The Hooligans of Kandahar: Not All War Stories are Heroic

Written by Joseph Kassabian

Narrated by Thomas Dukeman

During the peak of the Afghanistan War, a group of soldiers is dropped by helicopter into the remote mountains outside of Kandahar City. Mismanaged and overlooked by command, the squad must rely on each other to survive.

Their mission is to train and advise the Afghan National Police and help rebuild the country of Afghanistan. The Afghan Police station they are assigned to live in is falling apart and disease-ridden.

Many of the police officers they are supposed to train are Taliban sleeper agents or the family of Taliban fighters. The ones that aren’t are often addicted to drugs, illiterate, or smuggling child slaves. The squad is led by Slim, a Staff Sergeant in his late twenties who has so many mental issues his insanity is his most dominant personality trait.

An alcoholic with a penchant for violent outbursts against both his own soldiers and the Afghans, he is more comfortable at war than at home.

Joseph Kassabian is the youngest and most junior fire team leader in the squad. He’s charged with leading a team of soldiers not even old enough to drink. He himself is only 21 years old. As a combat veteran from previous deployments with four years in the Army, he assumes he has seen it all. But he has no idea how bad things can get in war-torn Kandahar.

Acclaimed for its humorous, grim, sardonic, yet honest recollection of the Afghanistan war Hooligans of Kandahar is a Jarhead, and The Hurt Locker, meets I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, and Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

• Language: English
• Publisher: TCK Publishing
• Release date: Aug 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781631610936

Reviews for The Hooligans of Kandahar

[Wj Moretz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fantastic writing in a familiar voice if you listen to the author’s “Lions Led By Donkeys” podcast. The speaker does a great job of encapsulating the author’s bitterly sarcastic style.
A great book for any young Soldier to listen to to get a feel for what the conflict in Afghanistan was like for those that went before. We truly stand on the shoulders of giants. Thanks Joe!

[the_bubblegum_review · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book reminded me of an article I read by a vet awhile ago entitled something like, "Don't Thank Me for My Service"; because your gratitude assumes motivations that many soldiers might not have for serving.I was also reminded, of course, of Heller's Catch-22 and Burn After Reading, but shockingly having to remember that this is actually a memoir that is true--that is actually satirical as if it weren't.I really appreciate the honesty here; I applaud memoirists for being able to order a convoluted messy experience, and I don't think I've ever read a military memoir narrated so matter-of-factly. Praise or condemnation be damned. War is hell: it is what it is.Overall I appreciated the accurate capture of everybody just being screwed over by everybody, and in each case the screwing happening by "one's own": the Taliban screwing over their own citizenry, the citizenry screwing over one another and being screwed over by US soldiers who screw over one another, who in turn are screwed by their US government. I wish the author well and hope he is doing well.