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Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story
The intimate and riveting chronicle of an extraordinarily courageous Afghan-American teenager coming of age in post-9/11 Afghanistan.
Building on two acclaimed radio documentaries aired on This American Life, Hyder Akbar tells how his ordinary suburban California life was turned upside-down after 9/11. Hyder's father, a scion of an Afghan political family, sold his business―a hip-hop clothing store in Oakland―and left for Afghanistan, where he became President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman and later, the governor of Kunar, a rural province.
Obsessed since youth with a country he had never even visited, seventeen-year-old Hyder convinced his father to let him join him on three successive summers. Working alongside his father at the presidential palace and in Kunar has given Hyder a rare front-row seat at the creation of a democratic government in Afghanistan.
In Come Back to Afghanistan, Hyder interweaves his personal journey―a teenager struggling with his identity in his parents' homeland―with a dramatic behind-the-scenes account of political and civilian life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Uncommonly wise and insightful, Hyder travels from palaces to prisons and from Kabul to the borderlands, revealing Afghanistan as readers have never seen or understood it before.
Building on two acclaimed radio documentaries aired on This American Life, Hyder Akbar tells how his ordinary suburban California life was turned upside-down after 9/11. Hyder's father, a scion of an Afghan political family, sold his business―a hip-hop clothing store in Oakland―and left for Afghanistan, where he became President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman and later, the governor of Kunar, a rural province.
Obsessed since youth with a country he had never even visited, seventeen-year-old Hyder convinced his father to let him join him on three successive summers. Working alongside his father at the presidential palace and in Kunar has given Hyder a rare front-row seat at the creation of a democratic government in Afghanistan.
In Come Back to Afghanistan, Hyder interweaves his personal journey―a teenager struggling with his identity in his parents' homeland―with a dramatic behind-the-scenes account of political and civilian life in post-Taliban Afghanistan. Uncommonly wise and insightful, Hyder travels from palaces to prisons and from Kabul to the borderlands, revealing Afghanistan as readers have never seen or understood it before.
339 pages, Hardcover
First published October 13, 2005
19 people are currently reading
522 people want to read
About the author
Said Hyder Akbar
2 books2 followersSaid Hyder Akbar is currently a junior at Yale University in New Haven, CT. He is also co-director and founder of his own nongovernmental organization, Wadan Afghanistan, which has rebuilt schools and constructed pipe systems in rural Kunar province.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 53 reviews
August 30, 2019
This book is not perfect. It’s not remarkably well-written, it didn’t elevate my soul into a new plane of human existence, but I couldn’t put it down. It’s certainly representing a specific male, Pashtun perspective. And, the obvious, it’s quite outdated for 2019. This book came out more than 10 years ago. However, I’ve struggled to understand post-9/11 Afghanistan. This book’s personal narrative helped me to understand the landscape a lot better. Afghanistan’s politics and history is something I’ve always wanted to entrench myself in and learn more about and this book felt like a good stepping stone in my learning journey.
July 2, 2009
Good insight into the inner-workings of Afghan government. However, it's important to remember that this book is entirely from a Pashtun perspective.
December 28, 2014
Hyder is a most exceptional teenager. He speaks English, Dari and Pashtu, and spends his summer vacations helping his father rebuild Afganistan. That he will meet his college language requirement by studying French... as though the world is crying for French translators... is only one anomaly of his eventful young life.
Hyder describes the dangerous, grinding work of rebuilding Afganistan. I hope Young (and Senior)Akbar can keep enthusiasm because their country needs them and they are in a unique position to serve.
I believe there is more consensus in the US for Afgan assistance than almost any issue out there, but Hyder doesn't encounter much reconstruction. Everytime we see the US, it's a military presence, and the encounters are less than desireable.
Failures on the micro level - Soldiers give a village a pipe so that they can build a water supply - Karsai's US bodyguards contradict him in front of others - Hyder's dad, governor of a province, close personal friend of Karsai, father of American citizens, has to be searched to enter a US military base.
