Full Description
PULITZER PRIZE FINALIST
NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST
WINNER OF THE RIDENHOUR PRIZE
In a breathtaking chronicle, acclaimed journalist Anand Gopal traces the lives of three Afghans caught in America's war on terror. He follows a Taliban commander, who rises from scrawny teenager to leading insurgent; a US-backed warlord, who uses the American military to gain wealth and power; and a village housewife trapped between the two sides, who discovers the devastating cost of neutrality. Through their dramatic stories emerges a stunning tale of how the United States had triumph in sight in Afghanistan--and then brought the Taliban back from the dead.
This new edition includes an afterword by the author written after his return to Afghanistan following the US withdrawal, and a new preface reflecting on the 25th anniversary of the US invasion and a quarter-century of the Global War on Terror.
Contents
CONTENTS
Prologue
PART ONE
1. The Last Days of Vice and Virtue
2. The Battle for Tirin Kot
3. The War from Year Zero
4. The Sewing Center of Khas Uruzgan
PART TWO
5. No One Is Safe from This
6. To Make the Bad Things Good Again
7. Black Holes
PART THREE
8. Election Day
9. The Far End of the Bazaar
PART FOUR
10. Back to Work
11. The Tangi
12. No-Man's-Land
PART FIVE
13. Stepping Out
14. The Leader
Epilogue
Afterword to the 2026 Edition
A Note on Sources
Notes
Index
Acknowledgments
About the Author
