Ebook372 pages5 hours
City of Soldiers: A Year of Life, Death and Survival in Afghanistan
By Kate Fearon
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
()
About this ebook
Behind the headlines, the strategies, the surges, what is life really like in Afghanistan? What is it like to live and work there as a civilian on state-building with its people, fighting the Taliban with flip-charts and pens, not guns? In her account of sixteen months in the capital of Helmand province, Lashkar Gah, working for the UK-led Provincial Reconstruction Team, Kate Fearon records everyday life on the frontline. Amidst the violence she unearths extraordinary stories of how ordinary Afghans live and what they think, both inside and outside the walls of military bases.
From the thrills and risks of getting there to exploring Helmand and its history this book follows the author’s daily life she gets to know the people behind the war. She learns Pashto, visits the Districts, meets the US Marines, observes elections and evades suspected suicide bombers. She describes working with the tribal Elders on informal justice and policing issues, and building local democracy with them. She also listens to the musings of young men on marriage (and nightclubs), discovers what Afghan women really think of their burquas, and discusses poppy growing, pornography, forbidden love-notes, drinking and dancing.
Tragic and touching but also wryly observed, City of Soldiers tells of the camaraderie and courage of those working under extreme conditions, foreigners and locals, civilians and military alike. It evokes the despair—and the guilt—that comes with targeted political murders in response to the process of democratization. Kate Fearon explains how the key driver for Afghans is pragmatism, their overriding goal survival, and reveals how women—and men—assert themselves in a seemingly impossibly restrictive culture with humour and hope.
From the thrills and risks of getting there to exploring Helmand and its history this book follows the author’s daily life she gets to know the people behind the war. She learns Pashto, visits the Districts, meets the US Marines, observes elections and evades suspected suicide bombers. She describes working with the tribal Elders on informal justice and policing issues, and building local democracy with them. She also listens to the musings of young men on marriage (and nightclubs), discovers what Afghan women really think of their burquas, and discusses poppy growing, pornography, forbidden love-notes, drinking and dancing.
Tragic and touching but also wryly observed, City of Soldiers tells of the camaraderie and courage of those working under extreme conditions, foreigners and locals, civilians and military alike. It evokes the despair—and the guilt—that comes with targeted political murders in response to the process of democratization. Kate Fearon explains how the key driver for Afghans is pragmatism, their overriding goal survival, and reveals how women—and men—assert themselves in a seemingly impossibly restrictive culture with humour and hope.
Related to City of Soldiers
Related ebooks
The Peace Negotiations: A Personal Narrative Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Future of International Law Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Word Factory: Tailor-Make the Perfect Sentence Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Great Divide: Story of the 2016 US Presidential Race Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCity of Soldiers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rising Son; or, the Antecedents and Advancement of the Colored Race Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rising Son Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhere God Was Born: A Daring Adventure Through the Bible's Greatest Stories Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Tree of the Doves: Ceremony, Expedition, War Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPilgrim in the Palace of Words: A Journey Through the 6,000 Languages of Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arc of a Life: Escapades of an Adventurer Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTale of Ahmed Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWith One Fool Left in the World, No One Is Stranded: Scenes from an Older Afghanistan Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder the Loving Care of the Fatherly Leader: North Korea and the Kim Dynasty Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Barron Field in New South Wales: The Poetics of Terra Nullius Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"My country, 'tis of thee!" Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Visitation Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Voice of Reason: Reflections on Australia Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBuchanan's Journal of Man, December 1887 Volume 1, Number 11 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAcross Asia on a Bicycle Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAnother Afghanistan: A Pre-Taliban Memoir Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWounded Tigris: A River Journey Through the Cradle of Civilization Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAccess to Beyond Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsChina Dawn: The Story of Technology and Business Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Appearances: Being Notes of Travel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsRiver of Stone, River of Sand: A Story of Medicine and Adventure Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe True Story of Buffalo Bill (Illustrated Edition) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings"Buffalo Bill" from Prairie to Palace: An Authentic History of the Wild West Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsJ. A.: A Biography Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Middle East Travel For You
Farsi (Persian) for Beginners: Learning Conversational Farsi (Downloadable Audio Included) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Collins Arabic Phrasebook and Dictionary Gem Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Exile: Rejecting America and Finding the World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Turkey Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Israel Bible Tour, A Historic Geographic Bible Study Journal of Israel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5A Trip of One's Own: Hope, Heartbreak, and Why Traveling Solo Could Change Your Life Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5This Is Not a Border: Reportage & Reflection from the Palestine Festival of Literature Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Essays in Idleness Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Saffron Tales: Recipes from the Persian Kitchen Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Arabic in a Flash Kit Ebook Volume 2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Rough Guide to Dubai (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Incredible Voyage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Israel Eats Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5UAE - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5God's Battalions: The Case for the Crusades Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rock, the Road, and the Rabbi Bible Study Guide: Come to the Land Where It All Began Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Dead Sea and the Jordan River Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsIn the Footsteps of the Savior: Following Jesus Through the Holy Land Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Berlitz Pocket Guide Turkey (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBook of Marvels: The Orient Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Understanding the Arab-Israeli Conflict: What the Headlines Haven't Told You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Insight Guides Egypt (Travel Guide eBook) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConversational Arabic Quick and Easy: The Most Innovative Technique to Learn the Arabic Language Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Lonely Planet Istanbul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Conversational Arabic Quick and Easy: Lebanese Dialect Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Fodor's Essential Turkey Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLonely Planet Iran Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Holy Land for Christian Travelers: An Illustrated Guide to Israel Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related categories
Reviews for City of Soldiers
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
5/5
1 rating0 reviews
Book preview
City of Soldiers - Kate Fearon
1^ book_preview_excerpt.html }˒F@*E43j%ZHSe$&@%wֳO/?= dk&2xx+}at:tWӗҗ/C)?=ƍ?U]|e?|!v_?qݾx+yyH>ȗxś_^-~Wƃbew)00O;7pX4ޥQEuqUXo5"~Cd*B*wMɝ)(BV&.q1%07dɞ\}hl"vBo+O T-;bscM5)