sex of an unborn baby, or an attraction to someone from the opposite sex) that are out of your control, for fear of how you or your children will be treated.

Although written in novel form, you are always aware that the people in the story, albeit with changed names, are very real.

Another very good read on Afghanistan, 30 Jul 2008
This was the 4th book I had read about Afghanistan, after The Swallows of Kabul and Khaled Hosseini's two classic bestsellers. The difference is that this is a non-fiction book.

The author is a Norwegian journalist who lives with an Afghani family for a few months and observes their daily lives and interactions. The head of the household in which she resides is the owner of the bookstore. The book highlights the male dominated Afghani culture, and the author frequently relates her anger (and even disgust) at the inevitable but sad destinies of most women in Afghanistan. No matter how educated or ambitious, many are forced to settle for a role as housewife and essentially servant to the men of the house. Step out of line...and expect a beating.

A real insight into a culture very, very different from ours... an interesting read.

Never take books for granted, 12 May 2008
Asne was privileged to live with the `Khan' Afghan family in Kabul and was able to mingle with both men and women, probably because she was a westerner and knew no better. As a successful journalist Asne had spent six weeks with the commandos of the Northern Alliance - in the desert, the mountains, the valleys and the steppes, following their offensive against the Taliban.

What makes this book so interesting is that Asne has dared to describe thoughts and feelings of the family members - based on what they told her. This creates an immediacy and intimacy many similar books lack. We can definitely feel the frustrations of the men and the women - especially the downtrodden women!

Afghanistan in the 1970s was `westernised' in many ways, with luxurious hotels, electricity and running water in the towns and cities. (Since the fall of the Taliban, that's not the case now - it's a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated). Women didn't have to wear the burka and could be seen in public without a veil; they could work and helped the economy keep afloat. Unfortunately, three years of drought and a catastrophic famine in 1973 led to a coup against the ruling monarchy. The new regime was more repressive and proved incompetent. The Soviet invasion in 1979 was supposed to stabilise the area but had the opposite effect. Egypt, China, Pakistan and the US armed the rebels fighting the Soviets and war raged for almost ten years, devastating the country. Into the vacuum left by the departing Soviets came the Taliban. White flags - Taliban's holy colour - flew over the mosques. The war was over - a new war was about to start, a war that would trample all joy under foot. Art and culture were anathema to these religious bigots.

It was against the backdrop of this regime that Sultan Khan tried to save parts of Afghanistan's culture - books about the history and geography and the people, including poetry. We take books for granted in our country, we have more than enough clogging up charity shops - yet in Afghanistan - and in other restrictive regimes such as the now-defunct Soviet Union - books were rare and therefore treasured, passed from hand to hand until they fell apart. Sultan risked imprisonment and worse by secretly buying and selling books.

Then of course the terrorist attack on 11 September changed everything. The Taliban were ousted and for once in almost a generation it was felt that people could return to normality - if the warring power-hungry tribal leaders would let them.

Sultan was able to open his book shops. The books are Sultan's life and his livelihood. He employs his sons in his shops too. The women stayed at home, providing for the men.

So since the fall of the Taliban, things have improved, but not greatly, it seems. A woman's lot is better, but not by much, in Afghanistan. Some women have abandoned the restrictive burka. Asne describes the archaic clothing - it pinches the head and causes headaches; it's difficult to see anything through the cloth grille; you're enclosed, little air gets in and you continually perspire; and you must walk with care because you can't see your feet. How liberated the women feel when they get home and take off the burka!

In Afghanistan a woman's longing for love is taboo. Young people have no right to meet, to love or to choose. Young women are above all objects to be bartered or sold because marriage is a contract between families or within families. Some women protested with suicide and song and Asne quotes from a book of poems: one asks Gods to make her a stone in the next life, rather than a woman.

It's the men's attitude to their women that really annoyed Asne. To all appearances there's no sex life in Afghanistan. Women hide behind the burka. Men and women who do not belong to the same family mustn't sit together in the same room. They must not talk to each other or eat together. But human nature can't be deprived; under the surface all is seething. In spite of running the risk of the death penalty, in Afghanistan too people have lovers and mistresses.

Asne has an observant eye and her fascination with everything she witnessed comes across, infusing the book with wonderful dialogue. Besides writing about weddings and journeys, relations and family squabbles, she also tells the stories of some female family members and how they face up to the bullying and hypocrisy of their men-folk. Especially poignant is Leila's story - frustrated in love, she is used as a virtual slave by her family. Asne's writing is fine and often moving: `... her crushed heart she leaves behind. Soon it blends with the dust... That evening she will sweep it up and throw it out...'

There's no happy ending. Let's hope the country will one day find one.


A captivating read., 15 Mar 2008
I read this book in a day, hardly moving from my sunbed on holiday. It's an amazing insight into life in Afghanistan. As a female, I was totally horrified by the sad existance the women lead. They truly are seen as 2nd class citizens! The author lived with the Khan family and you get a birds eye view of real Afghan life behind closed doors. If you enjoyed the Kite Runner then this is worth reading.

Courageous, stimulating, 29 Dec 2008
This book is courageous in more ways than one. First and foremost, the author has exposed himself to danger in researching his story, which is something that deserves the reader's respect. Second, he hasn't made black and white judgements on either side of the conflict. This might upset the Daily Mail (especially JF's effort to understand the motives of the Taliban), but at heart it is an intelligent approach that assumes the reader can make his/her own mind up (or try to). It is a rare example of honest and old-fashioned rapportage that does not offer prescriptions but informs the prescriptive process. Like many of us, JF has huge sympathy for the professional soldier and somewhat less for the motives and actions of the politicians who deploy him (and, increasingly, her). The accounts of military action and technology in difficult terrain are as gripping as any adventure story, although like the war itself there is no satisfying conclusion, only a disturbing sense that mistakes have been made in the name of western nations. I am no military historian, but I find nothing especially surprising in the notion of soldiers doing their best but repeatedly tripping over the bootlaces of organisational challenges, inadequate supplies and other shortcomings. These and other themes were covered brilliantly in Dixon's "Psycholoigy of Military Incompetence". However Fergusson updates them in a contemporaneous context, which soldiers and politicians alike should find an instructive addition to Dixon's work.

Investigative writing at its best, 26 Nov 2008
I don't know much about the politics of war but having read this book I feel that I now have a pretty good inkling of what goes on - and it's not comforting. Perhaps most military adventures have always been conducted on a wing and a prayer but it's hard not to feel dismayed by the chances for real change and engagement that seem to have been thrown away, especially when the Taliban mention the fact that if somebody had tried diplomacy rather than dynamite, perhaps some kind of deal could have been struck - with better consequences for everybody. After all, it's hard to imagine worse consequences than those yielded by the gung-ho method so far. Brilliantly written, constantly engaging, this book also proves that the writer is not just a man of letters but also of considerable bravery. Would YOU go and meet the Taliban deep in their heartland for a chat, so that you could hear their point of view? Not me - so thank you, James Fergusson.

