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The Dust of Uruzgan
“Fred Smith draws as convincing a picture as we will ever have of the tragedy, hope, oddness and courage of Australia’s Uruzgan enterprise… an astonishingly vibrant piece of reportage from the heart of our longest war.”
Hugh Riminton, Political Editor, Channel 10
The first comprehensive on-the-ground account of Australia’s war in Afghanistan.
Fred Smith has been described as ‘Australia’s secret weapon’ in international diplomacy. As a career diplomat he served for two years in southern Afghanistan, working alongside Australian soldiers in Uruzgan Province.
While there, Fred’s second career as a musician came to the fore. His guitar served as a bridge, not only to the troops, but also to the people and tribal leaders of that war-torn region. His song, ‘Dust of Uruzgan’, captured the hearts of many serving in Afghanistan, and ‘Sapper’s Lullaby’ has become an anthem for soldiers and their families. His acclaimed album Dust of Uruzgan, which serves as the template for this book, earned him comparisons to Eric Bogle, John Schumann and Don Walker.
Part memoir, part history, part eyewitness reportage, Dust of Uruzgan offers a sympathetic explanation of an obscure and impoverished province where tribal leaders conspire against one another in a society devastated by thirty-five years of warfare.
‘We see Afghanistan as a “war”, but of course it’s a society,’ says Fred. ‘People there make decisions for reasons. My job was to understand those reasons. I wrote this book to offer a personal, entertaining and human account of what was going on – why things were the way they were, and what 20,000 Australian troops and a handful of diplomats have been to over there for the last 15 years.’
With remarkable insight and humour, The Dust of Uruzgan recounts the setbacks and successes of a contingent of Australian soldiers, diplomats and aid workers struggling to make a difference in a place where truth and clarity were often buried, and where too many young Australians perished in the dust of Uruzgan.
Hugh Riminton, Political Editor, Channel 10
The first comprehensive on-the-ground account of Australia’s war in Afghanistan.
Fred Smith has been described as ‘Australia’s secret weapon’ in international diplomacy. As a career diplomat he served for two years in southern Afghanistan, working alongside Australian soldiers in Uruzgan Province.
While there, Fred’s second career as a musician came to the fore. His guitar served as a bridge, not only to the troops, but also to the people and tribal leaders of that war-torn region. His song, ‘Dust of Uruzgan’, captured the hearts of many serving in Afghanistan, and ‘Sapper’s Lullaby’ has become an anthem for soldiers and their families. His acclaimed album Dust of Uruzgan, which serves as the template for this book, earned him comparisons to Eric Bogle, John Schumann and Don Walker.
Part memoir, part history, part eyewitness reportage, Dust of Uruzgan offers a sympathetic explanation of an obscure and impoverished province where tribal leaders conspire against one another in a society devastated by thirty-five years of warfare.
‘We see Afghanistan as a “war”, but of course it’s a society,’ says Fred. ‘People there make decisions for reasons. My job was to understand those reasons. I wrote this book to offer a personal, entertaining and human account of what was going on – why things were the way they were, and what 20,000 Australian troops and a handful of diplomats have been to over there for the last 15 years.’
With remarkable insight and humour, The Dust of Uruzgan recounts the setbacks and successes of a contingent of Australian soldiers, diplomats and aid workers struggling to make a difference in a place where truth and clarity were often buried, and where too many young Australians perished in the dust of Uruzgan.
- GenresNonfictionWarHistory
399 pages, Paperback
Published August 24, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 5, 2016
Fred Smith has an identity crisis. Is he a diplomat or a songwriter? Surely you can’t be both; at least not well. His professional credibility hinges on this question.
The truth is he is a talented diplomat, a world class song writer, and now, with the arrival of Dust of Uruzgan – his Afghan memoir – an accomplished author. His book deserves your attention.
Smith recognises this conflict in an early chapter, declaring himself to be an artist trying to kick a diplomacy habit. The joke gets another run a little later – it is clearly on his mind. Implicit is the seriousness with which he takes his song-writing career. And with good reason: his body of recorded works stand out in the field of Australian narrative-driven music. Radio is yet to catch up to this assessment. But I’m confident it will have generational longevity.
