Books : Come Back to Afghanistan: A California Teenager's Story
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In association with Amazon.com
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by: Said Hyder Akbar, Susan Burton
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 958.1047
Format: Bargain Price
Label: Bloomsbury USA
Manufacturer: Bloomsbury USA
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 320
Publication Date: November 10, 2005
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
Release Date: October 13, 2005
Sales Rank: 606416
Studio: Bloomsbury USA
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Editorial Review:
Product Description: Said Hyder Akbar's ordinary suburban Californian life was turned upside-down after September 11th. Hyder's father, a scion of an Afghan political family, left for Afghanistan to become the new president's chief spokesman and later the governor of Kunar, a rural province. Obsessed since childhood with a country he had never visited, seventeen-year-old Hyder convinced his father to let him join him. Working alongside his father at the presidential palace and in Kunar gave Hyder a unique perspective on the creation of democratic government in Afghanistan. In 'Come Back to Afghanistan', Hyder interweaves his personal journey - that of a teenager struggling to find his identity in his parents' homeland - with his travels, which take him from palaces to prisons and from Kabul to the borderlands, to give a dramatic account of political and civilian life in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating: - A fascinating an accessable story of the rebuilding of Afghanistan
This book will take its place among my favorite books about Afghanistan. The author has an amazing story of three summers spent helping his father in Afghanistan after September 11th and the fall of the Taliban. Said Hyder Akbar's father brought his family to Pakistan and then America after the Soviet invasion but worked with the Mujahudeen during the Soviet occupation. His father knew Hamid Karzai and worked as his press secretary (2002) and then governor of Kunar (2003-2004). Said Hyder Akbar started ... Read More
Rating: - A book that is well paced, well written, and chuck full of adventure!
Said Hyder Akbar is a surprisingly strong writer for his age. The way that he leads the reader into this exotic world is amazing. One genuinely gets to feel some of the things that are in the news as far as the conflict near Pakistan's border. Although the book was written in 2006 many of his observations ring true to this day. If you are interested in Afghanistan/Pakistan make sure to read this book becuase it will not dissapoint you.
Rating: - Interesting story
The beginning of the book where he had talked about the plane parts in the airport, really got me to read it. I had to read a non fiction book for LA, and I chose this book. It looked like an interesting story so I picked it up and read it. I really enjoyed the book but I had some questions for the author. For instance: If you knew what was happening in Afghanistan why did you still choose to go there. I would not have because I wou;d've been afraid to go there and something happen to me. I really liked ... Read More
Rating: - It will make you want to go to Afghanistan
Yesterday a friend asked what I was reading.
I just finished 'Come Back to Afghanistan: My Journey from California to Kabul' written by Said Hyder Akbar, a 20-year old college student in California. Like many others, Akbar's story is a migrating one - from Afghanistan to Pakistan, India, and then the USA.
When the Taliban were ousted in 2001, Akbar's father, a long time friend of President Hamid Karzai decided to go back to Afghanistan. Akbar started coming with him on his school ... Read More
Rating: - Liked it, but disappointed in the Author
After reading this book, I felt I had a better understanding of the situation in Afghanistan. I really have no experience with the situation there, and this book helped me to understand on a more basic level. I was very upset to hear that the author burned the American flag recently. Until I hear his defense, as an American I no longer feel that I can support this book.
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