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WAR: The Afterparty: A Global Walkabout Through a Half Century of U.S. Military Interventions
WAR: The Afterparty is a round-the-world tour through countries that have received American military forces in the pursuit of freedom, democracy, justice, and the free flow of commerce. In Southeast Asia, the Greater Middle East, the Balkans and Central America, author Brian Gruber records oral histories from political and religious leaders, writers, teachers, mothers and combatants who witnessed history from the other end of the gun barrel. Do we accomplish in war what we say we will? After the party is over, what are war’s real effects? This is the story of the Afterparty, in the words of those uniquely able to make an assessment.
447 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 10, 2016
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June 13, 2017Brian decided to do a "citizen's audit" of American military actions by strapping on a backpack and traveling to Afghanistan, Iraq, Nicaragua (and other locales). And he did so without a predetermined itinerary or lodging--serendipitously finding places to stay and people to interview regarding how they feel about the U.S.'s military interventions in their countries.
I didn't even know there was couchsurfing or Airbnb in Afghanistan and Serbia!
Brian is living proof that way leads onto way. He'd talk to one person who'd say, "Oh, hey, my cousin's wife's uncle was a leader of the resistance. Let's meet up with him for dinner." And that guy would then say, "You need to talk to my former college friend who is the editor of the city newspaper." That kind of thing.
People spilled out their stories, and Brian captured them in this book. Captured the scale of death and misery. The pride. The loss. The hopes.
Brian's scope of knowledge about politics is astonishing. By the end of the book, he comes to some very important conclusions that all Americans should read in order to understand how violence affects us all.
I didn't even know there was couchsurfing or Airbnb in Afghanistan and Serbia!
Brian is living proof that way leads onto way. He'd talk to one person who'd say, "Oh, hey, my cousin's wife's uncle was a leader of the resistance. Let's meet up with him for dinner." And that guy would then say, "You need to talk to my former college friend who is the editor of the city newspaper." That kind of thing.
People spilled out their stories, and Brian captured them in this book. Captured the scale of death and misery. The pride. The loss. The hopes.
Brian's scope of knowledge about politics is astonishing. By the end of the book, he comes to some very important conclusions that all Americans should read in order to understand how violence affects us all.
June 24, 2017
Excellent Hindsight Analysis
But highly subjective and focused at various specific local inflections. Americans listen to themselves too much and almost always get the story input from their own perspective. Four instead of five stars because it leans left and I ain't. But Gruber does have an engaging writing style and tone which makes the destructive Afterparty of war a human story.
But highly subjective and focused at various specific local inflections. Americans listen to themselves too much and almost always get the story input from their own perspective. Four instead of five stars because it leans left and I ain't. But Gruber does have an engaging writing style and tone which makes the destructive Afterparty of war a human story.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews