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The Last Thousand: One School's Promise in a Nation at War
Under the protection of foreign forces, a special place has flourished in Afghanistan. The Marefat School is an award-winning institution in the western slums of Kabul, built by one of the country’s most vulnerable minorities, the Hazara. Marefat educates both girls and boys; it teaches students to embrace the arts, criticize their leaders, interrogate their religion, and be active citizens in a rapidly changing country. But they are dependent on foreign forces for security. When the United States begins to withdraw from Afghanistan, they are left behind, unprotected.
Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey E. Stern explores the stakes of war through the eyes of those touched by the school’s daring founder and leader, Aziz Royesh; a mother of five who finds freedom in literacy; a clever mechanic; a self-taught astronomer; the school’s security director; and several intrepid students who carry Marefat’s mission to the streets.
We see how Marefat has embraced the United States and blossomed under its presence---and how much it stands to lose as that protection disappears.
The Last Thousand tells the story of what we leave behind when our foreign wars end. It shows us up close the promise, as well as the peril, of our military adventures abroad. Stern presents a nuanced and fascinating portrait of the complex history of Afghanistan, its American occupation, and the ways in which once community rallies together in compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring detail.
Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey E. Stern explores the stakes of war through the eyes of those touched by the school’s daring founder and leader, Aziz Royesh; a mother of five who finds freedom in literacy; a clever mechanic; a self-taught astronomer; the school’s security director; and several intrepid students who carry Marefat’s mission to the streets.
We see how Marefat has embraced the United States and blossomed under its presence---and how much it stands to lose as that protection disappears.
The Last Thousand tells the story of what we leave behind when our foreign wars end. It shows us up close the promise, as well as the peril, of our military adventures abroad. Stern presents a nuanced and fascinating portrait of the complex history of Afghanistan, its American occupation, and the ways in which once community rallies together in compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring detail.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 20, 2015
10 people are currently reading
473 people want to read
About the author
Jeffrey E. Stern
5 books29 followersJeffrey E. Stern is an award-winning journalist and the author of four books, including The 15:17 to Paris, which was adapted as a major motion picture by Clint Eastwood and Warner Brothers, and The Last Thousand: One School’s Promise in a Nation at War, an honorable mention for best book of the year by Library Journal. Stern co-wrote and produced the award-winning independent film Yasmeen’s Element, which premiered at the SXSW film festival and was named a “best of the fest.” He has been named a graduate fellow at the Stanford Center for International Conflict and Negotiation and a grantee of the Pulitzer Center Fellow for Crisis Reporting. Stern’s reporting has appeared in magazines such as The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, and The Atlantic.
Stern has appeared on PBS NewsHour, The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, NPR’s Morning Edition, and MSNBC's Morning Joe. He has received the Overseas Press Club award for best human rights reporting in any medium, the Amnesty International award for foreign reporting, and was part of The New York Times team that won the 2019 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in international journalism for coverage of the war in Yemen. He is a founding board member of The 30 Birds Foundation (https://www.30birdsfoundation.org/) and The Bamyan Foundation (https://bamyanfoundation.org/).
Stern has appeared on PBS NewsHour, The Lead with Jake Tapper on CNN, NPR’s Morning Edition, and MSNBC's Morning Joe. He has received the Overseas Press Club award for best human rights reporting in any medium, the Amnesty International award for foreign reporting, and was part of The New York Times team that won the 2019 Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights Award in international journalism for coverage of the war in Yemen. He is a founding board member of The 30 Birds Foundation (https://www.30birdsfoundation.org/) and The Bamyan Foundation (https://bamyanfoundation.org/).
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August 25, 2018
This is a book about an alternative school in Afghanistan, outside Kabul, that is attempting to have a form of gender equality and to instill independent thought. Rote memorization is the standard teaching procedure in Afghanistan.
It is run by a highly motivated Afghani man, Aziz. Through him the author tells us how the school evolved and continues to do so in the face of incredible obstacles – like the resurgent Taliban, forces of religious conservatism, and tribalism. The withdrawal of NATO troops enhances the threats of all these counter-progressive forces. And you can add to this an infra-structure that hardly exists due to the constant wars since the 1970’s.
So I came out of this with a much greater understanding of Afghanistan and the multiple conflicts within it. I also discovered that the “gender equality” in this school is not at the same level as Western countries – for example the classes are sex segregated.
I had a lot of problems with the writing in this book. It almost seems that there is a novel within trying to break out. There are many disparate characters constantly being introduced having, in many cases, no links to each other. There were many re-constructed conversations from past events where the author was not present. In these cases I often was wondering in what sense are we experiencing this – whose point of view is predominating? Due to the number of disconnected characters the book lacked unity. There were several different threads running throughout – all interesting and compelling – but a lack of coherence.
I feel that if the author would have focused on his own experience, his interviews with Aziz, and the school, instead of transcribing what others went through, that this book would have been a far better work of journalism.
It is run by a highly motivated Afghani man, Aziz. Through him the author tells us how the school evolved and continues to do so in the face of incredible obstacles – like the resurgent Taliban, forces of religious conservatism, and tribalism. The withdrawal of NATO troops enhances the threats of all these counter-progressive forces. And you can add to this an infra-structure that hardly exists due to the constant wars since the 1970’s.
So I came out of this with a much greater understanding of Afghanistan and the multiple conflicts within it. I also discovered that the “gender equality” in this school is not at the same level as Western countries – for example the classes are sex segregated.
I had a lot of problems with the writing in this book. It almost seems that there is a novel within trying to break out. There are many disparate characters constantly being introduced having, in many cases, no links to each other. There were many re-constructed conversations from past events where the author was not present. In these cases I often was wondering in what sense are we experiencing this – whose point of view is predominating? Due to the number of disconnected characters the book lacked unity. There were several different threads running throughout – all interesting and compelling – but a lack of coherence.
I feel that if the author would have focused on his own experience, his interviews with Aziz, and the school, instead of transcribing what others went through, that this book would have been a far better work of journalism.
January 16, 2016
September 11, 2001 was a turning point for Americans and Afghans alike. America started the global war on terror and gave Afghanistan regime change, which was a boon for many Afghans, particularly the ethnic Hazaras whose long history of persecution is documented in English literature by Khaled Hosseini and Lillias Hamilton.
Jeffrey E. Stern’s upcoming non-fiction book, The Last Thousand: One School’s Promise in a Nation at War, picks up the story of the Hazaras from where The Kite Runner left off: a people rising from the smoldering ravages of the Taliban, eagerly flocking in their thousands to schools with a sense of making up for the opportunity cost of their underdog’s history.
The book tells the story of one such school, Marefat, built by a former holy warrior who teaches his students, especially girls, to be outspoken, independent thinkers. Marefat embodies what’s possible in the civic space that emerged in the wake of American bombs and the Taliban.
This book is about the building of a school, but it’s not another stones-into-schools narrative; it is about sustaining the school’s social mission in the face of, among other things, an angry mob hurling rocks at the school where girls learn to take a stand against misogyny. (“Marefat” is Dari for knowledge, wisdom, awareness.)
Stern has lived a portion of the school’s journey, so he tells the story with intimate familiarity and subtlety. Stern’s years-long association with Marefat and its tenacious founder-principal, Aziz Royesh, enables him to write with human empathy even as he appears at times to grapple with his sympathies for the school: Stern is so close to Marefat and Teacher Aziz that he readily finds a unique place for them in contemporary Hazara history. Marefat’s art, music and civic education program and the school’s success – compared to what? – emerge as evidence. But the smart, articulate students appearing throughout the book offer enough endorsement to help the narrative withstand inquiry.
The book is paced appropriately as Stern tells the story of the months leading up to the end of American combat mission in Afghanistan. In this sense, the book is also about what happens to a historically oppressed minority after the protective foreign power with which it has sided is gone. This is where Afghan and American histories begin to diverge as neatly as they converged on 9/11: On December 31, 2014, America’s war officially ended in Afghanistan, but the battle was only beginning for Teacher Aziz, Marefat and Afghanistan.
The Last Thousand is a timely exploration of the question “what happens when the Americans leave?” and its corollary, “how will the Afghans manage to wean themselves off foreign support?”
And sure enough, as the Americans leave, the Taliban creep back and regressive forces become more assertive. To push back, the Teacher becomes involved in politics – and radically modifies his civic teaching.
“When the pressure is coming from different sides, you feel yourself unsafe or unprotected, you feel it more with your subconscious,” he decides. “Now we have to take ourselves two or three feet back. Just to remain alive….For the time being we should shut our voice.”
This lesson is not received quietly by Marefat students who have learned to think for themselves and question authority.
The book’s other contribution – documenting America’s earliest missteps in Afghanistan – is easily overlooked in the broader narrative. In the absence of an overall policy, the military gained primacy over diplomacy, which undercut America’s natural allies in Afghan society and eroded support for the mission – a process that started before the oft-cited 2003 divergence to Iraq.
And so Stern offers a more nuanced narrative of American involvement in Afghanistan and how it changed the Afghans who lived through it. He writes with honesty and manages to craft an uplifting narrative without making the story saccharine.
The book is recommended for those interested in the Afghan experience of what Americans call their longest war.
Jeffrey E. Stern’s upcoming non-fiction book, The Last Thousand: One School’s Promise in a Nation at War, picks up the story of the Hazaras from where The Kite Runner left off: a people rising from the smoldering ravages of the Taliban, eagerly flocking in their thousands to schools with a sense of making up for the opportunity cost of their underdog’s history.
The book tells the story of one such school, Marefat, built by a former holy warrior who teaches his students, especially girls, to be outspoken, independent thinkers. Marefat embodies what’s possible in the civic space that emerged in the wake of American bombs and the Taliban.
This book is about the building of a school, but it’s not another stones-into-schools narrative; it is about sustaining the school’s social mission in the face of, among other things, an angry mob hurling rocks at the school where girls learn to take a stand against misogyny. (“Marefat” is Dari for knowledge, wisdom, awareness.)
Stern has lived a portion of the school’s journey, so he tells the story with intimate familiarity and subtlety. Stern’s years-long association with Marefat and its tenacious founder-principal, Aziz Royesh, enables him to write with human empathy even as he appears at times to grapple with his sympathies for the school: Stern is so close to Marefat and Teacher Aziz that he readily finds a unique place for them in contemporary Hazara history. Marefat’s art, music and civic education program and the school’s success – compared to what? – emerge as evidence. But the smart, articulate students appearing throughout the book offer enough endorsement to help the narrative withstand inquiry.
The book is paced appropriately as Stern tells the story of the months leading up to the end of American combat mission in Afghanistan. In this sense, the book is also about what happens to a historically oppressed minority after the protective foreign power with which it has sided is gone. This is where Afghan and American histories begin to diverge as neatly as they converged on 9/11: On December 31, 2014, America’s war officially ended in Afghanistan, but the battle was only beginning for Teacher Aziz, Marefat and Afghanistan.
The Last Thousand is a timely exploration of the question “what happens when the Americans leave?” and its corollary, “how will the Afghans manage to wean themselves off foreign support?”
And sure enough, as the Americans leave, the Taliban creep back and regressive forces become more assertive. To push back, the Teacher becomes involved in politics – and radically modifies his civic teaching.
“When the pressure is coming from different sides, you feel yourself unsafe or unprotected, you feel it more with your subconscious,” he decides. “Now we have to take ourselves two or three feet back. Just to remain alive….For the time being we should shut our voice.”
This lesson is not received quietly by Marefat students who have learned to think for themselves and question authority.
The book’s other contribution – documenting America’s earliest missteps in Afghanistan – is easily overlooked in the broader narrative. In the absence of an overall policy, the military gained primacy over diplomacy, which undercut America’s natural allies in Afghan society and eroded support for the mission – a process that started before the oft-cited 2003 divergence to Iraq.
And so Stern offers a more nuanced narrative of American involvement in Afghanistan and how it changed the Afghans who lived through it. He writes with honesty and manages to craft an uplifting narrative without making the story saccharine.
The book is recommended for those interested in the Afghan experience of what Americans call their longest war.
February 4, 2016
I have a preference for non-fiction books that read in more of a story-telling or narrative form. The Last Thousand certainly hits that mark spot-on. Jeffrey Stern tackles the issues surrounding the US withdrawal from Afghanistan with subtlety and nuance. I found myself engrossed in the back stories of each individual, while at the same time wondering what would happen to them and their school in the future. Stern manages to elicit empathy for the characters and their situations, while still presenting the broaders realities and implications for continued US involvement in Afghanistan. This book is worth the read, and then some, for anyone that truly cares about how US foreign policy decisions impact the lives of those residing in the countries where we engage militarily.
Read
January 28, 2016"The Last Thousand" is a look at one school in war torn Afghanistan. It's a place where kids can be kids and learn (and sometimes even adults whose own education was interrupted can go back to learn as well). Girls learn alongside boys in a country where women are often seen as lesser than men. It's a really amazing story told in an interesting way.
Stern tells the story through telling the stories of individuals and their interactions with the school. The Afghan people in this book are Hazaras, a group that has often been marginalized in their own country. Stern doesn't just focus on one group, he focuses on many different groups and people to tell the story of how the school came to be and how it has been able to stay so resilient with everything going on in that country. It's really fascinating!
The writing of the book is good although because Stern focuses on so many different sides, the story sometimes lost me. Although it was very interesting to see the school from so many different perspectives. The story is told mostly in third person present tense, which also lost me somewhat. However, the meat of the story really shines through and made for a powerful read!
Stern tells the story through telling the stories of individuals and their interactions with the school. The Afghan people in this book are Hazaras, a group that has often been marginalized in their own country. Stern doesn't just focus on one group, he focuses on many different groups and people to tell the story of how the school came to be and how it has been able to stay so resilient with everything going on in that country. It's really fascinating!
The writing of the book is good although because Stern focuses on so many different sides, the story sometimes lost me. Although it was very interesting to see the school from so many different perspectives. The story is told mostly in third person present tense, which also lost me somewhat. However, the meat of the story really shines through and made for a powerful read!
February 7, 2016
Everyone should take the time to read about the Marefat school, and the amazing students, teachers and staff who bring it to life. Their stories captured my heart right away, and then gave me such new and personal insight into how big foreign policy decisions can play out in the lives of ordinary people. This book powerfully weaves together the school's inspiring story with the context of the US' war in and withdrawal from Afghanistan. It left me with a much deeper understanding of what the US' role there has meant and actually looked like, and a profound awareness of how foreign policy debates don't just hold implications for countries and national interests, but play out in so many complex and under appreciated ways in the lives of everyday people too.
January 28, 2017
Jeffrey E. Stern’s 2016 book The Last Thousand: One School’s Promise in a Nation at War, is an examination of the Marefat School in Kabul, Afghanistan. Aziz Royesh is the founder of Marefat, and The Last Thousand is his story as well as the school’s. Royesh started Marefat in order to offer a more liberal education experience, and he has sought to produce life-long learners, people who will continue to be students long after their formal education is over. Royesh's task is much more difficult because he is a Hazara, a minority ethnic group that has long been oppressed in Afghanistan. The roadblocks to a Hazara starting a liberal school for other Hazaras were numerous, and Marefat actually started in Pakistan, when Royesh was living in exile during the period of Taliban rule.
While the United States’ role in Afghanistan since the invasion of 2001 has been turbulent, it’s fascinating to see it from the perspective of the Hazaras. To them, the United States was their benefactor, and was helping to greatly improve the opportunities available to them in Afghanistan. When the United States announced that they would pull most of their troops out of Afghanistan, this set off an alarm bell for Aziz Royesh. He knew that violence toward Hazaras could increase as soon as the United States left. This becomes the main source of tension in the book, as Royesh counts down the months until his American protectors leave.
On a personal note, one of the students of Marefat profiled in The Last Thousand, Ta Manna, is currently in my World History class. (I teach at a private school in Minnesota.) Reading The Last Thousand helped me to understand more about her background, and the hardships she has suffered as she has tried to pursue an education.
The Last Thousand is a fascinating glimpse at the turbulent modern history of Afghanistan, and the staggering odds that Royesh faced to establish a thriving school in the face of much opposition. Stern has spent a lot of time with Royesh at Marefat, and this makes his book a valuable one. This is deep reporting at its finest.
While the United States’ role in Afghanistan since the invasion of 2001 has been turbulent, it’s fascinating to see it from the perspective of the Hazaras. To them, the United States was their benefactor, and was helping to greatly improve the opportunities available to them in Afghanistan. When the United States announced that they would pull most of their troops out of Afghanistan, this set off an alarm bell for Aziz Royesh. He knew that violence toward Hazaras could increase as soon as the United States left. This becomes the main source of tension in the book, as Royesh counts down the months until his American protectors leave.
On a personal note, one of the students of Marefat profiled in The Last Thousand, Ta Manna, is currently in my World History class. (I teach at a private school in Minnesota.) Reading The Last Thousand helped me to understand more about her background, and the hardships she has suffered as she has tried to pursue an education.
The Last Thousand is a fascinating glimpse at the turbulent modern history of Afghanistan, and the staggering odds that Royesh faced to establish a thriving school in the face of much opposition. Stern has spent a lot of time with Royesh at Marefat, and this makes his book a valuable one. This is deep reporting at its finest.
Read
January 27, 2016Marefat is a school but not just a school. It is a school under siege as it is in Afghanistan which on the whole views education with a rather wary eye. Boys and girls being educated together is bad enough but these children are not learning by rote. That is what is unusual for Afghanistan. They are being taught to think for themselves, to question, not to accept as truth what is being told. The man behind the venture is a bold soul and he faces many hazards in first setting up the school and then maintaining it.
Behind the school is the concept of persecution of a minority. The Hazaras are looked on with suspicion, have been for decades. They look different from the others in Afghan and they have always been at the butt end for everything and anything that has gone wrong. The situation continues todate and it was this marginalization that drove Aziz to start this school.
The story told from the point of view of different characters adds to the roundness of the story telling.
From Aziz its founder to the mother of five who knows that despite whatever odds she faces, she must send her children to school and then also get herself educated to some degree, and to the many girls and boys who get emancipated as a result of their education.
This was an eye opener - the extent to which discrimination, marginalization and lack of education exists today.
Behind the school is the concept of persecution of a minority. The Hazaras are looked on with suspicion, have been for decades. They look different from the others in Afghan and they have always been at the butt end for everything and anything that has gone wrong. The situation continues todate and it was this marginalization that drove Aziz to start this school.
The story told from the point of view of different characters adds to the roundness of the story telling.
From Aziz its founder to the mother of five who knows that despite whatever odds she faces, she must send her children to school and then also get herself educated to some degree, and to the many girls and boys who get emancipated as a result of their education.
This was an eye opener - the extent to which discrimination, marginalization and lack of education exists today.
May 1, 2016
Stern makes a compelling argument for why the U.S. should retain a military presence in Afghanistan. He spent time in that country as a reporter and gives the reader a look at not only the history of that region, but how people really feel having Americans there, especially at how our presence changed education in that part of the world. He became friends with the Teacher, a man who started a school there that grew quickly. It is a school where both boys and girls attend, where girls have been given confidence and opportunities other than marriage and families for the first time. This is an amazing look at life there and how it is changing due to the U.S. withdrawal. It is also an example of how one person can change things for the better and why education is so important. This is a great book for anyone who truly wants to understand this country and its history.
February 8, 2016
This is the kind of book that makes you feel like you really know the author and really appreciate him. He paints a tender, humorous and fascinating picture of a complex situation. He leaves you feeling informed and inspired. Don't take my word for it, read the NYTimes review.
January 19, 2016
John,
I was privileged to receive an advance copy of The Last Thousand. This is a moving story about real lives caught in the snare of international politics and local conflict. For most of us in the West, Afghanistan is (to quote Chamberlain) "a far away country of which we know nothing". Even among the educated, it is a country we know about in one dimension as a cross-road of geopolitical conflict. The Last Thousand allows the reader to experience, at least for a small segment of the local (and minority) population, their daily struggle to cope with the constant ebb and flow of repression and uncertainty, and to recognize our country's ambivalence to their plight. This is a beautifully written, well researched, and engaging book which sometimes seems more like a novel than a journalistic account of actual events.
I was privileged to receive an advance copy of The Last Thousand. This is a moving story about real lives caught in the snare of international politics and local conflict. For most of us in the West, Afghanistan is (to quote Chamberlain) "a far away country of which we know nothing". Even among the educated, it is a country we know about in one dimension as a cross-road of geopolitical conflict. The Last Thousand allows the reader to experience, at least for a small segment of the local (and minority) population, their daily struggle to cope with the constant ebb and flow of repression and uncertainty, and to recognize our country's ambivalence to their plight. This is a beautifully written, well researched, and engaging book which sometimes seems more like a novel than a journalistic account of actual events.
February 4, 2016
Serving an ethnic and religious minority in Afghanistan, Marefat is a progressive school that is struggling to maintain hope for itself and its students in a landscape that is deteriorating because of US withdrawal. Jeffrey Stern paints an intimate picture of hopes and challenges of Marefat students, offering readers a fresh perspective into effects of the US intervention in Afghanistan.
In a conversation that is heavily occupied with numbers and strategies, Jeff Stern brings children, women and men of Marefat school to the forefront and offers a point of view that is extremely important, and relatable.
The Last Thousand is a faced paced non-fiction story of lives and dreams we touch far away from American shores. I loved reading it and highly recommend it!
In a conversation that is heavily occupied with numbers and strategies, Jeff Stern brings children, women and men of Marefat school to the forefront and offers a point of view that is extremely important, and relatable.
The Last Thousand is a faced paced non-fiction story of lives and dreams we touch far away from American shores. I loved reading it and highly recommend it!
March 9, 2016
I found this riveting and finished it in less than 24 hours. Of course, what the US is doing in Afghanistan is of particular importance to me. The author very skillfully weaves a lot of history into the story of a school on the outskirts of Kabul that educates students (including girls and adults) in ways that are decidedly Western. It's a bright spot in a depressing situation that unfortunately seems to be getting worse.
February 6, 2016
The Last Thousand: One School's Promise in a Nation at War by Jeffrey E. Stern is essential reading for anyone who wants to understand the current situation of Afghanistan and how young Hazara girls and boys of Marefat High School have been a force for changes. I highly recommend it.
February 4, 2016
Well written, poignant, infuriating, and inspiring. A must-read for anyone passionate about education (particularly for girls) or who wants an engaging and thoughtful glimpse into the lives of a handful of Afghanis throughout the past several decades and how American occupation affected them.
February 5, 2016
I'm more of a fiction guy, and I never would have picked this up if it hadn't been recommended by a friend. I wound up binge-reading it in under a week. This guy knows how to tell a story, and as a bonus, I feel like I just took a crash course in Afghan history.
April 5, 2016
This is a great read, especially for anyone who has ever worked on or in Afghanistan. Perfect combination of human interest/personal stories set in the broader political/context. Very well written, and the subject (the Marefat School in Kabul) is an amazing story.
November 5, 2017
Full disclosure: I've known Jeff since he was about five. Jeff is one of my brother's oldest and dearest friends. My brother gets a shout-out in the acknowledgements; my copy is signed with a really thoughtful, kind message. So my first response to the book is pride in Jeff, because I know what a process it was to write - and also because the book is good.
