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158th out of 206 books
—
141 voters
Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan
by
Ann Jones (Goodreads Author)
Soon after the bombs stopped falling on Kabul, award-winning journalist and women's rights activist Ann Jones set out for the shattered city. This is her trenchant report from the city where she spent the next four winters working in humanitarian aid. Investigating the city's prison for women, retraining Kabul's long-silenced English teachers, Jones enters the lives of eve...more
Paperback, 336 pages
Published
March 6th 2007
by Picador
(first published March 21st 2006)
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I have been in Afghanistan for nearly a year now and I have not read a book that summed up this country's challenges as well as this one (the only thing that keeps it from 5 stars are some totally gratuitous and unnecessary political shots). It is broken into 3 parts and the last two, ("In the Prisons" and "In the Schools") are deathly accurate. Her descriptions of the treatment of women and the indelible inferiority complex Afghan and Muslim societies in general, places on them is heart breakin...more
Definitely powerful at times, this account of an American woman's four-year stint at volunteer work in post-Taliban Afghanistan serves as an important reminder that few of the structural problems facing Afghan society have been overcome with the fall of the Taliban. Her writing is certainly best when she considers the heart-breaking consequences of patriarchy with regard to the life prospects of Afghan women; her jives at "Bush the Lesser," etc., seem out of place and simply irrelevant to the fo...more
This is the angriest book I've read about women in Islamic countries since Geraldine Brooks' "Nine Parts of Desire." Author Ann Jones, who has written before of violence against women, finds no reason to applaud the so-called liberation of women in post-Taliban Afghanistan, where traditional ultraconservative attitudes toward women (which she points out have no basis in Islam itself) continue to prevail. Considered property to be bought and sold, they have lives that often lead to child marriage...more
The author was in Afghanistan, and particularly Kabul, from approximately 2002 until 2005 for varying lengths of time. The primary topics she addresses are education, women's prisons, and the history of Kabul including the Soviet occupation, the mujahiddin "brother wars", the Taliban, and the U.S. occupation. She definitely has a liberal slant (which suits me fine). I really enjoyed the book.
This book is a chilling portrait of the lives people, mainly women, in Afghanistan. The author describes the divorce between the U.S. political establishment's view of aid programs in Afghanistan, vs. what is actually happening in Afghanistan. This book made me very angry at organizations like USAID and other government programs that claim to be championing progress and improvements in Afghanistan, when apparently most of the aid money stays within the U.S.
The one complaint I have is that I thou...more
The one complaint I have is that I thou...more
If you have the slightest interest in Afghanistan, this book is a masterpiece. Jones, like others who have spent time in Central Asia, is a wonderful combination of fearless and foolish. As a woman in a culture that is so staunchly prejudiced against independent and thoughtful women, her stories of the horror and chaos of Afghanistan during the reign of the Taliban and the early days of the U.S. occupation are even more breathtaking. She targets Islamic fundamentalism and the common people who b...more
An odd mix of personal anecdote and history. I love the personal, and loathe the history (as told by Ann). Ann has a unique viewpoint and can therefore tell us things we would never know about life in Kabul, but she should leave the history to those who both know it better and can tell it better.
This book was incredible. I want to buy a copy for everyone that I know. If you ever wanted to know what it's really like in Afghanistan and what we've done to that country (both good and bad), this is the best book for that.
I had a hard time rating this one - I feel like I've been giving a disproportionate number of 4s lately, and can't tell if the books are actually better or what's up with that.
This is one of those books you don't exactly *enjoy*, but I was definitely glad I had read it. It's sort of the story of one woman who flew to Afghanistan in 2001 to try to help and lived there for 3 years, sort of a history of that mess, sort of a well-footnoted indictment of how America screwed that up.
I don't pretend to...more
This is one of those books you don't exactly *enjoy*, but I was definitely glad I had read it. It's sort of the story of one woman who flew to Afghanistan in 2001 to try to help and lived there for 3 years, sort of a history of that mess, sort of a well-footnoted indictment of how America screwed that up.
I don't pretend to...more
Amazing, so much more than I expected. Jones has a heart and mind, looking at individuals yet the bigger picture. It's the culture, not being muslim. Outside powers continue to use and to abuse (terribly) a place that developed the over such a long time (and most often with the meddling of outside powers). A very human book that weaves how and why into the account, so we don't even ask why we should care -- we do. Unexpected in this book -- details about "foreign aid," the incompetence/competiti...more
started to read this and had to give it back to owner - local author, have read another of her books
I wish I could remember when I read about Ann Jones; it was recently, but context escapes me. This book, covering three years in Afghanistan "teaching the teachers" English beginning soon after 9/11, is brutally honest about the work of NGOs, INGOs, our own government, and the complicit regimes we've supported and abandoned in the region. It isn't always our eye-opening privilege and ordeal to read the aftermath told by survivors of our foreign policy and "peacekeeping" efforts. Ann Jones recent...more
I had a really hard time with the book at first. The writing is hard to follow at times and the author's bitterness is distracting. Once I got through the first part though, I couldn't put it down. Great Book about life in Afghanistan. I was stunned by some of the stories she told about the treatment of women (literally had my hand over mouth, shaking my head....horrified)and the "b.s." attempts our government has made to rebuild. It's an important story that needs to be told, though it would ha...more
Mixed feelings. This book provides REALLY GOOD historico-political context of the current situation in Afghanistan. Jones provides crucial background info on US geopolitical interests in the country dating back to Cold War era, which - of course, is helpful in analyzing current turmoil in Afghanistan.
She also provides an accurate description of the complexity, insincerity, and falsehood surrounding Western "development" projects in countries in the Global South - such as Afghanistan - vis a vis...more
She also provides an accurate description of the complexity, insincerity, and falsehood surrounding Western "development" projects in countries in the Global South - such as Afghanistan - vis a vis...more
I should have written this review closer to when I actually finished this book. I taught the final chapter about the schools for a cross-listed composition/ethics class. There seemed to be a general misreading of the text, although I couldn't say why. Jones came off as uncaring to most of my students. I think this is not so much a fault with the text so much as it is their inability to read through the sarcasm and cynicism of her writing.
For my part, I enjoyed both the tales of Jones's own exper...more
For my part, I enjoyed both the tales of Jones's own exper...more
Often grisly, recounts women's tragic stories in Afghanistan, mostly deals with her experiences post-9/11, volunteering in Kabul.
I knew it was bad but when I read the whole book the social views on women by men and women in Afghanistan set in. It's messed up, and I want to throw cultural relativism out the window on this one. No human rights and women are literally worth less than a TV. I think most people know that's true in some cultures, but in my case I needed to read an account like this to...more
I knew it was bad but when I read the whole book the social views on women by men and women in Afghanistan set in. It's messed up, and I want to throw cultural relativism out the window on this one. No human rights and women are literally worth less than a TV. I think most people know that's true in some cultures, but in my case I needed to read an account like this to...more
After reading The Kite Runner, I was talking about it at work with a co-worker who is from Afghanistan, and I asked him if he felt it was an accurate portrayal of Afghanistan. He said something that was simultaneously both very critical and diplomatic, along the lines of "not everyone sees Afghanistan the way Khaled Hosseini does." So I asked him what books he would recommend, and he recommended this one. He said, "That's what life in Afghanistan is really like."
So, there you have it, straight...more
So, there you have it, straight...more
This is a really good book. Perhaps I'll have a better review when I return from Afghanistan in 11 months, but -- as a neophyte -- this book really explains the history and culture of Afghanistan in an interesting and engaging way. As long as you dismiss the President Bush-bashing, the author is clearly dedicated to the people, especially the women, of Afghanistan. I took a lot of notes, and I think I gained a better understanding of what to expect over there.
A good, not great, read. Though in the same vein, it is definitely not on par with Reading Lolita in Tehran. The book is supposed to be about the condition of everyday life in Afghanistan post-Taliban (and the residual influence of that regime), but it comes across as a criticism of Bush's foreign policy in the region. The few passages in the book that are true gems are truly outweighed by the rest of this highly opinionated work.
This book provides a good overview of Afghanistan's present issues and past challenges, but I found myself frequently doubting the credibility of some of Ann Jone's claims. Also, the book is divided into 3 sections, and I found the first one to be dull and fantastical. I guess I never really thought of Aghan men as sex gods, so Jone's romanticizing of them seemed far-fetched. The last two chapters are devestating reads, like a trainwreck you can't turn your head away from. I felt compelled to ke...more
We all KNOW that the news reports and presidential statements of Bush 2 are false - no hearts and minds are won in Afghanistan, the war is not over and so much remains unresolved it is heartbreaking. To read this book is to open your eyes to the truth: America does not have the answers, other countries want help but not imposed false front democracies, and the little people are the ones who always pay while the powers sit in their ivory towers and move the pieces on the board. This was a hard bo...more
Mar 18, 2011
David Colton
is currently reading it
Ann Jones is a brilliant researcher and a compassionate writer. This is an excellent book that details the blight of women in Afganistan. Ms. Jones also works the blunders of the Bush one and Bush two administrations into this story in the telling of this sad and bleak history of a woman's status in this country held hostage by fundamentalism and fear of western ways.
If you are interested in understanding what really is happening in Afghanistan, I'd recommend this book. Lots of insight into the role the US has played there and the corruption that exists at all levels, including the profitable business of humanitarian aid. It is so sad to learn about how many opportunities have been lost for real change for women in Afghanistan.
Jul 30, 2011
Jason Snyder
added it
I don't agree with her assessment that Islam is not the foundation upon which the extreme subjugation is based. Islam is a cancer, and Afghan women won't be "free" until it is cut out. It actually made me angry. Other than that, it was a good read. It provides a good history of Afghanistan, as well as a blistering critique of American failures to rebuild the country.
Although I was excited to read Jones' account of her life and work in Afghanistan, soon enough I found her easy shots at the US political situation (not that I am a fan of the Bush years) and the INGO aid system (which she simplifies) a bit annoying...ok it grew to be a bit more than a bit. If you can get past the commentary on the "Bush the Lesser", then you can find some gyms within the three sections of the book.
Wow. This author is pissed off and I understand why. This is not a fictionalized account of life in post-war Kabul. This is a learning experience. How humanitarian aid DOESN'T make it where it needs to be. Lots of insight into the geo-political struggles. Not light reading but a must for anyone serious about a dialogue regarding Afghanistan.
A disturbing and fascinating read. Afghanistan is a country being pulled in two directions. One by a consortium of western counties and Pakistan and the other of its own archaic, tribal, religious customs and layers of Islamic and judicial law.
Peace seems almost an impossibility and freedom for Afghan women just a dream.
Peace seems almost an impossibility and freedom for Afghan women just a dream.
Excellent book. Mind-numbing, painful, but very informative. Not necessarily the best "read" -- but you will never forget the lives of the Afghani women you meet, and the context and history of the Taliban on the lives of these women.
If you can read past the author's occasional political jabs, this is an amazing look at the current condition of women in Afghanistan, the realities of international aid, as well as the nation's culture and history.
There is potentially such an interesting story in this book; however, the lack of focus and organization made it extremely difficult to understand the author's thought processes. Jone provides an interesting history to Afghanistan that is designed to provide evidence for the inevitable conflict that has plagued the country in recent decades, but the history is highly fragmented and jumps around too much without a clear thread. In addition, there is little relation between pages--for a few pages...more
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Author of Kabul in Winter: Life Without Peace in Afghanistan, Ann Jones is a journalist and activist for womens rights around the globe. She is currently working on a book about women, war, and photography.
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