Prince of Afghanistan

by Louis Nowra

After a rescue mission goes wrong, a young soldier and his dog find themselves alone in hostile territory. Will they survive the perilous journey back to base?

Genres: War, Animals, Young Adult

184 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 4, 2015

About the author

Louis Nowra (born 12 December 1950) is an Australian writer, playwright, screenwriter and librettist. His most significant plays are Così, Byzantine Flowers, Summer of the Aliens, Radiance, and The Golden Age. In 2007 he completed the The Boyce Trilogy for Griffin Theatre Company, consisting of The Woman with Dog's Eyes, The Marvellous Boy and The Emperor of Sydney. Many of his plays have been filmed.[1]
He was born as Mark Doyle in Melbourne. He changed his name to Louis Nowra in the early 1970s. He studied at Melbourne's La Trobe University without earning a degree. In his memoir, The Twelfth of Never, Nowra claimed that he left the course due to a conflict with his professor on Patrick White's The Tree of Man. He worked in several jobs and lived an itinerant lifestyle until the mid-1970s when his plays began to attract attention.
His radio plays include Albert Names Edward, The Song Room, The Widows and the five part The Divine Hammer aired on the ABC in 2003.[2]
In March 2007, Nowra published a controversial book on violence in Aboriginal communities, Bad Dreaming.
Nowra has been studied extensively in Veronica Kelly's work The Theatre of Louis Nowra.
He resides in Sydney with his wife, author Mandy Sayer.

From Wikipedia

Reviews

[Rosanne Hawke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Louis Nowra has done it again. Prince of Afghanistan is the story of eighteen-year-old Australian soldier Mark and a war dog called Prince. They survive a bomb blast and have to find their way back to base. I found the present tense for a war story a bit confronting, and although for much of the book only two characters are on the page I still learned plenty about Mark's past life and what brought him to Afghanistan to fight. The story is dramatic and scary yet warm and uplifting; the relationship which grows between a young man and a special dog will catch at even a non-dog-lover's heart.

[Michele Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again love reading Australian stories. Simple book but a very touching story of a love between man and dog set in Afghanistan. A different perspective on a war that most of us only see on TV or in papers.

[Bob Mcclarin · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Pip Tlaskal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read in a single sitting with my own dog beside me, this is superlative YAL. A fluid, tense journey through a perilous war-torn landscape to reach home base after being cut off from his team make Doberman Prince and Mark an unlikely pairing who need each other to survive. Shifting uneasily through the social problems dogging Afghanistan- opium growing, the Taliban, the treatment of women are sketched out in a few fleeting words; a farmer stating that 'he didn't mind war, the blood makes good fertiliser for the poppies.' An incredible introduction to an alien world for whose destruction the West has much to answer, anchored in the incredible bond between the 19 year old young soldier and the blisteringly smart war dog (my own dog cocked an ear at that!). An hour or so's read that gives any young person a snapshot of a land still in turmoil.

[Emma Ruth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not ashamed to say, this one made me cry. Prince of Afghanistan is a beautiful, though heartbreaking story about a boy and a dog surviving against all odds.
The writing style was easy to read and high visual so you really felt as though you were amongst the characters. I appreciated all the different twists and turns and the fast pace of the story.
Also, who doesn't love a story where the dog doesn't die?

[The Book Squirrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book quite engaging, but the themes may be a bit confronting for some young children. I believe it's recommended to ages 12+, but I would want to know a little about the reader if I were to give it to that age groups. I'd err more towards ages 13 or 14+, and it may be a suitable high-interest-low-readability title for ages 15+.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a thoroughly engaging piece of YA fiction.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nowra writes so evocatively. You can feel the fear and panic. The bond between the soldier and dog is so heartwarming. Lots of killing and blood but it is in a war zone.

[Jacob]

louis nowra has written the best book i have read i mostly like the book because the amount of detail that was put in makes you be able to picture what it looks like.

[Bridie Nielsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great Australian novel and a quick read. I first read this book several years ago and the story has always stayed with me, so I decided to reread it. This book still has the ability to make me tear up. My only objection is that the ending feels a bit rushed (in particular the last three chapters). It feels like a bit of a missed opportunity to not delve into Mark and Prince’s joint recovery a bit more. However, I still loved the story overall and it is quite a memorable read.

[Holly Preston · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent text for young adult readers. I used this text for a close study with Year 8 English. Students thoroughly enjoyed it and kept male students engaged.

[Kristine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a heart wrenching story of a young Australian soldier and his friend's dog fighting for their own survival as well as each in the war of Afghanistan, who is still under the regime of the Taliban. There are a few reasons why I rate this book five stars: firstly, the author successfully weaves in horror, bloodshed, joy, triumph, importance of mateship and education into an accumulated plot. It made me cry at certain points, and the ending was definitely a winner. Good characters, good plot, good themes and all in all I am able to finish this book with the feeling you get after eating a succulent meal: fully uplifted and satisfied.

[Betty · Rating 1 out of 5]

I bought this book because it was recommended reading for young adults, the writer is well known, and the review in the English teachers' magazine recommended it- but I can't imagine why. Firstly- it lacks interesting language- there is lots of 'telling', and very little 'showing'. Irritatingly, it is written wholly in the present tense, so that it reads like a 'shoot 'em up' video game. As it is set in Afghanistan and the protagonist is a soldier, I guess it fits, but I found it to be tedious reading. I wonder if it will appeal to boys who like video games; I suspect not.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful.