If you need a break from the political discussions about Syria, but still feel you’d like to know the country better, take a look at these fine books set in Syria that we have reviewed. They’ll help you understand the ancient and amazing country.
Tag Archives: Afghanistan
The Places In Between – A Man and His Dog Walk Across Afghanistan
Pet Travel Tuesday
Destination: Afghanistan
Book: The Places in Between, by Rory Stewart (2004)
By Pamela Douglas Webster
(Note: Take a quiz about Afghanistan at Something Wagging This Way Comes)
Rory Stewart set out to cross Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and Nepal on foot. It was his personal mission to follow in the footsteps of Babur, the Central Asian conquerer founded the Mughal dynasty of India.
But his journey was interrupted when Iran withdrew his visa and Afghanistan, then in the grip of the Taliban, would not allow him to enter the country. Continue reading The Places In Between – A Man and His Dog Walk Across Afghanistan
Afghanistan Fragmented in New Book by Masha Hamilton
Destination: Afghanistan
Book: What Changes Everything (NEW June 2013) by Masha Hamilton
(Disclosure: years ago, before she had published her first novel, I knew Masha Hamilton when she lived in Tucson)
Before you even open this book, you get a treat. The dust jacket is the most striking cover art I’ve seen this year. And the style and choice of artwork becomes clear when you read the book. I spend a lot of time complaining about book covers, so I wanted to take this opportunity to praise the publisher, Unbridled Books and designers David Ryski and Kathleen Lynch.
Even better–in this case you CAN tell a book by its cover. What Changes Everything is as innovative, arresting, gritty, relevant and personal as the cover suggests. Masha Hamilton clearly knows the country and the people–Americans in Brooklyn, Afghans, Russian emigres–that she writes about. She currently serves as the press officer for the U.S. Embassy in Kabul. Even before that, she had been a regular in Afghanistan, and founded the Afghan Women’s Writing Project–and if you don’t know about it, you can learn more in this article I wrote about AWWP. Continue reading Afghanistan Fragmented in New Book by Masha Hamilton