Insightful, 01 Oct 2008
James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the lack of investment in support services and the pressures on service families are all explored. In discussing the probable long term nature of this conflict, the Army's ongoing involvement in Iraq, shortfalls in recruitment & retention of service personnel and the reluctance of other NATO members to commit militarily to the fighting in Afghanistan some of the problems facing the Army are highlighted. The author's clandestine meeting with Taliban fighters in Feb 2007 gives a glimpse into the mindset of the NATO forces antagonists.

I found this a fascinating book, the author writing a warts and all account of the conflict and those involved in it. Recommended.



Biased and opinionated, 14 Aug 2008
This book doesn't do what it says on the cover. "The Real Story of the war in Afghanistan" its says on the cover. No, rather it is the story of the author's decision to write about the war - the over long prologue tells the story of one of his friends who was in the military in afghanistan and how his disillusionment pushed him to look further into the situation - what he found out and his opinion of it all. This is peppered with a selection of tales from soldiers involved in the fighting but if you are looking for "the story of the war" then i'd go elsewhere.

Muddling Through, 19 Jul 2008
James Fergusson has set out to cover a number of tangential matters than combine to point out the lack of a coherence and reality to NATO policy in Afghanistan, especially as this is applied by the British Army.

He tends to travel in the backwaters. Instead of the much rated 3 Para he visits the Ghurkhas and Royal Fusiliers from the 3 Para Battlegroup shut away in some unsupported location getting shot at by the Taleban and unable to perform their mission of reconstruction.

He examines the practical difficulties of a small force of military professionals trying to bring peace to an area by bringing war. The difficulties of persuading the locals that the corrupt and brutal police and Afghan Army are to be supported are laid out; as is the difficulty of making the police and army anything but corrupt when they are underpaid and undertrained. It's a real muddle.

By comparing the units supporting two helicopter types (Chinooks and Apaches) Fergusson can make valuable points about the under-funding of the effort and (perhaps more important) the underinvestment in keeping skilled personnel. Just having the best kit is no answer when service
personnel are condemned to long tours and divorces. But looking at the armour kit used by the cavalry one can see that in some cases it is not only old but designed for different operational conditions (mostly the North German Plain).

Fergusson travels to meet and talk to the Taliban, he clearly respects them and feels they need to be part of the solution. This has been the view of a number of British officials but is apparently not acceptable in the eyes of the more manichean Americans.

Although at times Fergusson seems rather innocent it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he is on to something. There is only one thing worse than fighting a war with allies; and that is fighting one without any.

Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?, 18 Sep 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male members of Sultan's family, despite them being allowed more freedom in Afghan society, is also callous and tyrannical.

It is easy to understand why the bookseller in question decided to take legal action against the author. The Bookseller of Kabul is billed as a non-fiction account of life with an Afghan family, written in the form of a novel. This is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the book, and, for me, created a strong sense of moral unease. If the author wished to write a true-life account of the sufferings of women in a traditional Afghan family, why did she not do so? Simply changing the name of the real life bookseller to her fictional Sultan Khan was not enough to protect the anonymity of her sources. Whatever one thinks about the bookseller - and his behaviour towards his family, if accurately reported, is indeed despicable - it is difficult not to conclude that Seierstad is guilty of a huge betrayal of trust. She must have known that merely changing the name of her subject would not protect his identity, when he is apparently such a high profile figure in Kabul. More importantly, she has exposed the identities of all of his family members, some of whom may now suffer the consequences.

Despite my misgivings about Seierstad's personal conduct in producing the book, it did provide a poignant account of the suffering and unhappiness that some Afghan women must endure at the hands of their men folk.

Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )


An interesting portrayal of life in Kabul at the beginning of the 21st century , 02 Sep 2008
Seirstad begins the book with a foreword in praise of Sultan Khan, the bookseller she meets in Kabul. I (or the reader) is maybe expecting a warm account of family life amongst the unsettled times in Kabul during 2002, and after the terrorist attacks in America. Alongside that, a little history of Afghanistan and the political environment that saw soldiers burning his books in the street.

However...what we get is a disturbing account of everyday life for that particular family and others who are mentioned. The author tells us that this is not necessarily a picture of all Afghani families but a picture she gleaned from her stay with the Khans. It is clear however that there are many families that the women gossiped about who have a similar way of life.

It's sociologically interesting because Sultan's sons are a different generation and don't necessarily have the views of their father. They are are scared to go against him because he will disown them...and no matter what culture you are from it would hurt to be disowned by your family. Yet unlike more western cultures where you would remain in contact with some members of your family, the women in this account are so suppressed that they follow their husbands no matter what their own views.
It was sadly ironic to read of Leila's hard and unfair life to which she wakes every day "...to the sound of 'Allahu akhbar' - 'God is great'. A new day which smells and tastes like every other day: of dust."

How awful it must be to worry about things (the sex of an unborn baby, or an attraction to someone from the opposite sex) that are out of your control, for fear of how you or your children will be treated.

Although written in novel form, you are always aware that the people in the story, albeit with changed names, are very real.

Another very good read on Afghanistan, 30 Jul 2008
This was the 4th book I had read about Afghanistan, after The Swallows of Kabul and Khaled Hosseini's two classic bestsellers. The difference is that this is a non-fiction book.

The author is a Norwegian journalist who lives with an Afghani family for a few months and observes their daily lives and interactions. The head of the household in which she resides is the owner of the bookstore. The book highlights the male dominated Afghani culture, and the author frequently relates her anger (and even disgust) at the inevitable but sad destinies of most women in Afghanistan. No matter how educated or ambitious, many are forced to settle for a role as housewife and essentially servant to the men of the house. Step out of line...and expect a beating.

A real insight into a culture very, very different from ours... an interesting read.

Never take books for granted, 12 May 2008
Asne was privileged to live with the `Khan' Afghan family in Kabul and was able to mingle with both men and women, probably because she was a westerner and knew no better. As a successful journalist Asne had spent six weeks with the commandos of the Northern Alliance - in the desert, the mountains, the valleys and the steppes, following their offensive against the Taliban.

What makes this book so interesting is that Asne has dared to describe thoughts and feelings of the family members - based on what they told her. This creates an immediacy and intimacy many similar books lack. We can definitely feel the frustrations of the men and the women - especially the downtrodden women!

Afghanistan in the 1970s was `westernised' in many ways, with luxurious hotels, electricity and running water in the towns and cities. (Since the fall of the Taliban, that's not the case now - it's a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated). Women didn't have to wear the burka and could be seen in public without a veil; they could work and helped the economy keep afloat. Unfortunately, three years of drought and a catastrophic famine in 1973 led to a coup against the ruling monarchy. The new regime was more repressive and proved incompetent. The Soviet invasion in 1979 was supposed to stabilise the area but had the opposite effect. Egypt, China, Pakistan and the US armed the rebels fighting the Soviets and war raged for almost ten years, devastating the country. Into the vacuum left by the departing Soviets came the Taliban. White flags - Taliban's holy colour - flew over the mosques. The war was over - a new war was about to start, a war that would trample all joy under foot. Art and culture were anathema to these religious bigots.

