Book Categories
|
Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan |
Buy Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan here, one of 750 Islamic History books offered for sale at discount prices here in the history books section at R bookshop. There are currently 72649 history books in our history books section, and over 1,000,000 books listed in our book store. We greatly appreciate your patronage at R bookshop and look forward to offering you a large selection of great books at discount prices now and in the future. Thank you for shopping at R Bookshop!
|
You Are Here: Home > History Books > Islamic History > Item 101
 |
Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan
|
by Robert D. Kaplan
Sales Rank: 250479
|
Discount: 20 %
List Price: $14.00
$11.20
At Amazon
on 6-18-2008.
|
|
|
|
Features
Cover Type: Paperback with 304 pages
Published by: Vintage; 1st Vintage Departures Ed edition November 27, 2001
Written in: English
ISBN 10 Number: 1400030250
ISBN 13 Number: 978-1400030255
Book Dimensions:
7.8 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
Weighs: 8.5 ounces
The New York Times, 1990
“Kaplan [is] a scholarly and adventurous journalist. . . . He draws attention to long-term trends that other writers have little noted.”
Product Review
“Robert Kaplan [is] a scholarly and adventurous journalist. . . . He draws attention to long-term trends that other writers have little noted.” —The New York Times
“Soldiers of God is a thoughtful, insightful, highly readable book. Battlefield smart, rock solid.” —Dan Rather
“Affecting and informative. . . . [Kaplan] answer[s] a number of important political questions.” —The New Yorker
“[A] first-rate account. . . . [Kaplan’s] combination of firsthand war experience inside Afghanistan and extensive reporting . . . makes him sensitive to distinctions that often escaped even devoted promoters of the muj[ahidin].” —The Wall Street Journal
Reader Reviews
Soldiers of God is a first-hand narrative of journalist Robert Kaplan's travels with the mujahadeen in Afghanistan during the waning days of the Soviet occupation. Set in the late 1980s, this book does not cover the more recent Taliban movement that will probably be of more immediate interest to most readers. However, Soldiers of God does impart a clear understanding of the background conditions that led to the rise of the Taliban and the influence of Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan. Soldiers of God is the story of a third-world nation that was brutalized by the Soviets, then manipulated and mismanaged by the Pakistani agents who were acting as U.S. surrogates. Kaplan explains how the United States entrusted the Zia and Bhutto regimes of Pakistan with most of the day-to-day details of the war. The result was the gradual encouragement of the militant Islamist elements that would eventually coalesce into the Taliban. Tragically, Afghanistan was a comparatively minor sideshow in the Cold War. The country was difficult for journalists to enter, so the conflict was largely neglected by the American press; and Eastern Europe and Nicaragua were much higher on the list of U.S. priorities. Kaplan provides detailed accounts of Soviet atrocities which received little mainstream press attention at the time. However, the most captivating aspect of the book is richness of the narrative itself. Part diary, part political commentary, Soldiers of God gives the reader a visceral sense of what it was like to live as a mujahadeen during the Soviet-Afghan conflict. Kaplan describes the miserable climate, maggot-infested food provisions, and the constant fear of Soviet mines with exacting detail. Kaplan also gives us insights into the characters of the mujahadeen themselves. As a reader, I felt a mixture of contempt and admiration for the men who lives unfolded in this book. On one hand, the mujahadeen emerge as heroic underdogs fighting to free their country from a vastly superior Soviet military. On the other hand, Kaplan acknowledges many of the Afghan societal flaws which would later be amplified by the Taliban. We read about a country in which women have little or no rights, and religious laws have no secular counterbalance. I have found few books on the Soviet-Afghan conflict; and I would guess that this one is among the best of the bunch.
Comment | |
(Report this)
Back To Top
|
Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan
Available from Amazon
Price: $11.20
Updated on 6-18-2008.
|
NOTICE: All prices, availability, and specifications
are subject to verification by their respective retailers.
| We offer Soldiers of God: With Islamic Warriors in Afghanistan and Pakistan and other related Islamic History Books here at Rbookshop.com. To view more books about Islamic History please use the previous and next buttons near the top of this page.
|
|
|
Search for books at
