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Among the Afghans (Central Asia Book Series)
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About Among The Afghans
Product Description Arthur Bonner, a New York Times reporter with long experience as a foreign correspondent in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, spent most of 1985 and 1986 in Afghanistan and Pakistan researching the aftermath of the 1979 Soviet invasion of this mountainous, fiercely Islamic country. Bonner made another trip to Pakistan in mid-1987 to test his conclusions against recent events. Bonner therefore brings both recent experience and the sharp eye of a veteran journalist to an analysis of the Afghan situation: the tenacity and courage of the resistance, the massive emmigration, and the toll taken by the seemingly endless conflict on the country and its people. The author has seen both the great and small of Afghanistan--both the seared flesh of the hand that an Afghan mujahidin held in the fire to demonstrate his courage and the geopolitical reasons that impelled the former Soviet Union of set its might and treasure against a people who resisted with a fierce and sometimes (to Western eyes) thoughtless courage. This is the story of these antagonists--sobering, chilling, and finally enlightening. From Library Journal Bonner, a New York Times reporter, joins the growing ranks of those who have gone to Afghanistan and written a book on their experiences. Reading the vignettes, at first one might think this book represents a simple journalistic treatment of a complex issue. Not so. Bonner's coverage is not all pro-Afghanihe asks probing questions and does not begin his reporting of politics in 1979 but rather shows the evolution of parties from the 1950s. Another area he focuses on is Western medical assistance. Libraries will have a difficult time finding a better book on this topic. Donald Clay Johnson, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc. Review “Well-researched, balanced, and compasstionate. . . . Mr. Bonner is an objective observer who pursues the facts with vigor.”— New York Times Book Review “Bonner devoted several years to learning about Afghanistan, researching and traveling with the mujahidin. He has transformed his learning and experience into an eloquent and engrossing traveler’s tale.”—Orbis “Well-researched, balanced, and compassionate. . . . Mr. Bonner is an objective observer who pursues the facts with vigor.” ― New York Times Book Review From the Back Cover "Well-researched, balanced, and compasstionate. . . . Mr. Bonner is an objective observer who pursues the facts with vigor."--"New York Times Book Review" "Bonner devoted several years to learning about Afghanistan, researching and traveling with the "mujahidin." He has transformed his learning and experience into an eloquent and engrossing traveler's tale."--"Orbis" "A superior work of journalism. . . . The charm of "Among the Afgans" lies primarily in its evocation of the traveler's experience among an alien people. But these qualities cannot be captured in a review; they come out only in a full and intensive reading in which one can immerse oneself in Bonner's powerful account of his months in the crisp mountain air. . . . Beyond its fine descriptions of the "mujahidin" [holy warriors] way of life, "Among the Afghans" provides a fund of information."--"Commentary" "A comprehensive, first-hand report on the war in Afghanistan by a veteran freelance correspondent for the "New York Times." Bonner spent much of 1985 and 1986 in that battered land, witnessing the scars of the Soviet invasion. He lived with numerous bands of "mujadihin," sharing their rude way of life (sleeping on flea-infested mats, dining on chunks of bread floating in grease), marveling at the ability to fight the Russians with WWI bolt-action rifles, discovering the worship of bravery, honor, and revenge that makes their resistance so obstinate. Bonner doesn't glamorize his hosts; Afghans come across as vain, contentious, narrow-minded, sometimes cruel. . . . This book, with its dramatic narrative and its useful