It was against the backdrop of this regime that Sultan Khan tried to save parts of Afghanistan's culture - books about the history and geography and the people, including poetry. We take books for granted in our country, we have more than enough clogging up charity shops - yet in Afghanistan - and in other restrictive regimes such as the now-defunct Soviet Union - books were rare and therefore treasured, passed from hand to hand until they fell apart. Sultan risked imprisonment and worse by secretly buying and selling books.

Then of course the terrorist attack on 11 September changed everything. The Taliban were ousted and for once in almost a generation it was felt that people could return to normality - if the warring power-hungry tribal leaders would let them.

Sultan was able to open his book shops. The books are Sultan's life and his livelihood. He employs his sons in his shops too. The women stayed at home, providing for the men.

So since the fall of the Taliban, things have improved, but not greatly, it seems. A woman's lot is better, but not by much, in Afghanistan. Some women have abandoned the restrictive burka. Asne describes the archaic clothing - it pinches the head and causes headaches; it's difficult to see anything through the cloth grille; you're enclosed, little air gets in and you continually perspire; and you must walk with care because you can't see your feet. How liberated the women feel when they get home and take off the burka!

In Afghanistan a woman's longing for love is taboo. Young people have no right to meet, to love or to choose. Young women are above all objects to be bartered or sold because marriage is a contract between families or within families. Some women protested with suicide and song and Asne quotes from a book of poems: one asks Gods to make her a stone in the next life, rather than a woman.

It's the men's attitude to their women that really annoyed Asne. To all appearances there's no sex life in Afghanistan. Women hide behind the burka. Men and women who do not belong to the same family mustn't sit together in the same room. They must not talk to each other or eat together. But human nature can't be deprived; under the surface all is seething. In spite of running the risk of the death penalty, in Afghanistan too people have lovers and mistresses.

Asne has an observant eye and her fascination with everything she witnessed comes across, infusing the book with wonderful dialogue. Besides writing about weddings and journeys, relations and family squabbles, she also tells the stories of some female family members and how they face up to the bullying and hypocrisy of their men-folk. Especially poignant is Leila's story - frustrated in love, she is used as a virtual slave by her family. Asne's writing is fine and often moving: `... her crushed heart she leaves behind. Soon it blends with the dust... That evening she will sweep it up and throw it out...'

There's no happy ending. Let's hope the country will one day find one.


A captivating read., 15 Mar 2008
I read this book in a day, hardly moving from my sunbed on holiday. It's an amazing insight into life in Afghanistan. As a female, I was totally horrified by the sad existance the women lead. They truly are seen as 2nd class citizens! The author lived with the Khan family and you get a birds eye view of real Afghan life behind closed doors. If you enjoyed the Kite Runner then this is worth reading.

Courageous, stimulating, 29 Dec 2008
This book is courageous in more ways than one. First and foremost, the author has exposed himself to danger in researching his story, which is something that deserves the reader's respect. Second, he hasn't made black and white judgements on either side of the conflict. This might upset the Daily Mail (especially JF's effort to understand the motives of the Taliban), but at heart it is an intelligent approach that assumes the reader can make his/her own mind up (or try to). It is a rare example of honest and old-fashioned rapportage that does not offer prescriptions but informs the prescriptive process. Like many of us, JF has huge sympathy for the professional soldier and somewhat less for the motives and actions of the politicians who deploy him (and, increasingly, her). The accounts of military action and technology in difficult terrain are as gripping as any adventure story, although like the war itself there is no satisfying conclusion, only a disturbing sense that mistakes have been made in the name of western nations. I am no military historian, but I find nothing especially surprising in the notion of soldiers doing their best but repeatedly tripping over the bootlaces of organisational challenges, inadequate supplies and other shortcomings. These and other themes were covered brilliantly in Dixon's "Psycholoigy of Military Incompetence". However Fergusson updates them in a contemporaneous context, which soldiers and politicians alike should find an instructive addition to Dixon's work.

Investigative writing at its best, 26 Nov 2008
I don't know much about the politics of war but having read this book I feel that I now have a pretty good inkling of what goes on - and it's not comforting. Perhaps most military adventures have always been conducted on a wing and a prayer but it's hard not to feel dismayed by the chances for real change and engagement that seem to have been thrown away, especially when the Taliban mention the fact that if somebody had tried diplomacy rather than dynamite, perhaps some kind of deal could have been struck - with better consequences for everybody. After all, it's hard to imagine worse consequences than those yielded by the gung-ho method so far. Brilliantly written, constantly engaging, this book also proves that the writer is not just a man of letters but also of considerable bravery. Would YOU go and meet the Taliban deep in their heartland for a chat, so that you could hear their point of view? Not me - so thank you, James Fergusson.

Insightful, 01 Oct 2008
James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the lack of investment in support services and the pressures on service families are all explored. In discussing the probable long term nature of this conflict, the Army's ongoing involvement in Iraq, shortfalls in recruitment & retention of service personnel and the reluctance of other NATO members to commit militarily to the fighting in Afghanistan some of the problems facing the Army are highlighted. The author's clandestine meeting with Taliban fighters in Feb 2007 gives a glimpse into the mindset of the NATO forces antagonists.

I found this a fascinating book, the author writing a warts and all account of the conflict and those involved in it. Recommended.



Biased and opinionated, 14 Aug 2008
This book doesn't do what it says on the cover. "The Real Story of the war in Afghanistan" its says on the cover. No, rather it is the story of the author's decision to write about the war - the over long prologue tells the story of one of his friends who was in the military in afghanistan and how his disillusionment pushed him to look further into the situation - what he found out and his opinion of it all. This is peppered with a selection of tales from soldiers involved in the fighting but if you are looking for "the story of the war" then i'd go elsewhere.

Muddling Through, 19 Jul 2008
James Fergusson has set out to cover a number of tangential matters than combine to point out the lack of a coherence and reality to NATO policy in Afghanistan, especially as this is applied by the British Army.

He tends to travel in the backwaters. Instead of the much rated 3 Para he visits the Ghurkhas and Royal Fusiliers from the 3 Para Battlegroup shut away in some unsupported location getting shot at by the Taleban and unable to perform their mission of reconstruction.

He examines the practical difficulties of a small force of military professionals trying to bring peace to an area by bringing war. The difficulties of persuading the locals that the corrupt and brutal police and Afghan Army are to be supported are laid out; as is the difficulty of making the police and army anything but corrupt when they are underpaid and undertrained. It's a real muddle.

By comparing the units supporting two helicopter types (Chinooks and Apaches) Fergusson can make valuable points about the under-funding of the effort and (perhaps more important) the underinvestment in keeping skilled personnel. Just having the best kit is no answer when service
personnel are condemned to long tours and divorces. But looking at the armour kit used by the cavalry one can see that in some cases it is not only old but designed for different operational conditions (mostly the North German Plain).

Fergusson travels to meet and talk to the Taliban, he clearly respects them and feels they need to be part of the solution. This has been the view of a number of British officials but is apparently not acceptable in the eyes of the more manichean Americans.

Although at times Fergusson seems rather innocent it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he is on to something. There is only one thing worse than fighting a war with allies; and that is fighting one without any.


One woman's love affair with a tortured land, 03 Sep 2008
In these memoirs the author writes about her experiences in Afghanistan, a country with which she has come to care deeply about and to explore intimately.
She details her experiences with people she has interviewed and come to know in Afghanistan and what she has come to witness in her years there.
Through the book she shapes a history of Afghnanistan, a rich land of many nations which has been invaded by many from the armies of Alexander the Great, the Persians and Mongols, the British and Russians/Soviets and most recently the Arab and Pakistani Islamists.
We learn that most of the Taliban were not Afghans at all but Arabs and Pakistani Islamo-Nazis barging into a county were they found it easy to wage their nihilist jihad and foist Islamo-Nazism on a hapless population.
The author explores the totalitarian and insane laws forced on the people by the Taliban in Afghanistan during the Taliban reign of terror, there, such as forcing women to be covered by a burka, to be not allowed out unless accompanied by a male relative, any woman who had her nails painted was to have her fingers cut off, and any woman who showed her ankles was to be whipped.

Music was banned, laughing in public was baned, chess was banned, card were banned, flying kites were banned, keeping any pets including birds was banned.

Of course the people of Afghanistan welcomed the American liberation of that country from the Taliban hell, even if Islamic jihadis and left wing fanatics around the world did not.
The people of Afghanistan wanted to be free, even if the likes of Noam Chomsky and the Satanic Stalinist Workers World Party in America or George Galloway's 'Respect' did not.

The author highlights memoirs of the holocaust perpetrated by the Soviets on the Afghan people, Isn't it ironic that the same Communist rabble around the world that supported Soviet atrocities in Afghanistan should be the same ones who loudly join in the hyena chorus against the USA for liberating Afghanistan from Taliban terror.
And why are radical feminists in the West so silent about atrocities against women in Islamic states, by the same Islamists these Western radicals are so quick to champion.

We also learn how the Afghans yearned for the peace and claim of the reign of the enlightened King Zahir Shah before 1973.
Zahir Shah had spilled no blood and allowed a peaceful and enlightened country to flourish in which women enjoyed full rights.
Afghanistan was plunged into the hell of the Soviet holocaust and then Islamist tyranny from 1978 when the Communists were foisted by the Soviets like a bacillus onto Afghanistan.

A very colourful, highly readable and exciting window into the tragedy of Afghanistan and it's liberation.
It was beautiful to read of the freedom enjoyed by women and girls after the Taliban were forced to flee.
Young women could wear lipstick and trousers and enjoy a full range of freedoms under the presidency of Hamid Karzai.
But still that country struggles under the terror of Islamist terrorism and the fear that the Taliban and Al Qaeda may regain control and reinstall their regime of terror.



THIS BOOK WOULD BE SO EASY TO MISS!, 25 Jan 2008
Why did Ms Lamb's editor allow her to choose this title! I suppose I feel a bit of a cheat because I only paid 50p for it from a local library sale, and then on a second visit, having bypassed this book the first time around because of its title. What on earth would I, a bloke, want to be reading a book about sewing circles in Herat written by someone called Christina Lamb? Well, at 50p a shot, why not? It was one of those "most important decisions I ever made" moments because it's the best book I have EVER read about this war-ravaged country and its people. Probably one of the most important books ever WRITTEN about the place. It should be compulsory reading for everyone sent to serve there in the military, and every leader of every country with a military presence there (and those who refuse to send troops) should be made to read it from cover to cover, because "about sewing circles in Herat" it ain't about. Now how on earth do we get this message out?

Much more than sewing circles, 29 Sep 2007
Lamb's title is misleading. The sewing circles which hid clandestine education for women forbidden by the Taliban, are but a minor part of the author's travels in Afghanistan in two main periods, the war against the Russians and just after the defeat of the Taliban. This is a terrible account of what war does to destroy a land and of the inhumanity of life under the strict Islam of the Taliban. Who can imagine what it must have been like to live under a regime where all picture, music and even laughter were banned. So what is related here is often ugly,violent and cruel. Lamb writes well but one cannot help wondering what was the mother of a young child thinking of to put her life at risk as she did. This is not a pleasant read but there is something of happiness before the end and now life in Kabul is, I can say from personal experience, much better than when Lamb wrote. Afghanistan though sadly remains a land of violence still in danger from oppressive Islamists


So much more than an entertaining tale, 25 Apr 2005
The Sewing Circles of Herat helps to bring today's Afghanistan into a clearer perspective. Christina Lamb lets the reader better see the faces and hearts of many who have been, to most westerners, simply names mentioned when Afghanistan was bigger TV pull. Lamb brings to light, through sharing her own experience, the personal and political struggle of the people of Afghanistan. Through her, the reader is able to get closer to the individual stories of strength and sorrow. She introduces warlords and foot soldiers, and through her they become real people. It is too easy to sit back and watch the newscasts, to turn them off and forget. In knowing more about the people involved, it is harder to forget.

Lamb does not tell an entertaining tale. She reports her own fascinating experience, and she reports it well. She gives the reader the details. She shares her deep love for a people, culture and county, and through her writing she allows the reader to share some of the sadness and joy with her. Above all the reader learns, of history, heroism, bravery, and caring. Lamb helps the reader see the landscape of Afghanistan in years past and now. And the reader, through Lamb, mourns the loss of what was Afghanistan, and hopes for what its people might have in the future.

Amazing!, 06 Mar 2005
I have never wanted to go to Afghanistan, mostly because of the bad press we in 'THE WEST' have had, but this book has changed my mind. We see both the bad and the good and still I want to see more. I cried and I laughed. Christina Lamb was so extraordinarily brave, that I wish I had had the courage to do what she did when I was in my early twenties. How sad that the culture and history of this vibrant country has been all but destroyed by misunderstood ideology and illiteracy!

Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?, 18 Sep 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male members of Sultan's family, despite them being allowed more freedom in Afghan society, is also callous and tyrannical.

It is easy to understand why the bookseller in question decided to take legal action against the author. The Bookseller of Kabul is billed as a non-fiction account of life with an Afghan family, written in the form of a novel. This is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the book, and, for me, created a strong sense of moral unease. If the author wished to write a true-life account of the sufferings of women in a traditional Afghan family, why did she not do so? Simply changing the name of the real life bookseller to her fictional Sultan Khan was not enough to protect the anonymity of her sources. Whatever one thinks about the bookseller - and his behaviour towards his family, if accurately reported, is indeed despicable - it is difficult not to conclude that Seierstad is guilty of a huge betrayal of trust. She must have known that merely changing the name of her subject would not protect his identity, when he is apparently such a high profile figure in Kabul. More importantly, she has exposed the identities of all of his family members, some of whom may now suffer the consequences.

Despite my misgivings about Seierstad's personal conduct in producing the book, it did provide a poignant account of the suffering and unhappiness that some Afghan women must endure at the hands of their men folk.

Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )


An interesting portrayal of life in Kabul at the beginning of the 21st century , 02 Sep 2008
Seirstad begins the book with a foreword in praise of Sultan Khan, the bookseller she meets in Kabul. I (or the reader) is maybe expecting a warm account of family life amongst the unsettled times in Kabul during 2002, and after the terrorist attacks in America. Alongside that, a little history of Afghanistan and the political environment that saw soldiers burning his books in the street.

However...what we get is a disturbing account of everyday life for that particular family and others who are mentioned. The author tells us that this is not necessarily a picture of all Afghani families but a picture she gleaned from her stay with the Khans. It is clear however that there are many families that the women gossiped about who have a similar way of life.

It's sociologically interesting because Sultan's sons are a different generation and don't necessarily have the views of their father. They are are scared to go against him because he will disown them...and no matter what culture you are from it would hurt to be disowned by your family. Yet unlike more western cultures where you would remain in contact with some members of your family, the women in this account are so suppressed that they follow their husbands no matter what their own views.
It was sadly ironic to read of Leila's hard and unfair life to which she wakes every day "...to the sound of 'Allahu akhbar' - 'God is great'. A new day which smells and tastes like every other day: of dust."

How awful it must be to worry about things (the sex of an unborn baby, or an attraction to someone from the opposite sex) that are out of your control, for fear of how you or your children will be treated.

Although written in novel form, you are always aware that the people in the story, albeit with changed names, are very real.

Another very good read on Afghanistan, 30 Jul 2008
This was the 4th book I had read about Afghanistan, after The Swallows of Kabul and Khaled Hosseini's two classic bestsellers. The difference is that this is a non-fiction book.

The author is a Norwegian journalist who lives with an Afghani family for a few months and observes their daily lives and interactions. The head of the household in which she resides is the owner of the bookstore. The book highlights the male dominated Afghani culture, and the author frequently relates her anger (and even disgust) at the inevitable but sad destinies of most women in Afghanistan. No matter how educated or ambitious, many are forced to settle for a role as housewife and essentially servant to the men of the house. Step out of line...and expect a beating.

A real insight into a culture very, very different from ours... an interesting read.

Never take books for granted, 12 May 2008
Asne was privileged to live with the `Khan' Afghan family in Kabul and was able to mingle with both men and women, probably because she was a westerner and knew no better. As a successful journalist Asne had spent six weeks with the commandos of the Northern Alliance - in the desert, the mountains, the valleys and the steppes, following their offensive against the Taliban.

What makes this book so interesting is that Asne has dared to describe thoughts and feelings of the family members - based on what they told her. This creates an immediacy and intimacy many similar books lack. We can definitely feel the frustrations of the men and the women - especially the downtrodden women!

Afghanistan in the 1970s was `westernised' in many ways, with luxurious hotels, electricity and running water in the towns and cities. (Since the fall of the Taliban, that's not the case now - it's a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated). Women didn't have to wear the burka and could be seen in public without a veil; they could work and helped the economy keep afloat. Unfortunately, three years of drought and a catastrophic famine in 1973 led to a coup against the ruling monarchy. The new regime was more repressive and proved incompetent. The Soviet invasion in 1979 was supposed to stabilise the area but had the opposite effect. Egypt, China, Pakistan and the US armed the rebels fighting the Soviets and war raged for almost ten years, devastating the country. Into the vacuum left by the departing Soviets came the Taliban. White flags - Taliban's holy colour - flew over the mosques. The war was over - a new war was about to start, a war that would trample all joy under foot. Art and culture were anathema to these religious bigots.

It was against the backdrop of this regime that Sultan Khan tried to save parts of Afghanistan's culture - books about the history and geography and the people, including poetry. We take books for granted in our country, we have more than enough clogging up charity shops - yet in Afghanistan - and in other restrictive regimes such as the now-defunct Soviet Union - books were rare and therefore treasured, passed from hand to hand until they fell apart. Sultan risked imprisonment and worse by secretly buying and selling books.

Then of course the terrorist attack on 11 September changed everything. The Taliban were ousted and for once in almost a generation it was felt that people could return to normality - if the warring power-hungry tribal leaders would let them.

Sultan was able to open his book shops. The books are Sultan's life and his livelihood. He employs his sons in his shops too. The women stayed at home, providing for the men.

So since the fall of the Taliban, things have improved, but not greatly, it seems. A woman's lot is better, but not by much, in Afghanistan. Some women have abandoned the restrictive burka. Asne describes the archaic clothing - it pinches the head and causes headaches; it's difficult to see anything through the cloth grille; you're enclosed, little air gets in and you continually perspire; and you must walk with care because you can't see your feet. How liberated the women feel when they get home and take off the burka!

In Afghanistan a woman's longing for love is taboo. Young people have no right to meet, to love or to choose. Young women are above all objects to be bartered or sold because marriage is a contract between families or within families. Some women protested with suicide and song and Asne quotes from a book of poems: one asks Gods to make her a stone in the next life, rather than a woman.

It's the men's attitude to their women that really annoyed Asne. To all appearances there's no sex life in Afghanistan. Women hide behind the burka. Men and women who do not belong to the same family mustn't sit together in the same room. They must not talk to each other or eat together. But human nature can't be deprived; under the surface all is seething. In spite of running the risk of the death penalty, in Afghanistan too people have lovers and mistresses.

Asne has an observant eye and her fascination with everything she witnessed comes across, infusing the book with wonderful dialogue. Besides writing about weddings and journeys, relations and family squabbles, she also tells the stories of some female family members and how they face up to the bullying and hypocrisy of their men-folk. Especially poignant is Leila's story - frustrated in love, she is used as a virtual slave by her family. Asne's writing is fine and often moving: `... her crushed heart she leaves behind. Soon it blends with the dust... That evening she will sweep it up and throw it out...'

There's no happy ending. Let's hope the country will one day find one.


A captivating read., 15 Mar 2008
I read this book in a day, hardly moving from my sunbed on holiday. It's an amazing insight into life in Afghanistan. As a female, I was totally horrified by the sad existance the women lead. They truly are seen as 2nd class citizens! The author lived with the Khan family and you get a birds eye view of real Afghan life behind closed doors. If you enjoyed the Kite Runner then this is worth reading.

Courageous, stimulating, 29 Dec 2008
This book is courageous in more ways than one. First and foremost, the author has exposed himself to danger in researching his story, which is something that deserves the reader's respect. Second, he hasn't made black and white judgements on either side of the conflict. This might upset the Daily Mail (especially JF's effort to understand the motives of the Taliban), but at heart it is an intelligent approach that assumes the reader can make his/her own mind up (or try to). It is a rare example of honest and old-fashioned rapportage that does not offer prescriptions but informs the prescriptive process. Like many of us, JF has huge sympathy for the professional soldier and somewhat less for the motives and actions of the politicians who deploy him (and, increasingly, her). The accounts of military action and technology in difficult terrain are as gripping as any adventure story, although like the war itself there is no satisfying conclusion, only a disturbing sense that mistakes have been made in the name of western nations. I am no military historian, but I find nothing especially surprising in the notion of soldiers doing their best but repeatedly tripping over the bootlaces of organisational challenges, inadequate supplies and other shortcomings. These and other themes were covered brilliantly in Dixon's "Psycholoigy of Military Incompetence". However Fergusson updates them in a contemporaneous context, which soldiers and politicians alike should find an instructive addition to Dixon's work.

Investigative writing at its best, 26 Nov 2008
I don't know much about the politics of war but having read this book I feel that I now have a pretty good inkling of what goes on - and it's not comforting. Perhaps most military adventures have always been conducted on a wing and a prayer but it's hard not to feel dismayed by the chances for real change and engagement that seem to have been thrown away, especially when the Taliban mention the fact that if somebody had tried diplomacy rather than dynamite, perhaps some kind of deal could have been struck - with better consequences for everybody. After all, it's hard to imagine worse consequences than those yielded by the gung-ho method so far. Brilliantly written, constantly engaging, this book also proves that the writer is not just a man of letters but also of considerable bravery. Would YOU go and meet the Taliban deep in their heartland for a chat, so that you could hear their point of view? Not me - so thank you, James Fergusson.

Insightful, 01 Oct 2008
James Ferguson examines the experiences of a variety of Units from within the UK Armed Forces taking part in the military campaign in Afghanistan, making extensive use of first hand accounts from serving and ex-service personnel. Their testimonies underline the courage, ingenuity and resilience demonstrated on a daily basis by our troops in action on Operation Herrick.

The political aspects of the conflict are also discussed, the lack of a coherent long term plan and the apparent lack of progress in the re-development of the infrastucture in Afghanistan highlight some of the difficulties facing soldiers trying to win 'hearts and minds' on the ground.

The impact on troops encumbered by old or inappropriate equipment, the lack of investment in support services and the pressures on service families are all explored. In discussing the probable long term nature of this conflict, the Army's ongoing involvement in Iraq, shortfalls in recruitment & retention of service personnel and the reluctance of other NATO members to commit militarily to the fighting in Afghanistan some of the problems facing the Army are highlighted. The author's clandestine meeting with Taliban fighters in Feb 2007 gives a glimpse into the mindset of the NATO forces antagonists.

I found this a fascinating book, the author writing a warts and all account of the conflict and those involved in it. Recommended.



Biased and opinionated, 14 Aug 2008
This book doesn't do what it says on the cover. "The Real Story of the war in Afghanistan" its says on the cover. No, rather it is the story of the author's decision to write about the war - the over long prologue tells the story of one of his friends who was in the military in afghanistan and how his disillusionment pushed him to look further into the situation - what he found out and his opinion of it all. This is peppered with a selection of tales from soldiers involved in the fighting but if you are looking for "the story of the war" then i'd go elsewhere.

Muddling Through, 19 Jul 2008
James Fergusson has set out to cover a number of tangential matters than combine to point out the lack of a coherence and reality to NATO policy in Afghanistan, especially as this is applied by the British Army.

He tends to travel in the backwaters. Instead of the much rated 3 Para he visits the Ghurkhas and Royal Fusiliers from the 3 Para Battlegroup shut away in some unsupported location getting shot at by the Taleban and unable to perform their mission of reconstruction.

He examines the practical difficulties of a small force of military professionals trying to bring peace to an area by bringing war. The difficulties of persuading the locals that the corrupt and brutal police and Afghan Army are to be supported are laid out; as is the difficulty of making the police and army anything but corrupt when they are underpaid and undertrained. It's a real muddle.

By comparing the units supporting two helicopter types (Chinooks and Apaches) Fergusson can make valuable points about the under-funding of the effort and (perhaps more important) the underinvestment in keeping skilled personnel. Just having the best kit is no answer when service
personnel are condemned to long tours and divorces. But looking at the armour kit used by the cavalry one can see that in some cases it is not only old but designed for different operational conditions (mostly the North German Plain).

Fergusson travels to meet and talk to the Taliban, he clearly respects them and feels they need to be part of the solution. This has been the view of a number of British officials but is apparently not acceptable in the eyes of the more manichean Americans.

Although at times Fergusson seems rather innocent it is difficult to avoid the conclusion that he is on to something. There is only one thing worse than fighting a war with allies; and that is fighting one without any.


One woman's love affair with a tortured land, 03 Sep 2008
In these memoirs the author writes about her experiences in Afghanistan, a country with which she has come to care deeply about and to explore intimately.
She details her experiences with people she has interviewed and come to know in Afghanistan and what she has come to witness in her years there.
Through the book she shapes a history of Afghnanistan, a rich land of many nations which has been invaded by many from the armies of Alexander the Great, the Persians and Mongols, the British and Russians/Soviets and most recently the Arab and Pakistani Islamists.
We learn that most of the Taliban were not Afghans at all but Arabs and Pakistani Islamo-Nazis barging into a county were they found it easy to wage their nihilist jihad and foist Islamo-Nazism on a hapless population.
The author explores the totalitarian and insane laws forced on the people by the Taliban in Afghanistan during the Taliban reign of terror, there, such as forcing women to be covered by a burka, to be not allowed out unless accompanied by a male relative, any woman who had her nails painted was to have her fingers cut off, and any woman who showed her ankles was to be whipped.

Music was banned, laughing in public was baned, chess was banned, card were banned, flying kites were banned, keeping any pets including birds was banned.

Of course the people of Afghanistan welcomed the American liberation of that country from the Taliban hell, even if Islamic jihadis and left wing fanatics around the world did not.
The people of Afghanistan wanted to be free, even if the likes of Noam Chomsky and the Satanic Stalinist Workers World Party in America or George Galloway's 'Respect' did not.

The author highlights memoirs of the holocaust perpetrated by the Soviets on the Afghan people, Isn't it ironic that the same Communist rabble around the world that supported Soviet atrocities in Afghanistan should be the same ones who loudly join in the hyena chorus against the USA for liberating Afghanistan from Taliban terror.
And why are radical feminists in the West so silent about atrocities against women in Islamic states, by the same Islamists these Western radicals are so quick to champion.

We also learn how the Afghans yearned for the peace and claim of the reign of the enlightened King Zahir Shah before 1973.
Zahir Shah had spilled no blood and allowed a peaceful and enlightened country to flourish in which women enjoyed full rights.
Afghanistan was plunged into the hell of the Soviet holocaust and then Islamist tyranny from 1978 when the Communists were foisted by the Soviets like a bacillus onto Afghanistan.

A very colourful, highly readable and exciting window into the tragedy of Afghanistan and it's liberation.
It was beautiful to read of the freedom enjoyed by women and girls after the Taliban were forced to flee.
Young women could wear lipstick and trousers and enjoy a full range of freedoms under the presidency of Hamid Karzai.
But still that country struggles under the terror of Islamist terrorism and the fear that the Taliban and Al Qaeda may regain control and reinstall their regime of terror.



