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An Undesirable Element: An Afghan Memoir by Sharif Fayez
Excellent Book
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First published May 1, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
July 20, 2018
This is an incredible story, one that must be shared widely and has the potential for great inspiration across the Middle East, as well as in changing Western perceptions of the Middle East.
I feel as incredible as the story is in terms of facts, the details could have been fleshed out further; the emotions and anecdotes could have been a bit more visceral and sensual. This is what captures imagination, and I kept on wishing the voice of Sharif Fayez would leap out at me. What is he really like, the full encompassing of his persona? There were times I was wishing he would elaborate on truly shocking moments; I had to do a double-take because his tone remained consistent, be it discussing the statistics of casualties or the abandonment of his wife to Herat during the penetration of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
"I had always hated linguistics as it didn't comprehend emotion or passion, and focused only on the rigid study of language." - Sharif Fayez
Embellish the emotions and the descriptors that put the reader in Fayez's shoes. "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" - and that is what will inspire more people to see the vitality of education; the whole purpose of this book.
I feel as incredible as the story is in terms of facts, the details could have been fleshed out further; the emotions and anecdotes could have been a bit more visceral and sensual. This is what captures imagination, and I kept on wishing the voice of Sharif Fayez would leap out at me. What is he really like, the full encompassing of his persona? There were times I was wishing he would elaborate on truly shocking moments; I had to do a double-take because his tone remained consistent, be it discussing the statistics of casualties or the abandonment of his wife to Herat during the penetration of the Soviet Union in Afghanistan.
"I had always hated linguistics as it didn't comprehend emotion or passion, and focused only on the rigid study of language." - Sharif Fayez
Embellish the emotions and the descriptors that put the reader in Fayez's shoes. "We are such stuff as dreams are made on" - and that is what will inspire more people to see the vitality of education; the whole purpose of this book.
January 10, 2015
This is the best Afghan memoir I have ever read.
June 10, 2015
This is a lovely short read about one man's inspirational personal story that ends up telling the story of modern Afghanistan.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews