Afghanistan Blog #1

Initially my first impression of the book was a negative one. I felt that it was boring, uneventful, and just far to long for me. Although it started out boring, it quickly picked up speed after he arrived in Afghanistan for the first time. The book has some interesting twists and turns, and other bits and pieces of information that he gives throughout the book. The book keeps you awake by spontaneously changing events in the blink of an eye, but my favorite part of the book is the behind the scenes view of the Afghan government and how it is run. It also gives a great view of Afghanistan from the perspective of an Afghani who knows the real history and the real causes for all of the trouble of Afghanistan. My favorite parts of the book are when he talks about the different major events of Afghanistan’s past, such as, the slaughter of the village leaders by the communists, the different governments that have been in control over Afghanistan, and the past troubles that have affected the world’s view of Afghanistan. He also does a masterful job of portraying these events and the events that happened to him, like the ambush while he was with the Americans or the interrogation. The cultural differences of the United States and Afghanistan are huge; they eat, dress, and behave differently than we do. Said shows his discomfort over these differences both when he is in Afghanistan and in America because in reality he is culturally he is not American but he is also not an Afghan. HE shows his discomfort and finds himself questioning his true nationality, which he notes to throughout the book. Altogether this book has its ups and downs but is a book that everyone should read at least once in their life, especially now when our nations are so attached to one another.