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Not Our Problem: The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them
280 pages, Hardcover
Published April 7, 2026
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May 18, 2026
I first met Spencer in the early 2000s when he was a counselor at a YMCA camp. We've stayed in touch ever since, and I followed his 2010s tour in Afghanistan through his blog and emails. He was dedicated and skilled officer, and has continued to succeed since.
The story of the relationship between Spencer and Abdulhaq is extraordinary, it's a story of lost friends, danger, bravery, and a promise kept. Abdulhaq crossed Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Germany before finally being granted asylum, all the time discovering both the warmth and generosity of the human race, as while it's its worst most base instincts. He was robbed, beat up, and taken advantage of, but every setback will have you cheering for him as he floats towards free on a wave of human compassion.
The United States has made a great many mistakes in the world. Abdulhaq's story is a tale of why we need to keep our promises: Americans came back home because the sacrifices that he and his fellow interpreters made in service to the US. And America is a better place now because Abdulhaq has finally settled here.
The writing is compelling, and brought me tears at various points. The book will have you questioning your own assumptions about the refugee experience, our own foreign policy, and ones' own beliefs about how we deal with the world. It moved me to get more involved in the effort to keep our promises to our allies, and knowing the story has made me a better Army officer. Not Our Problem is the most compelling book I've read in the last few years, and anybody who reads it will be a better person for having read it.
-McNeil
The story of the relationship between Spencer and Abdulhaq is extraordinary, it's a story of lost friends, danger, bravery, and a promise kept. Abdulhaq crossed Afghanistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Spain, and Germany before finally being granted asylum, all the time discovering both the warmth and generosity of the human race, as while it's its worst most base instincts. He was robbed, beat up, and taken advantage of, but every setback will have you cheering for him as he floats towards free on a wave of human compassion.
The United States has made a great many mistakes in the world. Abdulhaq's story is a tale of why we need to keep our promises: Americans came back home because the sacrifices that he and his fellow interpreters made in service to the US. And America is a better place now because Abdulhaq has finally settled here.
The writing is compelling, and brought me tears at various points. The book will have you questioning your own assumptions about the refugee experience, our own foreign policy, and ones' own beliefs about how we deal with the world. It moved me to get more involved in the effort to keep our promises to our allies, and knowing the story has made me a better Army officer. Not Our Problem is the most compelling book I've read in the last few years, and anybody who reads it will be a better person for having read it.
-McNeil
Displaying 1 of 1 review