On the macro level is the fate of Abdul Wali. It's unclear why he's presumed to have information or to be guilty of something. But, Adbul Wali, father of 15 children, (29 years old?) can't tell us why or how he died in US custody, setting back credibility for the US and Karsai. We meet people who lose loved ones in what is commonly called "collateral damage" or "friendly fire".
We drive with Hyder through roadless places and climb surreptitiously into Pakistan. He recounts the nuances of the first post Taliban Loya Jirga (missling the big point the female reps). We get insight into how a tiny country manages an international media, the appointment processes, how UN workers will accept triage in its voting registration process if local officials let them, the legacy of the comminist era, warlords and notables.
We learn how opportunitsts like Malik Zarin play the US troops like a fiddle... just call your enemies Taliban!
Afganistan only makes headlines when there is an explosion. Where is our tax money going? What do we have to show for the post-Taliban dollars and human lives that have been spent? HOW do we support Karsai, his cabinet and his governors? In this book, the only Americans are in the military or with the press. WHAT are they doing over there?
This book should be required reading for any soldier or official in Afganistan or Iraq and be highly recommended for anyone even thinking about nation building anywhere in the world.
Hyder describes the dangerous, grinding work of rebuilding Afganistan. I hope Young (and Senior)Akbar can keep enthusiasm because their country needs them and they are in a unique position to serve.
I believe there is more consensus in the US for Afgan assistance than almost any issue out there, but Hyder doesn't encounter much reconstruction. Everytime we see the US, it's a military presence, and the encounters are less than desireable.
Failures on the micro level - Soldiers give a village a pipe so that they can build a water supply - Karsai's US bodyguards contradict him in front of others - Hyder's dad, governor of a province, close personal friend of Karsai, father of American citizens, has to be searched to enter a US military base.
On the macro level is the fate of Abdul Wali. It's unclear why he's presumed to have information or to be guilty of something. But, Adbul Wali, father of 15 children, (29 years old?) can't tell us why or how he died in US custody, setting back credibility for the US and Karsai. We meet people who lose loved ones in what is commonly called "collateral damage" or "friendly fire".
We drive with Hyder through roadless places and climb surreptitiously into Pakistan. He recounts the nuances of the first post Taliban Loya Jirga (missling the big point the female reps). We get insight into how a tiny country manages an international media, the appointment processes, how UN workers will accept triage in its voting registration process if local officials let them, the legacy of the comminist era, warlords and notables.
We learn how opportunitsts like Malik Zarin play the US troops like a fiddle... just call your enemies Taliban!
Afganistan only makes headlines when there is an explosion. Where is our tax money going? What do we have to show for the post-Taliban dollars and human lives that have been spent? HOW do we support Karsai, his cabinet and his governors? In this book, the only Americans are in the military or with the press. WHAT are they doing over there?
This book should be required reading for any soldier or official in Afganistan or Iraq and be highly recommended for anyone even thinking about nation building anywhere in the world.
April 25, 2009
Interesting perspective on the difficulties facing development in the Pashtun regions of Afghanistan in the early years after the liberation from the Taliban. It also shows the confused political situation in that area.
It is written by a very young Afgan Expat raised primarily in California, and the list of Afgans that are mentioned are a who's who of the russian war Jihad. It is refreshing to see an Afghan perspective on the situation. Like reports on this or any subject it is important to keep in mind what the authors motives are and how acurate his vision of events are. In this case he is pretty clear about what his motives are, and because of his youth, and the obvious hero worship he holds many of his fathers friends. It is an interesting read, though neither overly complex nor deep.
It is written by a very young Afgan Expat raised primarily in California, and the list of Afgans that are mentioned are a who's who of the russian war Jihad. It is refreshing to see an Afghan perspective on the situation. Like reports on this or any subject it is important to keep in mind what the authors motives are and how acurate his vision of events are. In this case he is pretty clear about what his motives are, and because of his youth, and the obvious hero worship he holds many of his fathers friends. It is an interesting read, though neither overly complex nor deep.
September 5, 2008
I read this book almost immediately after I read Kite Runner and just as immediately realized how foolish that was. CBtA is based on Said Akbar's actual experience as the son of an Afghani politician and is thus much less malleable than Kite Runner. It's no less thought-provoking though; it's heart-breaking to think about what has happened to this formerly beautiful country in the past few decades.
July 7, 2022
this is a lovely book written about afghanistan.
i enjoyed reading this book.
it is about a person called said hyder akbar who is living in california.
it is also by susan burton.
he is obsessed with the country afghanistan since he was born.
he is actually seventeen years old and he wants to see afghanistan.
his father is the governer of a kunar which is a province in rural afghanistan.
he then comes to afghanistan from california and comes to kabul.
he is really happy to be over here and falls in love with the place.
this happens after 9/11.
it is about alqaeda and the taliban.
there are details about the author ahmed rashid and the afghan women sharbat gula.
there are details given about afghanistan.
he meets the president of afghanistan who was hamid karzai
it is about osama bin laden and about the war in iraq.
there are several attempts made on the life of hamid karzai and his father.
he goes to california off and on and comes back to afghanistan.
he tries to find his roots here and discover what he can discover.
in the end he goes back to america.
in the end he goes to tora bora where osama bin laden is said to have hidden.
this is how the story unfolds.
i enjoyed reading this book.
it is about a person called said hyder akbar who is living in california.
it is also by susan burton.
he is obsessed with the country afghanistan since he was born.
he is actually seventeen years old and he wants to see afghanistan.
his father is the governer of a kunar which is a province in rural afghanistan.
he then comes to afghanistan from california and comes to kabul.
he is really happy to be over here and falls in love with the place.
this happens after 9/11.
it is about alqaeda and the taliban.
there are details about the author ahmed rashid and the afghan women sharbat gula.
there are details given about afghanistan.
he meets the president of afghanistan who was hamid karzai
it is about osama bin laden and about the war in iraq.
there are several attempts made on the life of hamid karzai and his father.
he goes to california off and on and comes back to afghanistan.
he tries to find his roots here and discover what he can discover.
in the end he goes back to america.
in the end he goes to tora bora where osama bin laden is said to have hidden.
this is how the story unfolds.
October 6, 2021
Said Hyder's book is greatly accessible for those who know little to nothing about Afghanistan and its history since the Soviet occupation, but are looking to get an introduction. The emotions of this piece range from heartfelt to startling. Seriously formative Afghan political events of the early 2000s are filtered through the lens of an American teenager who feels deeply connected to his family's homeland and expresses both hope for Afghanistan's future and frustration with the road to getting there.
I started this book prior to the US's recent, disastrous exit, and finished it afterward. Of course, much has changed between when this book was published in 2005 and the present moment, but as someone who was a child during the time of the author's writing, I can say that I feel more prepared to keep up with news out of Afghanistan after reading--and keeping in mind that the American media will never be able to tell the whole story.
I started this book prior to the US's recent, disastrous exit, and finished it afterward. Of course, much has changed between when this book was published in 2005 and the present moment, but as someone who was a child during the time of the author's writing, I can say that I feel more prepared to keep up with news out of Afghanistan after reading--and keeping in mind that the American media will never be able to tell the whole story.
May 15, 2017
The author describes his experiences as he traveled to Afghanistan with his father, who was the spokesman for President Hamid Karzai and then became the governor of Kunar. Most books written about Afghanistan are history and facts given, but this has insight information. Building on two acclaimed radio documentaries aired on This American Life, Hyder Akbar tells how his ordinary suburban California life was turned upside-down after 9/11. Hyder's father, a scion of an Afghan political family, sold his business―a hip-hop clothing store in Oakland―and left for Afghanistan, where he became President Hamid Karzai's chief spokesman and later, the governor of Kunar, a rural province.
May 3, 2025
You're going to laugh, you're going to cry, you're going to get personally invested in every person in this story. I appreciate that you can see the author trying to work through his perspectives as an American, as an Afghan refugee, and especially as a Pashtun trying to find his place in a post-Taliban Afghanistan. I'd be interested to see how his views have changed or expanded in the years since, and especially post 2021.
April 21, 2019
A very personal experience of a recent political time. It was interesting living those events through the author's eyes. I had no idea what Afganistan went through after 9/11 and what it continues to struggle with. Very informative.
November 10, 2022
Made me laugh, cry, and learn. Contextualizes contemporary Afghanistan for an American reader through the personal experiences of a young man who has lived in both countries and has a deep connection to both countries including with close connections in government.
September 22, 2022
Started off wanting to put it down, ended up enjoying it. Glad I read. Interesting things I didn't know about Afghanistan.
September 26, 2025
A solid memoir with interesting perspective nation building and development in Afghanistan.
December 21, 2016
I really enjoyed this book, but there were a few things that disappointed me.
The author almost completely ignores the existence of women. I understand that the sexes are segregated in Afghanistan, but after growing up in the US and interacting with women there daily, shouldn't the absence of women evoke comment? I feel like he ignored the plight of women, to the story's detriment. (At one point, his mom gets mad at him for this, but even so, he makes no effort to take women into account.)
Despite this failing, the book is a fascinating look at politics in Afghanistan, and some of the stories presented in it are horrifying and heartbreaking. He does a good job showing us the contradictions in Afghanistan; for instance, he repeatedly says that the people there are tired of war, but he gives numerous examples of blood feuds and vengeance killings and tribal violence. You would think that people who are tired of war would also be tired of violence in general, but (from this book's POV anyway) that doesn't seem to be the case at all. It gives the reader some food for thought.
It was surprising how little culture shock happened. You would think growing up in the US, the author would have absorbed more of the US's morality and mores, but his US roots didn't seem to alter his perception of Afghanistan much at all. The main shock he experiences seems to be food poisoning, which he gets repeatedly. After a while I stopped feeling bad for him. Dude. Stop eating sketchy things.
But anyway, I was expecting to hear a lot of internal conflict about living in Afghanistan with an American worldview, but I didn't get that at all. The author jumps right into Afghanistan and accepts all the cultural differences with ease, judging foreign men for wearing shorts like heathens, never noting the absence of contact with women, etc. I want to know more about why it was so easy for him to do this. Was it because his parents strictly controlled his exposure to Americanism? If so, I want to know what that was like. And what was it like returning to America after living in Afghanistan? Did he change as a result? If not, why not?
In sum, I did think this was a very well-written book, and I would recommend it for anyone who wants a closer look at political life in Afghanistan under Karzai. Just know that you aren't going to read a story about the angst of being caught between two cultures. That's not what this is about.
The author almost completely ignores the existence of women. I understand that the sexes are segregated in Afghanistan, but after growing up in the US and interacting with women there daily, shouldn't the absence of women evoke comment? I feel like he ignored the plight of women, to the story's detriment. (At one point, his mom gets mad at him for this, but even so, he makes no effort to take women into account.)
Despite this failing, the book is a fascinating look at politics in Afghanistan, and some of the stories presented in it are horrifying and heartbreaking. He does a good job showing us the contradictions in Afghanistan; for instance, he repeatedly says that the people there are tired of war, but he gives numerous examples of blood feuds and vengeance killings and tribal violence. You would think that people who are tired of war would also be tired of violence in general, but (from this book's POV anyway) that doesn't seem to be the case at all. It gives the reader some food for thought.
It was surprising how little culture shock happened. You would think growing up in the US, the author would have absorbed more of the US's morality and mores, but his US roots didn't seem to alter his perception of Afghanistan much at all. The main shock he experiences seems to be food poisoning, which he gets repeatedly. After a while I stopped feeling bad for him. Dude. Stop eating sketchy things.
But anyway, I was expecting to hear a lot of internal conflict about living in Afghanistan with an American worldview, but I didn't get that at all. The author jumps right into Afghanistan and accepts all the cultural differences with ease, judging foreign men for wearing shorts like heathens, never noting the absence of contact with women, etc. I want to know more about why it was so easy for him to do this. Was it because his parents strictly controlled his exposure to Americanism? If so, I want to know what that was like. And what was it like returning to America after living in Afghanistan? Did he change as a result? If not, why not?
In sum, I did think this was a very well-written book, and I would recommend it for anyone who wants a closer look at political life in Afghanistan under Karzai. Just know that you aren't going to read a story about the angst of being caught between two cultures. That's not what this is about.
August 24, 2007
This is Hyder Akbar's accounts of his recent summers in Afghanistan. He's an Afghan national who lived his entire life in California up until the age of 17. Then, after the US toppling of the Taliban, the new government called his father back to work for them, and Hyder went with. So, the perspective you get is both very relatable, yet is also that of an insider.
His personal struggle to become "truly" Afghani is a colorful backdrop for the information he delivers. For example:
- The Taliban, although it doesn't have an iron grip on the country, is still a threat there.
- The central government has a very difficult time ruling over its provinces because the local warlords still have great power derived from their own private armies. The central government is having a hard time getting a national army going.
- Breaking the Taliban's absolute power helped greatly, but the US really did not finish the job at all.
- They all love Coke in Afghanistan. Afghanistan varies greatly in levels of modernity, but even when Hyder and his uncle visit remote mountain tribes, they're offered cans of Coke.
- The US soldiers are not necessarily all heroes. Most of them are just regular guys, some are incredibly arrogant toward Afghanis, and at least one of the ones Hyder worked with turned out to be a lying, torturing, murderer.
- The Afghani communists that the Soviets put in power committed atrocities like slaughtering the entire male populations of villages, using both guns and bulldozers to kill them. When the US military tries to establish bureaucracies and fill government posts, they favor "professionals." In Afghanistan, the professionals are often former communists.
- Journalists don't work very hard or earnestly when it comes to that part of the world. An AP journal once reported that Hyder's father, the governor of Kunar at the time, was shot at. It wasn't true.
Really, though, its lasting impression comes more from the vibe it delivers, rather than just the facts and anecdotes. It's a country that's both in better shape and in worse shape than I thought.
His personal struggle to become "truly" Afghani is a colorful backdrop for the information he delivers. For example:
- The Taliban, although it doesn't have an iron grip on the country, is still a threat there.
- The central government has a very difficult time ruling over its provinces because the local warlords still have great power derived from their own private armies. The central government is having a hard time getting a national army going.
- Breaking the Taliban's absolute power helped greatly, but the US really did not finish the job at all.
- They all love Coke in Afghanistan. Afghanistan varies greatly in levels of modernity, but even when Hyder and his uncle visit remote mountain tribes, they're offered cans of Coke.
- The US soldiers are not necessarily all heroes. Most of them are just regular guys, some are incredibly arrogant toward Afghanis, and at least one of the ones Hyder worked with turned out to be a lying, torturing, murderer.
- The Afghani communists that the Soviets put in power committed atrocities like slaughtering the entire male populations of villages, using both guns and bulldozers to kill them. When the US military tries to establish bureaucracies and fill government posts, they favor "professionals." In Afghanistan, the professionals are often former communists.
- Journalists don't work very hard or earnestly when it comes to that part of the world. An AP journal once reported that Hyder's father, the governor of Kunar at the time, was shot at. It wasn't true.
Really, though, its lasting impression comes more from the vibe it delivers, rather than just the facts and anecdotes. It's a country that's both in better shape and in worse shape than I thought.
December 15, 2007
Wow, I am so glad to finally be done with this book. It started really, really slow for me -- I didn't enjoy the first 100 pages or so at all. When it did pick up and I started to get engaged, I didn't have any time to read.
For those of you who don't know, this is the true story of a California/Afghani teenager -- he was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan, raised mostly in California. Although his parents are Afghani, he's never been to Afghanistan...until, that is, the Taliban is toppled after 9/11 and his father returns to his homeland to help rebuild. Starting when he's (I think) 17, Hyder spends his summer vacations in Afghanistan with his father, acting almost as an unofficial spokesperson for the government. It's truly fascinating, and I can't even fathom that level of dedication from a teenager. Can you honestly imagine an American teenager, having grown up in another country after his/her family fled America for a safe environment, having never even seen the country, actually coming back to the country to rebuild it after over 20 years of war?
That said, it was a hard book to get through. For one thing, there are way too many people in this book and it's really hard to keep everyone straight, but I guess I can't really complain about that since it's non-fiction.
Eh, while I am glad I read this book, I won't be voting for it for the Common Book...
For those of you who don't know, this is the true story of a California/Afghani teenager -- he was born in a refugee camp in Pakistan, raised mostly in California. Although his parents are Afghani, he's never been to Afghanistan...until, that is, the Taliban is toppled after 9/11 and his father returns to his homeland to help rebuild. Starting when he's (I think) 17, Hyder spends his summer vacations in Afghanistan with his father, acting almost as an unofficial spokesperson for the government. It's truly fascinating, and I can't even fathom that level of dedication from a teenager. Can you honestly imagine an American teenager, having grown up in another country after his/her family fled America for a safe environment, having never even seen the country, actually coming back to the country to rebuild it after over 20 years of war?
That said, it was a hard book to get through. For one thing, there are way too many people in this book and it's really hard to keep everyone straight, but I guess I can't really complain about that since it's non-fiction.
Eh, while I am glad I read this book, I won't be voting for it for the Common Book...
February 20, 2012
Hyder is an Afghan-American whose father sells his California retail store to return to Afghanistan to work in politics and help build a new government.
Hyder is able to visit Afghanistan for the first time, and the book is mostly about the two summer he spends there as a teenager whose father holds an important position.
Some reviewers have mentioned this book starts out slow, but I didn't feel that at all; I thought it was riveting from Chapter One. (It probably didn't hurt that Hyder is from Concord, CA -- where I lived while following the California dream)
Going back and forth between the Bay Area and Afghanistan gives Hyder a unique perspective, as does his interaction with other top Afghan officials (including the President) thanks to his father's position.
There's also the stories of Hyder's older relatives and the horrors of the Communist regime.
I learned so much about the Afghan people (like how they don't really mark the passage of time and it's difficult to find anyone who actually knows how old they are) and, I hope, a small understanding of what they've been through.
Said Hyder's uncle:
The US bombing is like a fireworks show. People go up to their rooftops and watch it. When the Russians came, they'd put down their helicopters, start shooting, and we would run from them. So compared to that, this is not that bad."
Hyder is able to visit Afghanistan for the first time, and the book is mostly about the two summer he spends there as a teenager whose father holds an important position.
Some reviewers have mentioned this book starts out slow, but I didn't feel that at all; I thought it was riveting from Chapter One. (It probably didn't hurt that Hyder is from Concord, CA -- where I lived while following the California dream)
Going back and forth between the Bay Area and Afghanistan gives Hyder a unique perspective, as does his interaction with other top Afghan officials (including the President) thanks to his father's position.
There's also the stories of Hyder's older relatives and the horrors of the Communist regime.
I learned so much about the Afghan people (like how they don't really mark the passage of time and it's difficult to find anyone who actually knows how old they are) and, I hope, a small understanding of what they've been through.
Said Hyder's uncle:
The US bombing is like a fireworks show. People go up to their rooftops and watch it. When the Russians came, they'd put down their helicopters, start shooting, and we would run from them. So compared to that, this is not that bad."
March 8, 2008
Quite a good read for a 17 year old's power of observation. Important eye-witness account of the times that have played with the destiny of this poor country. Despite his age, Haider & his collaborator have done a good job documenting everything that went on in Kuner & Kabul while he visited. He had a unique vantage point and one can not doubt his sincerity, his love for his ancestral land. One can understand his hero-worship of his father, his slight animosity towards Pakistan (I am glad it's not as disturbing as some other accounts are), and his balanced evaluation of all parties involved in the current "Great Game" including the role of his adopted land, US. Like him, I am pretty sure, AMericans do not and will not be able to understand "others" and the lands that they invade, so they will fail. Their arrogance alone can undo them, what to talk of a soldier's total lack of personal commitment to a cause that is of a very questionable and controversial nature.
I find information in this book quite refreshing. Though the book is a little too long (took me almost a month to finish), one doesn't mind reading on.
I find information in this book quite refreshing. Though the book is a little too long (took me almost a month to finish), one doesn't mind reading on.
May 15, 2013
I heard the author interviewed on This American Life....and wanted to hear more. As an Afghani-American, he has a unique view point on the current happenings in Afghanistan...and I definitely wanted to see what a full book about his country would teach me. I was happy to grab a copy off of paperbackswap....and even endured a hardback copy to read it.
The book is about Hyder's discovery of his home country....watching his father who is a part of Karzai's start up government work--- and exploring the streets and countryside of his home land. Hyder did not really discover his love for his native country until after the September 11 attacks when his father sold his store in CA and returned to Afghanistan to start work rebuilding his country. Hyder spent his summers shadowing his father--- and used his status to explore and meet many important men in Afghanistan.
The writing simple and enjoyable. I was a bit suspicious as he did not write the book on his own, but the writing style was good...and I definitely enjoyed the book.
Read this book if you want to know more about the country...or what it is like to go home. A good memoir. A good travel doc.
The book is about Hyder's discovery of his home country....watching his father who is a part of Karzai's start up government work--- and exploring the streets and countryside of his home land. Hyder did not really discover his love for his native country until after the September 11 attacks when his father sold his store in CA and returned to Afghanistan to start work rebuilding his country. Hyder spent his summers shadowing his father--- and used his status to explore and meet many important men in Afghanistan.
The writing simple and enjoyable. I was a bit suspicious as he did not write the book on his own, but the writing style was good...and I definitely enjoyed the book.
Read this book if you want to know more about the country...or what it is like to go home. A good memoir. A good travel doc.
June 19, 2008
Said Hyder Akbar' loves U2, his California home, his family, and Afghanistan. After 9/11, Hyder's father, Said Fazel Akbar, sells his Hip-Hop clothing store in Fremont and returns to Afghanistan, later to be elected Governor to the Kunar Province. Hyder relays stories from two full summers spent in Afghanistan after high school. His connections allow for an unparalleled introduction: he dodges bullets and assists the Americans in a firefight, meets Hamid Karzai on numerous occasions, watches a Loya Jirga, an election, acts numerous times as a translator for American soldiers, and is given a shocking perspective on Abu Ghraib. After initially adjusting to the worlds 4th poorest country, Hyder begins to witness signs of Afghanistan rebuilding itself after Russian and Taliban occupation. I'll be watching for evidence of Hyder's future work to bring democracy to his country. This book was great.
March 14, 2008
Fans of This American Life may remember the two episodes with this same title. They featured the audio diary of an Afghan-American teenager from California returning to Afghanistan after the ouster of the Taliban. This book is a more reflective telling of the same time period and later. Said Hyder Akbar's father holds (at this time) a prominent position within the Afghan government, which gives him a unique insight into Afghanistan's struggle to rebuild and adopt democracy. He explains the differences between Afghan and western culture in a way that helps the American reader have a greater understanding of the complex issues at stake in the Middle East. This is an exceptional read, especially considering how young Akbar is. His optimism and ambition are inspiring, even as he describes the problems facing Afghanistan with unflinching honesty.
September 16, 2016
Even though I didn't finish the book fully, i could still tell from a long ways away that this is one of the best books I have ever read. Hyder does a great job to keep the flow of the book ongoing and not to create drag while reading. It's one of those books that you can just keep on reading and forget what time it is. The book also has a unique perspective from the Afghan's point of view for what is going on in there country. The only issue for me were all the people in Hyder's family. To many names are sometimes thrown at you at once, and most of the time you wont't have any clue who they are. But you will eventually get to understand them all, and when you do this book is one of the best you will ever read.
November 12, 2007
I read this book shortly before going to Afghanistan for the second time. It was one of the best books I have ever read, with some of the most brilliant and descriptive writing I have seen. What made this book so wonderful was that it was written by a 17-year old Afghan-American who returned to Afghanistan after living most of his life in California. His conflicted feelings between the culture he had always known in the U.S. and that of which he was thrown in to when he went to Afghanistan was amazingly articulate. It was not difficult for the reader to understand where he was coming from and empathize.
December 16, 2011
SO good so far (three chapters in)! I should have read this so much sooner, but better late than never! Hyder grew up in LA, having escaped with his family when the Taliban took over Afghanistan. He returned after their fall, to work alongside his father who was going through his own transition -- from a leader in the struggle against the Soviets, to the owner of a Californian hip-hop clothing store, then a governor of Kunar, a province in the west. Hearing the story of Afghanistan's recent history through the eyes of someone our age, coming of age in a massive transition is so remarkable. Plus, to read such a remarkable book written by a dear friend is SO special!
February 21, 2010
A different point of view about Afghanistan from a young man whose family hails from there but who got his first look at the country after he graduated from high school, after 9/11, when his father went back to be Hamid Karzai's press secretary. There are two authors listed for the book, and sometimes, particularly early in the book, the disparity between two voices is a little jarring. Hyder's opinions are deeply influenced by his father's perspectives. His youth is vividly apparent in many of the things he takes note of, but he is also more politically aware than we might expect.
October 11, 2007
Very unique perspective on Afghanistan from a teenage Afghan-American who returns to Afghanistan with his father who becomes a district governor. Insightful look into the role of the US military & aid efforts and how it all ties into Afghanistan's complex tribal relationships and history of conflict. I can't think of anyone who would have more access to current politics in Afghanistan and be able to share them in such a powerful way as Akbar.
March 7, 2008
I picked up this book because I just needed something to read and it was in my husband's grad school reading list.
It's been an eye-opening account of a country I knew so little about. I've loved following the author through Afghanistan. It's also been cool to cross-reference Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns with this historical and contemporary story.
It's not a page turner but it's still really interesting!
It's been an eye-opening account of a country I knew so little about. I've loved following the author through Afghanistan. It's also been cool to cross-reference Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns with this historical and contemporary story.
It's not a page turner but it's still really interesting!
June 5, 2008
In my continuing quest to learn as much about Afghanistan as I can, I stumbled upon this book. What a treat. Hyder Akbar comes across as your typical California teenager interested in movies and U2. As his story evolves we learn about his family history and how it relates to the bigger picture of Afghanistan. Akbar is observant, insightful and articulate. He makes you care about the people of Afghanistan and it's future. I look forward to more very big things from this very young man.
March 25, 2009
Mark and I have(espcially Mark)have been going through this phase of really wanting to learn about Afghanistan. This book is written from a teenagers perspective. The boy grew up in California and began going back to Afghanistan for the summer after the fall of the Taleban. I enjoyed learning about Afghanistan through the perspective of someone who is Afghani, grew up in the states then goes back to Afghanistan to try to help rebuild the country.
October 20, 2011
We all need to know a little more about Afghanistan in today's world and need to understand why it is not so easy to just go and solve their problems. Hyder does an excellent job of beginning to bridge the gap between Americans and Afghans and how the problems and their solutions are often not what they seem. There is good and bad on both sides and many of us cauth in between just trying to live life.
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