THIS BOOK WOULD BE SO EASY TO MISS!, 25 Jan 2008
Why did Ms Lamb's editor allow her to choose this title! I suppose I feel a bit of a cheat because I only paid 50p for it from a local library sale, and then on a second visit, having bypassed this book the first time around because of its title. What on earth would I, a bloke, want to be reading a book about sewing circles in Herat written by someone called Christina Lamb? Well, at 50p a shot, why not? It was one of those "most important decisions I ever made" moments because it's the best book I have EVER read about this war-ravaged country and its people. Probably one of the most important books ever WRITTEN about the place. It should be compulsory reading for everyone sent to serve there in the military, and every leader of every country with a military presence there (and those who refuse to send troops) should be made to read it from cover to cover, because "about sewing circles in Herat" it ain't about. Now how on earth do we get this message out?

Much more than sewing circles, 29 Sep 2007
Lamb's title is misleading. The sewing circles which hid clandestine education for women forbidden by the Taliban, are but a minor part of the author's travels in Afghanistan in two main periods, the war against the Russians and just after the defeat of the Taliban. This is a terrible account of what war does to destroy a land and of the inhumanity of life under the strict Islam of the Taliban. Who can imagine what it must have been like to live under a regime where all picture, music and even laughter were banned. So what is related here is often ugly,violent and cruel. Lamb writes well but one cannot help wondering what was the mother of a young child thinking of to put her life at risk as she did. This is not a pleasant read but there is something of happiness before the end and now life in Kabul is, I can say from personal experience, much better than when Lamb wrote. Afghanistan though sadly remains a land of violence still in danger from oppressive Islamists


So much more than an entertaining tale, 25 Apr 2005
The Sewing Circles of Herat helps to bring today's Afghanistan into a clearer perspective. Christina Lamb lets the reader better see the faces and hearts of many who have been, to most westerners, simply names mentioned when Afghanistan was bigger TV pull. Lamb brings to light, through sharing her own experience, the personal and political struggle of the people of Afghanistan. Through her, the reader is able to get closer to the individual stories of strength and sorrow. She introduces warlords and foot soldiers, and through her they become real people. It is too easy to sit back and watch the newscasts, to turn them off and forget. In knowing more about the people involved, it is harder to forget.

Lamb does not tell an entertaining tale. She reports her own fascinating experience, and she reports it well. She gives the reader the details. She shares her deep love for a people, culture and county, and through her writing she allows the reader to share some of the sadness and joy with her. Above all the reader learns, of history, heroism, bravery, and caring. Lamb helps the reader see the landscape of Afghanistan in years past and now. And the reader, through Lamb, mourns the loss of what was Afghanistan, and hopes for what its people might have in the future.

Amazing!, 06 Mar 2005
I have never wanted to go to Afghanistan, mostly because of the bad press we in 'THE WEST' have had, but this book has changed my mind. We see both the bad and the good and still I want to see more. I cried and I laughed. Christina Lamb was so extraordinarily brave, that I wish I had had the courage to do what she did when I was in my early twenties. How sad that the culture and history of this vibrant country has been all but destroyed by misunderstood ideology and illiteracy!

Not a good book on Afghanistan, 10 Nov 2007
One would have to either question Ms. Shakib's intentions while writing this book or question her sources. As an Afghanistani I found finding a lot of what she wrote suspect. She wanted to mention all the extreme casing ranging from the times of the Soviet to the Taliban era, which would cover a lot, too much in fact. In doing so, she messed up the timeline of the events and even the ages of some of the characters. The historical accuracy is off as well - though the events of what she wrote about are in fact true i.e. Soviets, Mujaheddin, Taliban, etc. there were a few things that she wrote during these eras that did not make sense - giving the idea that perhaps her sources were either lying to her or she filled in gaps without doing her own research.

Somtimes she would go on talking about or referring to a character without giving them a name, even a fake name to protect the identity of the person. It becomes tiresome to have to continuously read "tea house owner" or "this sister" or "that sister." Not only does it belittle the reader but it also downgrades the characters themselves to the point where they are just faceless identities who are not important.

A very important issue that she fails to even mention is the ethnic issue in Afghanistan. She calls everyone "Afghan" and goes on talk about Afghan this and Afghan that. In Afghanistan, there are many different ethnicities from Tajik, Pashtun, Uzbek, Hazara, and more and it has always been a major issue in the country. The ethnic issue was not mentioned at all.

What Ms. Shakib succeeded in creating is a book pushed by the organization of RAWA which has brainwashed the author, using her to promote their own agendas. It was extremely boring and though there are a few good lines sporadically throughout the book they were lost in the midst of all the inaccuracy and questionable details.

If you would like to read a good book on Afghanistan that is much closer to capturing the real events then I would recommend Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner.

One of the worst books I have read on Afghanistan, 16 Oct 2007
I think the Western audience must be desperate for books on Afghanistan to have rated this book so high. I have read many many excellent fiction and non-fiction on Afghanistan, and this book pales in comparison.

Women in Afghanistan have suffered tremendously over the past 20 years, there is no denying that. They have suffered at the hands of their successive governments, the Taliban and Afghan men and Afghan Warlords.

It seems the author has taken multiple experiences of various Afghan women and woven it into one life. The author also is biased and racist towards Pakistan, and delusional about the role Iran played in assisting the Afghan refugees. Unlike Iran, Pakistan never threw out Afghan refugees on the pretext of them causing shortages for the locals. Even today about 6 million Afghans live in Pakistan. As for assistance to the refugees, people from all walks of life gave everything they had to the refugees, and I am not just talking of a few hand me down clothes. Today Afghans live in cities all over Pakistan, earning a livelihood that they cannot get in Afghanistan. A large number even have Pakistani passports.

Unlike Iran, Pakistan is a free society for women. They can go anywhere without a burqa or a head scarf. Those who choose to wear either of the two do so out of choice, not because the government forces them to. Men and women can mingle freely without repercussions from the government. Women can travel anywhere without a male escort.

It is humanely impossible to have luxurious refugee camps housing 1 million people. So if life is not so nice in the camps, it's because of their enormous size. These camps are run by the UNHCR, so they should be criticized, not Pakistan. I would like anyone to name one country that would allow 6 million plus refugees to live almost permanently in their land. What has Pakistan suffered due to the refugees; deforestation, mass scale garbage and sewerage issues, drugs and guns from Afghanistan (before this there was hardly a drug problem in Pakistan now its scale is frightening), lawlessness, total devastation of cities on the border due to the mass influx of millions of people etc.

As for the repeated reference to the darker skin of the Pakistani children of Shirin Gol, I just want to state one fact that the Pakistanis from Peshawar have the same skin tone as the Afghans cause they are from the same tribe. So I can only deduce that the author is racist. Some Iranians do have a superiority complex over Pakistanis because they think their skin tone is lighter. If Shirin Gol actually had children of a smuggler chief from Peshawar or Peshawar policemen then they would look very much like her Afghan children.

Where has Pakistan failed? In telling its side of the story. On an individual and a government level we have readily acknowledged the mistakes we made vis a vis the Taliban, which makes us a nation that has the ability to address is faults something not many can do. BUT WE HAVE FAILED TO TELL OF THE SACRIFICES WE HAVE MADE FOR THE AFGHAN REFUGEES, THE SACRIFICES WE HAVE MADE AS A NATION FOR SHOWING HUMANITY AND COMPASSSION FOR OUR AFGHAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS.



Read this book!, 12 Jan 2007
This is one of the best books I have read for a very long time, as well as being a very moving story I also found that at times it was very funny.

Fantastic, 08 Sep 2006
This is a fantastic book. Its one of those books that are written in the style that has elegance and written for the character that is narrating depending on theit age at the time of writing. It starts of with Shirin Gol's character as a child and her way of thinking when she is younger questioning herself why? things occur. As she learns and develops from a teenager to a adult her experience travels with her and is shown in her personality and her personality that enables to answer those questions she asked her self as a child? She exploers her world and situations and is able to develop her own understanding of the world. This is a thorough account and as you read on you begin to get more enticed in the book and the style in which it is written. I loved it and found it difficult to put down.

Absolutely amazing, 22 Aug 2006
Absolutely amazing. Could not put the book down, Read it in 1 day! Very moving, brings tears to eyes!

Superb, 05 Dec 2008
This is an excellent book, highly recommended to anyone wishing to place the current US/UK military involvement into historical context.

David Loyn puts his years of experience as a BBC foreign correspondent to good use in identifying parallels between the Taliban fighters of today and their 19th century predecessors, the Ghazis. Throughout the book he highlights numerous political and military events that have been repeated and it is frightening to read the number of quotes from centuries past which could so easily be applied to the current conflict - one can't help feeling the modern generation of politicians and military commanders have learnt little from their forerunners' mistakes.

Foreign involvement in Afghanistan has often appeared focused on the short term and so it will be interesting to see if the US/UK have the long term planning, political and moral determination to impose their view of democracy on a reluctant Afghan nation. Or will Rudyard Kipling, who knew the North West Frontier so well in an earlier time, be correct in saying that the cheaper man with his ten rupee jezail (probably an AK47 today)will prevail?

This really is an excellent book and provides valuable insight into the British Army's current action as well as an honest and fair appraisal of the complex nature of the Afghan people.

There's a rat in my kitchen, what am I gonna do?, 18 Sep 2008
This account of an Afghan middle class family in the period immediately after the fall of the Taliban gives some acute and depressing insights into the routine and unthinking oppression that is the lot of many Afghan women. The bookseller - head of a large family - dragoons his sons into working long hours in his various bookshops and cruelly disregards the feelings of the female members of his family. He takes a young, uneducated second wife after he tires of his older, educated first wife. She is left to languish in Pakistan for years, cut off from her sons and daughters, until Sultan relents and allows her to return to Kabul. Sultan's younger sister is reduced to the role of a domestic servant, and her desire to teach is thwarted. The treatment of the male members of Sultan's family, despite them being allowed more freedom in Afghan society, is also callous and tyrannical.

It is easy to understand why the bookseller in question decided to take legal action against the author. The Bookseller of Kabul is billed as a non-fiction account of life with an Afghan family, written in the form of a novel. This is the source of much of the controversy surrounding the book, and, for me, created a strong sense of moral unease. If the author wished to write a true-life account of the sufferings of women in a traditional Afghan family, why did she not do so? Simply changing the name of the real life bookseller to her fictional Sultan Khan was not enough to protect the anonymity of her sources. Whatever one thinks about the bookseller - and his behaviour towards his family, if accurately reported, is indeed despicable - it is difficult not to conclude that Seierstad is guilty of a huge betrayal of trust. She must have known that merely changing the name of her subject would not protect his identity, when he is apparently such a high profile figure in Kabul. More importantly, she has exposed the identities of all of his family members, some of whom may now suffer the consequences.

Despite my misgivings about Seierstad's personal conduct in producing the book, it did provide a poignant account of the suffering and unhappiness that some Afghan women must endure at the hands of their men folk.

Review by Tony Judge, author of Sirocco Express (ISBN: 978-1409204466 )


An interesting portrayal of life in Kabul at the beginning of the 21st century , 02 Sep 2008
Seirstad begins the book with a foreword in praise of Sultan Khan, the bookseller she meets in Kabul. I (or the reader) is maybe expecting a warm account of family life amongst the unsettled times in Kabul during 2002, and after the terrorist attacks in America. Alongside that, a little history of Afghanistan and the political environment that saw soldiers burning his books in the street.

However...what we get is a disturbing account of everyday life for that particular family and others who are mentioned. The author tells us that this is not necessarily a picture of all Afghani families but a picture she gleaned from her stay with the Khans. It is clear however that there are many families that the women gossiped about who have a similar way of life.

It's sociologically interesting because Sultan's sons are a different generation and don't necessarily have the views of their father. They are are scared to go against him because he will disown them...and no matter what culture you are from it would hurt to be disowned by your family. Yet unlike more western cultures where you would remain in contact with some members of your family, the women in this account are so suppressed that they follow their husbands no matter what their own views.
It was sadly ironic to read of Leila's hard and unfair life to which she wakes every day "...to the sound of 'Allahu akhbar' - 'God is great'. A new day which smells and tastes like every other day: of dust."

How awful it must be to worry about things (the sex of an unborn baby, or an attraction to someone from the opposite sex) that are out of your control, for fear of how you or your children will be treated.

Although written in novel form, you are always aware that the people in the story, albeit with changed names, are very real.

Another very good read on Afghanistan, 30 Jul 2008
This was the 4th book I had read about Afghanistan, after The Swallows of Kabul and Khaled Hosseini's two classic bestsellers. The difference is that this is a non-fiction book.

The author is a Norwegian journalist who lives with an Afghani family for a few months and observes their daily lives and interactions. The head of the household in which she resides is the owner of the bookstore. The book highlights the male dominated Afghani culture, and the author frequently relates her anger (and even disgust) at the inevitable but sad destinies of most women in Afghanistan. No matter how educated or ambitious, many are forced to settle for a role as housewife and essentially servant to the men of the house. Step out of line...and expect a beating.

A real insight into a culture very, very different from ours... an interesting read.

Never take books for granted, 12 May 2008
Asne was privileged to live with the `Khan' Afghan family in Kabul and was able to mingle with both men and women, probably because she was a westerner and knew no better. As a successful journalist Asne had spent six weeks with the commandos of the Northern Alliance - in the desert, the mountains, the valleys and the steppes, following their offensive against the Taliban.

What makes this book so interesting is that Asne has dared to describe thoughts and feelings of the family members - based on what they told her. This creates an immediacy and intimacy many similar books lack. We can definitely feel the frustrations of the men and the women - especially the downtrodden women!

Afghanistan in the 1970s was `westernised' in many ways, with luxurious hotels, electricity and running water in the towns and cities. (Since the fall of the Taliban, that's not the case now - it's a derelict city, filthy and crammed but not defeated). Women didn't have to wear the burka and could be seen in public without a veil; they could work and helped the economy keep afloat. Unfortunately, three years of drought and a catastrophic famine in 1973 led to a coup against the ruling monarchy. The new regime was more repressi