Barakb

Brilliant, honest, engrossing and raw

Revisado: 04-01-23

Jeffery E. Stern is a fantastic writer and storyteller.

Ray Corasani does justice to Stern’s incisive prose with pitch-perfect narration.

Stern is such a talented storyteller that this book moves along relentlessly. He is so honest and self-critical that I sometimes wanted to ask him not to be so hard on himself, but his prose are always clear and accurate and, at times, profoundly moving while never sentimental.

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I did not know what to expect. What I can tell you is that you are unlikely to regret listening to or reading it. Some moments may make you uncomfortable, they may make you confront difficult questions about war, friendship, and justice, and they may even make you wonder whether you are doing enough to help people in need, but it will never bore you.

Stern divided the book into three main sections. The first section is written from his point of view, his path to becoming a war correspondent in Afghanistan. While his path is almost an accident, he is so consistently lucky that it must be more natural skill than luck. Early on, he meets a driver in this section called Alex, who becomes the key to breaking into a real war reporting job without experience. The relationship between the author and Alex is the critical storyline that ties this book together.

Section two runs through the same timeline as section one but from Aimal’s (Alex’s Afgan name) point of view. I feel Stern added more depth of emotion and sympathy to Aimal’s story than his own, even though Aimal gets caught up with some frightening people and runs a dangerous business.

And finally, section three pulls all these threads together as an ad hoc group of people work to save Afghan women and teachers as the West withdrawals and the Taliban takes control.

Throughout the book, the story unfolds artfully, part journalism, part war drama, part relationships story about the bonds created under stress when everything is at risk and when someone dependable can be the difference between life and death.

Stern’s prose drives the book forward, his honesty makes you believe, and the relationship between Aimal/Alex and him runs so deep and moving that I found myself tearing up in the end, even as the narrative is so clear-eyed.

You can’t help but marvel at the work done by groups like 30 Birds https://www.30birdsfoundation.org, who Stern worked nonstop with to get Afghans out in the end and settle in Canada, the real hero’s who I could not resist donating to, you might consider it too.

If you want a great read that puts you in the center of a dynamic story, is well-written, and leaves you more knowledgeable about the dynamics of war, this is your next book. It will give you faith that just a few people can make a big difference in the toughest of circumstances.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña