The Places In Between
by Rory Stewart
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Book Reviews of The Places In Between
Book Review: Beautiful and sad
Summary: 5 Stars
If you've been reading up on the politics and issues of Afghanistan, this is a welcome step back and shows the human side of that country.
Rory is a journalist/historian who knows Muslim customs and speaks local dialects somewhat and who is hiking through Afghanistan in 2002. It's not clear exactly what he is doing there, and it doesn't seem all that clear to him. But he relates his story of walking, one day at a time through an extremely poor country that has endured 30+ years of war. Whatever his Afghans protagonists are up to, and they are often up to little good, I don't know that people in any Western country could honestly expect to behave much better, were they to live in such a failed state. His recollections of villages often include a count of how many villagers were executed at what time and by which faction(s).
At one point, Rory says that he is generally not as well treated by Afghans as has been his experience as a guest in other Muslim countries. Some pages later, he seems to reconsider and expresses amazement at how he did get fed by people who had next to nothing. The book is also enlightening by what is _not_ in it, for example, the near total absence of female interlocutors.
Despite being mostly apolitical in his writing, Rory doesn't have much good to say about the Taliban. Nor does he think much of globe trotting UN personnel who never bother to learn about the country they are supposed to help. As he puts it, even old style colonial envoys, for all the faults of the systems they were upholding, were held accountable and had to truly understand the countries they operated in. His criticism is clearly limited to development experts, btw, not to the courageous folks operating to provide humanitarian relief throughout the countryside.
Book Review: Audio and book versions
Summary: 5 Stars
The book was first published as a hardcover by Picador in England on 4 June 2004 (ISBN 0330486330). A second revised edition was published as a paperback in England on 1 April 2005 (ISBN 0330486349). On May 8 2006 a further revised American paperback edition was published by Harvest Books (ISBN 0156031566). An audio recording was made in 2006 narrated by Rory Stewart while he was in Kabul and published by Recorded Books (ISBN 1428116702) based on the Harvest Books edition. I believe all three books have seen slight improvements with each new edition.
The audibook version is highly recommend as a supplement to the text. It is narrated by Rory (from a studio in Kabul) and his pronunciations of Afghan names and places are priceless, as well as his overall character and tone.
Comments: Scottish author and historian Stewart walked across some of the most difficult mountain terrain in Afghanistan in the early winter months of 2002 right after 9/11 (and lived to tell about it). He saw a land of contrasts: a culture based on feudal-like systems living in mud huts -- but with modern weapons and vehicles. Villages were people never traveled more than a few miles from home their whole life -- but had seen international forces from the USSR, USA, NATO and elsewhere pass through. People who were one step away from starvation willingly giving food to a passing stranger -- then shooting at him for sport and fun the next.
Afghanistan has always been resistant to understanding, but Rory, by traveling and living with the mountain tribe people who account for most of the countries population, comes as close as any to pulling back the curtain and revealing the character of the country in their own words and actions. A classic of travel literature, anthropology.
Book Review: A beautifully written account...
Summary: 4 Stars
A gorgeously written book about a man who walked across Afghanastan. Wow, I'm amazed by what people do with their lives. The face of war is ugly. America, Russia, and internal factions have torn the very fiber of this Colorful nation. Stephen's account is boldly honest. I would recommend this book to those who want to see/enrich themselves with the good, the bad, and the ugly of the Afghanistan, without judgement. While it's not overly heavy, it might be slightly too heavy if you are looking for happy, light reading.
It was interesting to see the progression of his understanding of the people and culture. It was fascinating to see the importance of "chiefs" and "leaders" in societies where power and might rule. The opinions of Afghans had of the Taliban, Al Queda, and Americans, while not necessarily surprising is incredibly insightful. The importance of the Koran and religion without any time or resources for education is telling.
This book is perfect for those who are looking for the casual read or want to understand better a country that sits prominently in foreign relations. Stewart's account is human, and understanding the country from this vantage is imperative to broadening one's horizon. The lack of information, the confusion, the hardness of the people is often juxtapose with the humanity of a kind face or act.
He sees the nation through his eyes, though. While I suspect his reaction is how most would feel, if one already has strong opinions about this country, I would suspect this book could be a tougher read. That said, it would be an equally wonderful piece for understanding how foreigners react to a broken nation.
Book Review: Five-star rating for Stewart's experience; three stars for his writing of it
Summary: 3 Stars
Try as I might, I couldn't quite enjoy "The Places In Between," Rory Stewart's travelogue from his walk across post-Taliban Afghanistan. Stewart is an amazing young man, brilliant and courageous, and his trek is an ambitious, noble effort. But his writing was so dispassionate, so resolutely matter-of-fact, that I quickly stopped caring.
Stewart is a young historian of high order, well-versed in the history of Afghanistan and other cultures of the region. He is also a throwback to an earlier age of British expeditionary, full of innate confidence that he can go just about anywhere and do alright by himself. "The Places In Between" is his chronicle of his walk through a broken culture and a broken people who don't appreciate their history nearly as much as Stewart does.
But Stewart does not bring the reader to react to the land or the people, other than to be mildly frustrated with the never-ending cast of pompous braggarts and scoundrels Stewart meets along the way. Stewart had plenty of genuine human interaction with the local folks, and yet he cannot muster a scintilla of the emotional connection that, say, George Packer conveyed about the Iraqis in "The Assassin's Gate." Whether Stewart is happy, or sad, or frustrated, or hurt, or exhausted, or sick, the prose never gets any more exciting than the sentence you're reading right now.
Kudos to Rory Stewart for his achievements - I honor them, and him. But his writing needs quite a bit of seasoning to make all that meat enjoyable. But he definitely has the talent to pull it off if he sets his mind to it, and I will give anything this young wanderer/historian puts to paper a chance.
Book Review: Tangible Realism
Summary: 5 Stars
Rory Stewart's The Places in Between is a riveting account of modern day Afghanistan. By walking from Herat to Kabul in the middle of winter Stewart's journey unwraps the indescribable chaos caused by 25 years of war and western intervention. He does not make excuses for war. Rather his historical notes and cultural insights help to give shape to why western efforts to aid war torn Afghanistan are largely unsuccessful. His authentic account of rural Afghan culture and history illuminates the vunralbility to both Taliban and super power influences.
Stewart does not push a post modern agenda of democracy, human rights, and gender equality--or even "the war on terror". In some respects his writing seems self serving and arrogant. He is not in Afghanistan to help, but rather to complete a self driven mission--to walk across Asia. Yet, because of his drive he is able to communicate to the western world a first person account of areas that are largely untouched by the media. This is what makes his work important.
His writing is humane, respectful to the people that he meets along the way and his prose is often without emotion. It's his deadpan that captivates. His is a journey not many would undertake. Along the way he has many fellow walkers--some armed guards, some local village people, and a dog he names Babur. The incredulity of walking across a land that the world considers deadly shows both his tenacious spirit and his Scottish stubbornness. But readers are thankful that he made such a trek, because his journey helps teach and we are the better for having read it.