Lessons from Afghanistan [Paperback]

David Fleishhacker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 10, 2002

The events of September 11 suddenly made Afghanistan a focus of American interest. Yet a search of bookstores and libraries will reveal that no book about the country, its history, geography, or culture exists for the common reader. Using as a springboard a recounting one of the earliest (and the smallest) Peace Corps projects which sent nine Americans to that nation in 1962, Lessons from Afghanistan explores what it is really like for someone to live in an essentially medieval culture in the current century. Conventions about the use of time and space, attitudes about life stemming from thousand-year old traditions, and the practical necessities of living in a country fragmented by geography and history are the underlying facts of life in Afghanistan. These are barriers to progress but, more important, they are the realities which Americans so poorly understand and must learn of in the process of becoming re-engaged with other nations in response to international terrorism. It is a book filled with incidents and experiences that describe a remote, little-understood culture, but it is also a book that reveals the blindness of our own culture to alternative worldviews outside our borders.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

David Fleishhacker is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University with honors in English; his M. A. degree is from the University of California, Berkeley. A member of a family which has been part of the San Francisco community since the Gold Rush, he spent forty years as a teacher and administrator in independent schools in the Bay Area before retiring in 1999. He has also been an active board member of charitable organizations such as International House, Berkeley; the San Francisco Boys Chorus; the San Francisco Youth Orchestra Committee; Family Service Agency; and Booker T. Washington Community Center, and is the President of a small family foundation supporting arts and education. He writes and travels as extensively as time allows, most recently to Egypt, Russia, Ireland, England, France, and South Africa. He has appeared in over a dozen musical productions as actor, singer, and lyricist and is a freelance writer for the San Francisco Chronicle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 154 pages
• Publisher: D F Pubns (February 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0971717605
• ISBN-13: 978-0971717602
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,319,006 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Street Level View of Afghanistan, March 15, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lessons from Afghanistan (Paperback)

David Fleishhacker's "Lessons from Afghanistan" is based on the author's experiences in the country as a Peace Corps volunteer in the 1960's. This brief account is, however, more than just a memoir of a vistor who was in Afghanistan forty years ago. Fleishhacker deftly connects his experiences with current events. Unlike many of the "instant experts" whose views on Afghanistan appear daily in the media, this book gives one a feel for what the country is really like. This slim book is a good way to get a sense of the country as experienced by someone who was there and who had an opportunity to observe the way average people live their lives.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A most timely account, March 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lessons from Afghanistan (Paperback)

This is a most entertaining and enjoyable book to read about a part of the world which is virtually unknown to most Americans. It is well written and contains many anecdotes and amusing incidents relating to the author's personal experience in the Peace Corps in Kabul and Mazar-I-Sharif in the 60's. Beyond that, however, it provides comment which should be food for thought for anyone who wishes to follow or who seeks to implement American foreign policy in the future. The comments on basic issues faced in Afghanistan are timeless and universal in nature and provide much food for thought.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Instructive, Entertaining and Thoughtful, May 4, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Lessons from Afghanistan (Paperback)

David Fleishhacker uses his personal experience in the Peace Corps in Afghanistan as a framework to teach us about that country's history, topography, and culture. His sense of humor and his affection for the people of Afghanistan make this a fun book to read, but Fleishhacker also has a strong message--urging everyone to gain more knowledge and understanding of other cultures and places in the world. A wonderful book!