Stylistically, I wasn't sure what to make of Jeff's choice to occasionally "break the fourth wall." Most of the book is told in third person, but there are some first person spots that are sparse enough to feel deliberate, and I wondered why.
The book beautifully, meticulously, sometimes sadly shows us the human side of foreign policy. Jeff paints a strong picture of Aziz Royesh, founder of the Marefat School, and of the hope the school brings to Kabul - and of the adjusting Royesh must do when American troops are reduced and violence surges. He urges his female students to find husbands for their safety; they respond with bewilderment. Where is the zealot who encouraged education for girls? There's a cloud hanging over the story, but Jeff manages to infuse it with warmth and occasional humor. And he doesn't attempt a happily ever after ending because he can't, which is sad but honest.
Stylistically, I wasn't sure what to make of Jeff's choice to occasionally "break the fourth wall." Most of the book is told in third person, but there are some first person spots that are sparse enough to feel deliberate, and I wondered why.
The book beautifully, meticulously, sometimes sadly shows us the human side of foreign policy. Jeff paints a strong picture of Aziz Royesh, founder of the Marefat School, and of the hope the school brings to Kabul - and of the adjusting Royesh must do when American troops are reduced and violence surges. He urges his female students to find husbands for their safety; they respond with bewilderment. Where is the zealot who encouraged education for girls? There's a cloud hanging over the story, but Jeff manages to infuse it with warmth and occasional humor. And he doesn't attempt a happily ever after ending because he can't, which is sad but honest.
October 10, 2022
Challenging book to complete. While the text surrounds a single idea (a school existing during the US withdrawal from Afghanistan), the narrative jumps from one unrelated person to another. Sometimes the text surrounds a supporter of the school, sometimes a student, sometimes the teacher himself.
Read
January 7, 2023DNF. I started this one twice, but its too political for me. I’m not giving it a rating because that wouldn’t be fair.
September 23, 2018
Admirable, but just too slow a read for me.
January 25, 2016
This book is about a single Afghani school, Marefat. Yet, it's about so much more. It's through the lens of the school, its creator (Teacher Aziz), its students, and its employees that readers come to understand just what American military involvement meant for Afghanistan, and moreover, what it meant when international forces decided to leave the country.
The school was the vision of one man, Aziz -- part of the minority group, the Hazaras -- who believed that the best way to change the ethnic and religious division within his own nation was through the students -- its future citizens.
While the school worked its magic and was widely praised for its steps in creating a more solid, thinking-based educational system for its students (including many adults who passed through its educational programming doors), it also raised expectations in those same students. And they were expectations far ahead of the social reality.
All told, it's a fascinating look at some typical Afghanis and their search for a better, or at least less harsh, life. The politics that underlie the human toll are, in some ways, tangential to the storyline. In other ways, they are essential to the progress of the country and its people. What was left behind by the Americans and its allies is almost more heart-breaking than what came before.
If there's any hope for the future of Afghanistan, it is with the people who populate the school, Marefat, and one man -- Aziz -- who sought to make a difference.
The school was the vision of one man, Aziz -- part of the minority group, the Hazaras -- who believed that the best way to change the ethnic and religious division within his own nation was through the students -- its future citizens.
While the school worked its magic and was widely praised for its steps in creating a more solid, thinking-based educational system for its students (including many adults who passed through its educational programming doors), it also raised expectations in those same students. And they were expectations far ahead of the social reality.
All told, it's a fascinating look at some typical Afghanis and their search for a better, or at least less harsh, life. The politics that underlie the human toll are, in some ways, tangential to the storyline. In other ways, they are essential to the progress of the country and its people. What was left behind by the Americans and its allies is almost more heart-breaking than what came before.
If there's any hope for the future of Afghanistan, it is with the people who populate the school, Marefat, and one man -- Aziz -- who sought to make a difference.
December 29, 2015
hi all me liked this book slot
Currently reading
May 10, 2016Gjdggdg
February 5, 2016
Well-written, thoughtful and illuminating! Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews