The Places In Between,   ISBN:9780156031561

Customer Rating: 

"The Places in Between" is a fantastic read for the Afghanistan noob. Before I read Mr. Stewart's book, I knew little about the history of Afghanistan; his book did not make me an expert, nor does that seem to be the author's intent, but most importantly, it helped to create mental context for future research. It is a thought-provoking account of his personal daily interactions with the various people groups of Afghanistan as he walked (closer to hiking in that terrain) from Herat to Kabul. The personal touch, of course, made the read feel familiar because you felt "present" at each stage of the hike and it lended to a sense of reality, often absent in historical reads.

I have a more clear understanding of the cultural complexity of Afghanistan and the difficulty of establishing political "reach" and influence in a relatively technologically-absent, heteregenous society. Overall, the book was difficult to put down and contained much substance, with little fluff. One critique: I found it difficult to understand British-English dialect. It sporadically translated into his writing, which, for me, created a choppy feeling to the narrative.

Customer Rating: 

My wife kept insisting I should read this book. "No", I say to the wife, "I've already read "Three Cups of Tea" and I don't want to hear any more about some westerner who is trying to help the people of Afghanistan, while those vile Afghani warlords interfere with his do-gooder quest and try to block all the help". "Ah-ha" she replies, "this book is very different. In fact, the author doesn't try to help change the country at all". Hmm, I think, now that might be worth reading about.

And sure enough, the book is fascinating in a kind of perverse way - I kept thinking the author must have actually died somewhere along the way - murdered by some crazed opium warlord, and his body left in a drift of snow on some mountain pass. Perhaps his diary was found by somebody who could read English, and it became a posthumous book for Mr. Stewart. Maybe this happens, maybe this doesn't happen - I'm not giving away any of the book's secrets.

I became convinced that the author is actually a mentally disturbed man who would be just as happy banging his head against a brick wall repeatedly as to do anything the conventional way. Still, even if the man is a nutter, he sure is adventurous, eloquent, and a good writer. His story was so compelling, I felt like I was walking beside him on his journey. It sure was cold, and I got tired of eating dry bread. If you read this book, you will most likely be drawn into his fascinating journey as I was.

Customer Rating: 

When this book came out it climbed bestseller lists, won awards, and impressed literary reviewers everywhere. I, however, only discovered it recently. When the author was to appear on public television's Bill Moyers Journal one Friday night in 2009, knowing nothing about Afghanistan except what is in the News I decided to read the book ahead of time and develop a better frame of reference. It was apparently a diary written on a journey so I followed along, page by page and day by day across the country. But for all of the intimate details faithfully documented on the road over many weeks there is very little drama, so by book's end I was quite surprised to find that I felt almost as overwhelmed as the author. It seems this wonderful little book had really taken me right across Afghanistan with Mr. Stewart. Now I feel that I do know the country better-the landscape, weather, godawful terrain, and (most importantly) the people. Read this book. Not just because it is entertaining and well-written but because it will help you to truly understand a country that has been terrribly misrepresented by many others.

Customer Rating: 

This is must-read for anyone wanting to learn more about the challenges of working/traveling in Afghanistan. Just WITHIN Afghanistan the differences in culture, religion, geography, economics, politics, etc, are brought to the fore in this wonderful book. This book is also one of the most heart-felt books of non-fiction I've ever read. Peter Hopkirk's The Great Game along with Stewart's The Places In Between should be mandatory reading for any Westerner planning to live and work in Afghanistan (and expect to have any success at either).

Customer Rating: 

It is hard to make an interesting book out of such a barren land. Mr. Stewart painted a very good picture. We need more Westerners who are willing to speak Afghan dialects, try to understand their culture, and not impose our values on them. Maybe those who make policy in Washington should have this as required reading!