The Places In Between by Rory Stewart
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Book Reviews of The Places In Between
Book Review: Rory Stewart's A Nutter, In A Good Way
Summary: 5 Stars
My wife kept insisting I should read this book. "No", I say to the wife, "I've already read "Three Cups of Tea" and I don't want to hear any more about some westerner who is trying to help the people of Afghanistan, while those vile Afghani warlords interfere with his do-gooder quest and try to block all the help". "Ah-ha" she replies, "this book is very different. In fact, the author doesn't try to help change the country at all". Hmm, I think, now that might be worth reading about.
And sure enough, the book is fascinating in a kind of perverse way - I kept thinking the author must have actually died somewhere along the way - murdered by some crazed opium warlord, and his body left in a drift of snow on some mountain pass. Perhaps his diary was found by somebody who could read English, and it became a posthumous book for Mr. Stewart. Maybe this happens, maybe this doesn't happen - I'm not giving away any of the book's secrets.
I became convinced that the author is actually a mentally disturbed man who would be just as happy banging his head against a brick wall repeatedly as to do anything the conventional way. Still, even if the man is a nutter, he sure is adventurous, eloquent, and a good writer. His story was so compelling, I felt like I was walking beside him on his journey. It sure was cold, and I got tired of eating dry bread. If you read this book, you will most likely be drawn into his fascinating journey as I was.
Book Review: facinating account of travels through a dangerous and mystifying country
Summary: 5 Stars
Having traveled through Afghanistan during the early 70s, I felt disappointed that I could never fully convey the experience of "wildness" that characterized this country: there was no apparent central government; there was a sense (and newspaper articles on the bulletin board of the local embassy to provide support) that foreigners could easily disappear and never be heard from again; every adult male seemed to be fully armed with both gun and machete (although this was prior to the war with the Soviets)--it seemed to be a culture outside civilization as I had ever seen it. Although Afghanistan has experienced numerous invasions and struggles since that time, this book captures both the harsh physical environment as well as the unforgiving social and economic realities of this "nation" which is more a collection of fiercely independent tribes than a people with a common sense of identity. As I read and was entranced by this narrative, I alternated between wondering why on earth anyone would willingly submit to this torturous journey, and then feeling amazed and envious of his ability to (at least at moments) get inside this very non-western culture. I have already bought Stewart's next book, and can't wait to be enchanted once again. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in some of the reasons why the U.S. has found it surprisingly difficult to "bring democracy" to Afghanistan.Book Review: A Singularly Important Book
Summary: 5 Stars
This goes on the IMHO List for Top 5 most important non-fiction books. It is a fascinating book if you want to vicariously go to a place you would never go to (rural Afghanistan) and do something you would never (in your right mind) want to do, walk across it. But it joins "A Bright Shining Lie," "Cycles of American History," "The Devil Came on Horseback, and "Parting the Waters" as books every American should read.
"A Bright Shining Lie" tells the story of the generation-defining war in Vietnam through the life of someone who believed in it. "Cycles of American History" explains our historical, psychological (schizophrenic!) tension between the private and the public. "Parting the Waters" chronicles the Civil Rights movement, not as some mythologized magic moment, but as a movement of fallible individuals responding to a system of disenfranchisement and terror. "The Devil Came on Horseback" explains Darfur, and how easy can that be?
"The Places in Between" explains a culture that is very, very alien to us. But it does it by introducing us to people, who have had to adapt to a harsh land and a harsher history, but they are still people, just like us. If I were to caveat my glowing review of this book, I might say that it is best if read along with another non-fiction story of great compassion and understanding, "Three Cups of Tea," also about Afghanistan.
Book Review: Great Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
I have never been to Afghanistan. I have read half a dozen books about it but this is the only one which has given me much of a feel for what the people are like.
Stewart walks from Herat to Kabul a few weeks after the Americans and British 'defeated' the Taliban in the winter of 2001-2. He walks on a route that no-one uses for long distance travel, even in a car or truck, a route which is direct as the crow flies, through many mountainous villages.
The book gives some indication of the different races, languages, and political affiliations, affiliations between regional overlords, those who fought for and against the Russians, for and against the Taliban. Almost everyone lives in bone-numbing poverty, at least by European standards.
Unless I missed something Stewart met precisely three women during this journey, and only talked to one of them. There were probably more but if there were, he doesn't mention them. Afghanistan is evidently a country in which women stay out of sight. Whether or not the Taliban are in power only makes a difference of degree. This is not a matter of much apparent interest to Stewart, but his conversations and interactions with the men he meets are unputdownable. Almost everyone he meets is carrying a Kalashnikov.
It starts slowly but develops a head of steam. Great reading.
Book Review: writing that becomes lyrical, a journey that is epic
Summary: 5 Stars
Rory Stewart's walk across Afghanistan is a spectacular act of courage and a wish to know firsthand. I found it hard to read at times -- for example, when he develops what seemes to be a camaraderie with a man both sadistic and loyal, whose idea of fun is frightening young children. Rory Stewart does not overtly muse about this complex relationship though he describes it so well that presumably the reader wonders about it because Rory Stewart is also uncertain and perhaps uncomfortable with the dichotomy. At other times, he does express clear feelings -- for example, his sense of the superficiality and self-serving nature of those who "help" without first-hand knowledge of what those receiving this "help" actually need and want. There are riveting descriptions of scenes he witnesses or participates in and, as the book goes on, his writing becomes almost lyrical. There is the dog he walks with for part of his journey, Babur. And then there is the man himself. Rory Stewart never seems to pity himself, even when he very nearly succumbs to the cold and snow and being sick. Although he is sometimes in very dangerous situations with the people he meets, one senses by the time he gets near Kabul a weary impatience and doggedness that make him refuse to be bullied after all he has seen and lived through. I highly recommend this book.