The author describes his experience as an American teenager when he traveled to Afghanistan to see his father, who was the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai and then became the governor of Kunar.
Listen to interview with Said Akbar on This American Life.
5 comments:
I couldn't stop reading this incredible story of a teenage boy returning to a home he never knew, Afghanistan. You travel to places that you hear about in the news and meet the leaders of a very troubled country, but you are filled with hope for this young man and all the people he comes to know. Highly recommended!
I'm not sure what book so read yet, but this book definitely sounds interesting!
Said Hyder Akbar is wise and eloquent beyond his years. Because he has been raised in the US, buy is very much under the influence of his family's culture, he is in a unique position to educate us about his country and culture. His account is vital and compelling--his narrative gripping and entertaining. He takes us on his journey from ignorance and apprehension of his country's ways and culture to the understanding that he is essentially Afghan. I think this is a very important book because it is a very clear-eyed look at an intricate problem that the world community must face. One can only hope that there are people of power and will out there who can bring themselves to take his words to heart.
"The bomb has exploded in the middle of a marketplace -- probably one of the most crowded places in Kabul at this hour. Just days ago I was there with my father, who bought some freshly cracked almonds. . . . Witnesses are saying there are hands and arms over there, unrecognizable pieces of human flesh. . . . It's too hard to process." The author moves back and forth between the US and Afghanistan, but can you imagine living in this situation day after day with no end in sight and no relief?
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