The Places In Between by Rory Stewart
|
List Price: Our Price: $1.04 You Save: $13.91 (93%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Places In Between
Book Review: An unusual journey
Summary: 5 Stars
In 2000-2001, Rory Stewart embarked on a long journey to walk across Iran, Pakistan, India, Nepal and Afghanistan. "The Places In Between" focused exclusively on the Afghanistan part of his journey. Throughout his journey, Stewart wrote candidly about the villages, people, climate, and culture of Afghanistan. In what appeared to be an extremely dangerous place to visit, Stewart managed to educate his readers on a country devastated by war and poverty. In the midst of this journey, Stewart "bought" a retired war dog, whose ears and tail were cut off. He named the dog, Babur, after Emperor Babur, the founder of the Mughal dynasty. Babur became Stewart's companion and together, they endured the harsh winter, and danger of travelling by foot across Afghanistan.
This was a fascinating read for me as I felt that I learned a lot about the people of Afghanistan and just diverse the people were. His writing was clear and concise and he was able to describe vividly the sights and sounds of the country. Communication with the locals was for the most part not a problem for Stewart as he was fluent in Urdu and Farsi. It was an engaging read for me especially when he had developed a close relationship with Babur. Highly recommended, especially for people who wants to learn more about Afghanistan beyond what was shown on TV.
Book Review: Insights into the people and places of Afghanistan
Summary: 5 Stars
Rory Stewart's trip was a strange one to be sure. A trip, by foot only, across Afghanistan just after the collapse of the Taliban. While not the best written book by far, it's the contents of the book that matter.
One can't help come away from the book with a sense of foreboding. We may think of Afghanistan of a single homogenous "nation" but it is really nothing of the sort. First there are the tribal differences Tajik, Hazara, Pashtun etc. Then, the pro vs. anti-Taliban and those who fought the Soviets vs. those who collaborated. Finally there are the differences within the tribal groups themselves.
One thing I haven't seen in the reviews is the expose of the international aid groups. More concerned about creating a "centralized, broad-based, multi-ethnic gov't committed to democracy, human rights, and the rule of law," than in actually feeding people. These people are the modern day equivalent of the British imperialists of the 19th century. Except they intend to bring about the above quote even though to 99% of the Afghan people this is meaningless babble. No wonder we are losing Afghanistan.
Overall this is a book full of interesting facts, figures, people and places that just don't get written down on a regular basis.
Book Review: Rory Stewart walks across Afghanistan
Summary: 5 Stars
Rory Stewart walks across Afghanistan shortly after the U.S. invasion after Sept. 11th , he demonstrates the differences in cultures in Afghanistan and the plight of the people though 25 years of wars. There is no one country, but a series of warlords within the hypothetical boundaries of Afghanistan. He describes his walk and the people he meets in an indifferent and emotionally detached manner. This isn't to say that he doesn't care about the people but I feel he is trying to demonstrate what life is like without biasing the reader. These are ordinary villagers with ordinary lives just trying to survive. Along the way in a village, a toothless retired fighting mastiff is bequeathed to Rory, he drags the dog through the mountain passes to Kabul.
As you're reading it you realize that the main ethnic groups, Pashtun, Tajik, Hazara & Uzbeki hate one another fiercely due to years of internecine conflict. I realized what a real lack of understanding the Americans and British have of the Middle East. It's laughable that we thought we would swagger our way into Iraq and force regime change on a group of people that have little desire to live with one another.
Great book by Rory, I look forward to reading Prince of the Marshes
Book Review: Writer's travel story helps make sense of Afghanistan
Summary: 5 Stars
The Places Between by Rory Stewart is one of those books that captures the reader completely and doesn't let go until the very end. Stewart decided he was going to walk around much of the world, and this book tells of his walk through Afghanistan shortly after Sept. 11, 2001 and the overthrow of the Taliban government. He had to walk from west to east Herat to Kabul, and it took him about 30 days to cross the desert, mountainous region. The pictures show the stark beauty of Afghanistan, but Stewart's spare descriptions capture the strange elegance of its people. Because he does not have an agenda, Stewart is able to tell the story of this area without the political baggage that so many journalists carry. He tells the story of his own near death in the snow with the same emotion he tells of the flirtatious glances of a young Hazaran girl. He tries to make sense of the various tribes and leaders, but after reading this book, I understand much better the problems facing the UN as they try to bring democracy to them. How do you solve centuries of feudal alliances and infighting with resolutions made in cities most of the residents have never seen? Stewart is a powerful writer, one of the best of his generation, and this book should be required reading.Book Review: An Incredible Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
Rory Stewart's account of his walking trip from Herat to Kabul, Afghanistan one year after the fall of the Taliban is either an extraordinary act of courage or sheer stupidity. Fortunately for Stewart, his knowledge of tribal differences, local customs and an ability to speak Dari, the language of the Afghans west of Kabul make this journey possible. He must have kept a superb journal as his recounting of the walk is very impressive. The reader is left though asking: "Why did he expose himself to such danger?" The winter weather was awful. Tribal rivalries would have easily eliminated him. When you look at his picture on the back flap of the book, you are left even more incredulous. "What drives this guy?" I am now reading Prince of the Marshes, his second book. He recounts his story of being a "Governor" in one of the southern Iraqi provinces near Basra. Stewart is no Lawrence of Arabia. He does however exhibit a lot of similar traits: courage, to the point of stupidity, determination and an avid recorder of events around him. For anyone interested in understanding the current Afghanistan (not what is filtered through the news), this book is an eye-opener.