The common theme in these three versions of Smith is, of course, his sharp eye for a yarn. In song he captures complexity with wit and brevity. On the page his stories are afforded context, space and analysis. Characters come to life. It was not until I read these backstories to the songs that make up his brilliant album of the same name that I really appreciated the depth of his achievement. Together – album and book – Smith has penned a most unique and powerful account of Australians at war.
Smith was a true interlocutor between the afghans and the soldiers. Diplomats like to use that term – interlocutor – but in Smith’s case, the shoe fits. He successfully bridged the social gap that prevented many engaged in the fight from understanding the people they were trying to protect. Smith sought more than a transaction – he forged friendships and a less guarded form of interaction as a way of piecing together the mystery of Afghan tribal politics.
In telling his story Smith demonstrates that it was not through a lack of local understanding that the Coalition failed to achieve its lofty aims, but rather that no amount of cultural awareness could heal these very deep, local rifts. That perhaps what was achieved – and he makes a strong case for the real progress in Uruzgan – was in spite of the barriers this fractured society – sick to death of war, but unable to escape it – threw up at those trying to make peace.
The lighter side of this account – the ins and outs of assembling a ragtag folk band comprising local Afghans, born again christians and soldiers who could hold a tune or make a beat with an ammo box – is an equally entertaining transition between chapters. Life goes on for the those engaged in these modern wars, and this is what it looks like.
Throughout the book again and again Smith illustrates the unifying, healing and explanatory power of music. But more than that, he demonstrates the importance of operating outside the box. Of challenging the accepted norms. Of taking risks, and of engaging on a personal level with those you are trying to understand or influence. He demonstrates that soldiers need diplomats and diplomats need soldiers. And everyone needs someone to tell their story.
The truth is he is a talented diplomat, a world class song writer, and now, with the arrival of Dust of Uruzgan – his Afghan memoir – an accomplished author. His book deserves your attention.
Smith recognises this conflict in an early chapter, declaring himself to be an artist trying to kick a diplomacy habit. The joke gets another run a little later – it is clearly on his mind. Implicit is the seriousness with which he takes his song-writing career. And with good reason: his body of recorded works stand out in the field of Australian narrative-driven music. Radio is yet to catch up to this assessment. But I’m confident it will have generational longevity.
The common theme in these three versions of Smith is, of course, his sharp eye for a yarn. In song he captures complexity with wit and brevity. On the page his stories are afforded context, space and analysis. Characters come to life. It was not until I read these backstories to the songs that make up his brilliant album of the same name that I really appreciated the depth of his achievement. Together – album and book – Smith has penned a most unique and powerful account of Australians at war.
Smith was a true interlocutor between the afghans and the soldiers. Diplomats like to use that term – interlocutor – but in Smith’s case, the shoe fits. He successfully bridged the social gap that prevented many engaged in the fight from understanding the people they were trying to protect. Smith sought more than a transaction – he forged friendships and a less guarded form of interaction as a way of piecing together the mystery of Afghan tribal politics.
In telling his story Smith demonstrates that it was not through a lack of local understanding that the Coalition failed to achieve its lofty aims, but rather that no amount of cultural awareness could heal these very deep, local rifts. That perhaps what was achieved – and he makes a strong case for the real progress in Uruzgan – was in spite of the barriers this fractured society – sick to death of war, but unable to escape it – threw up at those trying to make peace.
The lighter side of this account – the ins and outs of assembling a ragtag folk band comprising local Afghans, born again christians and soldiers who could hold a tune or make a beat with an ammo box – is an equally entertaining transition between chapters. Life goes on for the those engaged in these modern wars, and this is what it looks like.
Throughout the book again and again Smith illustrates the unifying, healing and explanatory power of music. But more than that, he demonstrates the importance of operating outside the box. Of challenging the accepted norms. Of taking risks, and of engaging on a personal level with those you are trying to understand or influence. He demonstrates that soldiers need diplomats and diplomats need soldiers. And everyone needs someone to tell their story.
December 9, 2017
Abandoned after 177 pages
I've been pretty bad at finishing book club books lately, so I really wanted to finish this one. Unfortunately I found this too much of a history book at times and at all other times, a memoir of someone I found to be a bit arrogant, a bit of a wannabe comedian and a bit - for lack of a better term - "up himself". It felt like he'd just written the book to advertise his songs; which I'm sure are amazing when performed live, but didn't seem that great when just written down on paper. I'm sure this book is a great reminder of his experiences in Afghanistan for him, but for me, it just wasn't captivating enough. I'd rather go read A Thousand Splendid Suns again.
I've been pretty bad at finishing book club books lately, so I really wanted to finish this one. Unfortunately I found this too much of a history book at times and at all other times, a memoir of someone I found to be a bit arrogant, a bit of a wannabe comedian and a bit - for lack of a better term - "up himself". It felt like he'd just written the book to advertise his songs; which I'm sure are amazing when performed live, but didn't seem that great when just written down on paper. I'm sure this book is a great reminder of his experiences in Afghanistan for him, but for me, it just wasn't captivating enough. I'd rather go read A Thousand Splendid Suns again.
August 26, 2017
This is really hard to rate. It was more interesting and humerous than I was expecting, but I did find myself skim reading the middle a bit. I think the author is probably a very interesting character in real life, but also probably a bit too much of a pain in the backside. He was a little self-absorbed for my liking, which probably comes with being a performer and artist.
January 1, 2021
The Dust of Uruzgan provides an outstanding account of Australia's involvement in the war in Afghanistan. I highly recommend it for anyone wanting to understand Australia's - or the West's - often misunderstood intervention in that country.
I discovered this book accidentally. It caught my attention because I've always been curious about other countries' experiences in the war in Afghanistan, and I'm keen to hear different perspectives on it. I was a combat engineer (often referred to as sappers as the book mentions) in the Canadian Army. I deployed to Kandahar (the province on Uruzgan's southern border) and the Kabul area during that time. Naturally, this book resonated on a personal level. The accounts of the Dutch, American and Australian troops sweeping for IEDs in the searing heat, facing ambushes and living their best FOB life are all too familiar.
The Dust of Uruzgan also sheds light on a lesser-known perspective of the war in Afghanistan. It ties the counter-insurgency aspects of the war to the attempts to find political solutions to the conflict. Fred captures the complexities of the ethnic and tribal affiliations that are so prevalent in southern Afghanistan and the enormous challenges in dealing with power brokers in a country where authoritative figures and weak institutions are the norms. The work done by civilians within the PRTs or as part of the "whole of government" effort is crucial; without it, there is no chance of building lasting peace. These efforts often fail to get the recognition they deserve, in my humble opinion.
Now that the West's war in Afghanistan is largely drawing to a close, it is all too convenient to say that it was for nothing. Asking oneself if it was worth it is a daunting question. For me, books like this are an important reminder of the bigger picture and of what we were trying to achieve in Afghanistan. Thanks for writing this book, Fred.
I discovered this book accidentally. It caught my attention because I've always been curious about other countries' experiences in the war in Afghanistan, and I'm keen to hear different perspectives on it. I was a combat engineer (often referred to as sappers as the book mentions) in the Canadian Army. I deployed to Kandahar (the province on Uruzgan's southern border) and the Kabul area during that time. Naturally, this book resonated on a personal level. The accounts of the Dutch, American and Australian troops sweeping for IEDs in the searing heat, facing ambushes and living their best FOB life are all too familiar.
The Dust of Uruzgan also sheds light on a lesser-known perspective of the war in Afghanistan. It ties the counter-insurgency aspects of the war to the attempts to find political solutions to the conflict. Fred captures the complexities of the ethnic and tribal affiliations that are so prevalent in southern Afghanistan and the enormous challenges in dealing with power brokers in a country where authoritative figures and weak institutions are the norms. The work done by civilians within the PRTs or as part of the "whole of government" effort is crucial; without it, there is no chance of building lasting peace. These efforts often fail to get the recognition they deserve, in my humble opinion.
Now that the West's war in Afghanistan is largely drawing to a close, it is all too convenient to say that it was for nothing. Asking oneself if it was worth it is a daunting question. For me, books like this are an important reminder of the bigger picture and of what we were trying to achieve in Afghanistan. Thanks for writing this book, Fred.
January 1, 2018
I came to this book with a superficial understanding of Australia’s role in Afghanistan and a limited knowledge of Fred’s work - creative or diplomatic. The conversational and personal style presents and accessible window into the geographical, cultural, historical and political complexities of this seemingly unlikely intersection of nations.
I get that some find Fred’s style a tad intrusive. Perhaps those readers may find a conventional historical approach less distracting. Others may want something more novelistic. Being a songwriter and a diplomat deliberately shapes Fred’s tone. His wistful, poetic talents jump off the lines of his lyrics, featured throughout. The prose is more stylistically prosaic, although authentically heartfelt, honest and at times moving. He’s clearly a big personality and that comes through in his writing.
I felt a narrative arch was missing, something that might help draw a reader through the anecdotes and experiences as opposed to relying on the power of each episode to do that in and of itself. That may have taken the book from engaging and interesting to compelling.
But perhaps my point is: Fred’s lyrics are compelling. They focus the emotion and action beautifully. The amalgam of music and diplomacy, conflict and chords, lyric and lives is unique and refreshing. Music changes lives, has the power to heal, commemorate, celebrate, lament. This is remarkable and delightfully demonstrated in Fred’s exploits.
Despite that, I was just a bit hungry to somehow tie all that all together in a literary sense. (Certainly the bigger the fan you are of Fred’s music, the more interesting you’ll find his excursions into his recording, performance and career experiences.)
I read this book on my summer break, keen to grab the book and stay in the world of Fred’s Afghanistan, to make more sense of the complexity of that ancient and troubled land, especially from an Aussie perspective. I finished with a much clearer sense of all that, delivered with a personal edge that mere facts alone can’t convey.
In that sense, this book is mission accomplished for Fred Smith.
I get that some find Fred’s style a tad intrusive. Perhaps those readers may find a conventional historical approach less distracting. Others may want something more novelistic. Being a songwriter and a diplomat deliberately shapes Fred’s tone. His wistful, poetic talents jump off the lines of his lyrics, featured throughout. The prose is more stylistically prosaic, although authentically heartfelt, honest and at times moving. He’s clearly a big personality and that comes through in his writing.
I felt a narrative arch was missing, something that might help draw a reader through the anecdotes and experiences as opposed to relying on the power of each episode to do that in and of itself. That may have taken the book from engaging and interesting to compelling.
But perhaps my point is: Fred’s lyrics are compelling. They focus the emotion and action beautifully. The amalgam of music and diplomacy, conflict and chords, lyric and lives is unique and refreshing. Music changes lives, has the power to heal, commemorate, celebrate, lament. This is remarkable and delightfully demonstrated in Fred’s exploits.
Despite that, I was just a bit hungry to somehow tie all that all together in a literary sense. (Certainly the bigger the fan you are of Fred’s music, the more interesting you’ll find his excursions into his recording, performance and career experiences.)
I read this book on my summer break, keen to grab the book and stay in the world of Fred’s Afghanistan, to make more sense of the complexity of that ancient and troubled land, especially from an Aussie perspective. I finished with a much clearer sense of all that, delivered with a personal edge that mere facts alone can’t convey.
In that sense, this book is mission accomplished for Fred Smith.
January 16, 2018
Australian singer Fred Smith's CD "Dust of Uruzgan" has been a favorite of mine for several years. I knew that he had been working in Afghanistan in some sort of diplomatic capacity, and I've always felt that his songs were genuine and well conceived, as well as both entertaining and thought-provoking. I've wanted to learn more about the background to the songs, which talk about the real experiences of foreign soldiers in Afghanistan, as well as the lives of Afghanis affected by the ongoing war.
This book gave me all the information I needed. It's well written, frank and doesn't pull any punches about how difficult, confusing, heart-breaking, self-defeating and occasionally rewarding working in places like Afghanistan can be.
Fred was sent to Uruzgan province as part of the Australian team as a diplomat, not a soldier. His task was to liaise between the Aussies, Dutch and US forces and the Afghan warlords, police chiefs and other local people of influence, to facilitate the work of reconstruction, road building and other projects, and generally try to get some kind of chance of ongoing peace before the Australian forces withdrew. It was a tough assignment, and it sounds as though he had to use his communication skills to the utmost. He did this both in his liaison job and in entertaining the troops and commenting on the war.
Each chapter is tied to a particular track on the album, and the lyrics are written into the text. However, you really need to listen to the songs to get the most out of the book - many of the tracks are on Youtube. Some were recorded on the spot in Afghanistan. Fred also has a website if you want to buy the CD, which I highly recommend.
This book gave me all the information I needed. It's well written, frank and doesn't pull any punches about how difficult, confusing, heart-breaking, self-defeating and occasionally rewarding working in places like Afghanistan can be.
Fred was sent to Uruzgan province as part of the Australian team as a diplomat, not a soldier. His task was to liaise between the Aussies, Dutch and US forces and the Afghan warlords, police chiefs and other local people of influence, to facilitate the work of reconstruction, road building and other projects, and generally try to get some kind of chance of ongoing peace before the Australian forces withdrew. It was a tough assignment, and it sounds as though he had to use his communication skills to the utmost. He did this both in his liaison job and in entertaining the troops and commenting on the war.
Each chapter is tied to a particular track on the album, and the lyrics are written into the text. However, you really need to listen to the songs to get the most out of the book - many of the tracks are on Youtube. Some were recorded on the spot in Afghanistan. Fred also has a website if you want to buy the CD, which I highly recommend.
March 27, 2023
I have seen Fred Smith perform a few times in concert, including his show illustrating this book and more recently, his concert for The Swallows of Kabul. His narrative style is much like his songwriting very much in the storytelling in others voices. In this book, he relates his experiences as a diplomat for two tours in Afghanistan serving with the Australian Defense Force in Uruzgan as well as working with the Dutch forces who were overseeing operations in this part of the country. His brief was to liaise between local Afghan leaders in the region, his Superiors in DFAT and the ADF, as well as the Dutch counterparts. His use of music the bring all these components together I found to be brilliant. His stories that illustrate where the songs originated was the best parts of the book for me. I really did enjoy this, and while I found it frustrating at times to refer to the glossary of terms at the start of the book, I did appreciate that this lent an aura of truth to the narrative, having a couple of relatives who also served there.
April 20, 2019
Diplomat, songwriter & bandplayer ; Fred Smith chronicles his two tours of Afghanistan with DFAT.
He describes his efforts on behalf of DFAT to bring some semblance of order and modernity to a culture that largely knows war only for the last century and is among the poorest in the world. Working with the local chieftains, some more or less savoury - yet crucial in making things happen. The cheapness of life with almost half of these chiefs dying by foul means in the book.
Importantly, Fred describes his experiences with the Australian diggers , and the deaths of some of them that he immortalises in song. He describes singing such songs in front of the deceased's parents at concerts and the emotional meetings afterwards.
This book is important in showing another side of the Australian experience in Afghanistan.
He describes his efforts on behalf of DFAT to bring some semblance of order and modernity to a culture that largely knows war only for the last century and is among the poorest in the world. Working with the local chieftains, some more or less savoury - yet crucial in making things happen. The cheapness of life with almost half of these chiefs dying by foul means in the book.
Importantly, Fred describes his experiences with the Australian diggers , and the deaths of some of them that he immortalises in song. He describes singing such songs in front of the deceased's parents at concerts and the emotional meetings afterwards.
This book is important in showing another side of the Australian experience in Afghanistan.
August 5, 2020
A real insight into what was going on in Afghanistan when the author was there, and no doubt long before and since, centered around Australian and allied forces in Uruzgan province. I very early started asking what the hell we were doing there given the complexities of the situation but ended up thinking well maybe we really did achieve something, even if there is no end in sight. The additional material around the author's songwriting and singing of songs based on his experiences there was interesting but not to the same extent.
May 2, 2019
A worthy topic of record, and a book which promised much. Yet so much disappointment the end result.
Fred Smith loves his own voice, this much is clear, but he cares little for audience, subjecting the reader to a barrage of self aggrandisement, acronyms, banal narrative and unappealing bullshit.
Winston Churchill or Julius Caesar can write about war and make themselves larger than the history itself, but in the case of Fred Smith, it is intolerable hubris, a rookie mistake which fatally impairs the Dust of Uruzgan.
One star for writing about a visit to West Wyalong!
Fred Smith loves his own voice, this much is clear, but he cares little for audience, subjecting the reader to a barrage of self aggrandisement, acronyms, banal narrative and unappealing bullshit.
Winston Churchill or Julius Caesar can write about war and make themselves larger than the history itself, but in the case of Fred Smith, it is intolerable hubris, a rookie mistake which fatally impairs the Dust of Uruzgan.
One star for writing about a visit to West Wyalong!
December 15, 2022
Very interesting story of an Australian diplomat and part time musician who lived and worked in Afghanistan in the 2010s alongside Australian soldiers (and Dutch and US). Insurable insights into the experiences of the Australian soldiers and civilians who struggled there to make a difference.
June 14, 2026
An interesting account of war from a diplomats perspective
January 4, 2017
I'm naturally biased towards Fred Smith and his artistic output having been a fan of Fred the musician for many years.
I've seen him numerous times, attended the performance to officially launch the “Dust of Uruzgan CD. which has since become a favourite album.
I have no real direct connection to anything military. My background is in pharmaceutical microbiology and then IT.
My closest connections to anything military, other than video games, were my Father-in-law’s National service in the 1950s in Africa and my dad's WW II exploits about which he told me nothing but since his death I have gleaned a few but potentially intriguing facts.
So my reactions to this book are vanilla or beige; just from me, as I am, an ex-Pom migrant and family man living in Australia.
I was expecting to like the book from the outset, for the reasons above. Over the years I've learned that Fred is a gifted natural story-teller, a bloody good Patter-merchant. Fred has a sense of humour that seems to match or at least parallel mine. For relaxation I usually prefer reading fiction with history & archeology, cricketing biographies; the odd Wisden almanack thrown in for variety so I'm not usually drawn to history of conflict writings - Spike Milligan's WW II memoirs excepted.
I had met a few Afghans, years ago at college in the UK. They were a nice bunch of very clever young blokes. With one, Azrar Ahmad, I combined to form a devastating table football team for a short time. My admiration for my Afghan mates of nearly 40 years ago couldn't prepare me in any way for those Afghans who featured in this book, or what they had to cope with. I can't put myself in their place. Their way of life is so different to mine. But I can empathise.
As the songs of Fred's experiences in Afghanistan had made such a personal impression so did the book.
The book is divided into chapters named from the CD song titles. Broadly the subject of the chapters align with the chapter titles or the song title forms a central anecdote within the rest of the chapter. The chapters appear in chronological order from Fred’s initial posting to the Transfer of Authority ceremony when Australia’s mission ended.
Overall the book was always entertaining, educational, sometimes tear-causingly tragic and sad, sometimes chuckle-inducing. The full gamut of emotions in fact are evoked. It caused me to disrupt my sleep cycle. I found it impossible to not read to chapter's end then I had to turn the page and keep going. It prolonged breakfast by over an hour on several occasions.
If such a topic can ever said to be enjoyable, it was, thoroughly so. The essential humanity of the author shines. The good intentions of the coalition of international governments involved are obvious even if the results did not always seem as obvious.
The book deserves to be well known. It can have just as a positive therapeutic effect on returned personnel as the album has and did.
The book stands well on its merits as one person’s views and experiences in a difficult place at a difficult time.
You cannot hide from the tragedies of the loss of lives, especially Australian lives and the injuries suffered by those who survived and returned home, damaged physically and psychologically. To do that would be a disservice to their sacrifices. More widely the book serves as an important part of the accounts of Australia's civilian-military involvement in global conflict resolution. It does the country but especially the author, proud.
I've seen him numerous times, attended the performance to officially launch the “Dust of Uruzgan CD. which has since become a favourite album.
I have no real direct connection to anything military. My background is in pharmaceutical microbiology and then IT.
My closest connections to anything military, other than video games, were my Father-in-law’s National service in the 1950s in Africa and my dad's WW II exploits about which he told me nothing but since his death I have gleaned a few but potentially intriguing facts.
So my reactions to this book are vanilla or beige; just from me, as I am, an ex-Pom migrant and family man living in Australia.
I was expecting to like the book from the outset, for the reasons above. Over the years I've learned that Fred is a gifted natural story-teller, a bloody good Patter-merchant. Fred has a sense of humour that seems to match or at least parallel mine. For relaxation I usually prefer reading fiction with history & archeology, cricketing biographies; the odd Wisden almanack thrown in for variety so I'm not usually drawn to history of conflict writings - Spike Milligan's WW II memoirs excepted.
I had met a few Afghans, years ago at college in the UK. They were a nice bunch of very clever young blokes. With one, Azrar Ahmad, I combined to form a devastating table football team for a short time. My admiration for my Afghan mates of nearly 40 years ago couldn't prepare me in any way for those Afghans who featured in this book, or what they had to cope with. I can't put myself in their place. Their way of life is so different to mine. But I can empathise.
As the songs of Fred's experiences in Afghanistan had made such a personal impression so did the book.
The book is divided into chapters named from the CD song titles. Broadly the subject of the chapters align with the chapter titles or the song title forms a central anecdote within the rest of the chapter. The chapters appear in chronological order from Fred’s initial posting to the Transfer of Authority ceremony when Australia’s mission ended.
Overall the book was always entertaining, educational, sometimes tear-causingly tragic and sad, sometimes chuckle-inducing. The full gamut of emotions in fact are evoked. It caused me to disrupt my sleep cycle. I found it impossible to not read to chapter's end then I had to turn the page and keep going. It prolonged breakfast by over an hour on several occasions.
If such a topic can ever said to be enjoyable, it was, thoroughly so. The essential humanity of the author shines. The good intentions of the coalition of international governments involved are obvious even if the results did not always seem as obvious.
The book deserves to be well known. It can have just as a positive therapeutic effect on returned personnel as the album has and did.
The book stands well on its merits as one person’s views and experiences in a difficult place at a difficult time.
You cannot hide from the tragedies of the loss of lives, especially Australian lives and the injuries suffered by those who survived and returned home, damaged physically and psychologically. To do that would be a disservice to their sacrifices. More widely the book serves as an important part of the accounts of Australia's civilian-military involvement in global conflict resolution. It does the country but especially the author, proud.
December 29, 2016
I am a fan of Fred Smith's music & love his Dust of Uruzgan album, so I bought the book as soon as it came out. It is an interesting combination of a memoir with context and background to each of the songs on the album, part political history of Australia's involvement in the conflict in Afghanistan, and part eyewitness reporting of events. It was a fascinating read in terms of Smith's life, his experience in Afghanistan and eyewitness reports of significant events. The political history elements were less satisfactory and seemed too detailed in some parts and insufficient in other parts. I felt Smith was perhaps trying to do too much in one book and as a result, bit of it were fragmented and left me unsatisfied. A different structure or way of presenting each of the elements may have helped the reader by setting out the key players and political history as an introductory piece to the rest of the stories and observations. Perhaps I'm being too picky, because I really did enjoy it overall.
January 5, 2017
To be honest I got bored about 30 pages in - Fred is a very talented entertainer and poet. Whilst I'd highly recommend attending one of his shows and I challenge any Australian not to be moved to tears by his performance of the 'Dust of Uruzgan' I felt the the narrative required to bind together a story was missing. I gave up on p228......
February 3, 2017
Great book. A whole different perspective on the Afghan conflict from a deployed civilian point of view. Also a very real first hand look at how it feels to deploy and return.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews