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- ISBN13: 9780156031561
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In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked across Afghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persian dialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By day he passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamlets burned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amid the remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept on villagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to their stories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart met heroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Taliban commanders and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by an unexpected companion-a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur in honor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps the pair was following.
Through these encounters-by turns touching, con-founding, surprising, and funny-Stewart makes tangible the forces of tradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map's countless places in between.
Customer Review:AHN0S101K13F0
Rating: 
Summary: Incredibly Boring
Despite the great review in the NYT, I found this incredibly boring. Mr. Stewart does not write very well and had few original insights. I tired of hearing about his dysentary, wet clothes and big dog. And he was crazy to take that walk in the winter. You knew all this before he wrote it.
Customer Review:ABCNNP742AV30
Rating: 
Summary: Why didn't he bring snowshoes? Tent? Food?
I was going to give this 5 stars until I ran into this washingtonpost dot com > Live Q&As session with RS where he says;
Rory Stewart: I found incredible kindness, dignity and hospitality in both Iraq and Afghanistan - am only alive because of it - the most worthwhile lesson of a twenty month walk was a deepening appreciation of the kindness of strangers.
WHAT? I'm confused! That contradicts what he said on page 209 about their bragging on being the most hospitable and generous people in the world. "But this was not my experience. While most communities talked a great deal about their formal religious responsibilities to a mosafer (traveler), or meman (guest), in practice people often welcomed me reluctantly." "I was often disappointed by their hospitality" .
If you read 'The Places In Between' you will notice that he's unable, out of fear for his safety (i.e. his life), to be honest with these people. He lies about who he is, where he comes from, why he's there, is he a christian, is he a muslim ...., through out. Well, it's been my experience that any time you feel you have to lie in order to get on, you're in a bad situation with questionable people.
His bad experiences out weighed his good, I concluded. Or is my interpretation off ? I think maybe it's the " am only alive because of it " part that is telling. Meaning the very few nice people he ran into along the way saved him from getting killed by the rest or the weather (but I've gone backpacking in the snow (yosemite) sans tent with no problem).
Funny I don't remember him lavishing praise on anyone. Most the time he had to virtually force/shame these people into giving him a place to sleep at night by evoking one of the Five Pillars of Islam, Zakat. " Zakat consists of spending 2.5% of one's wealth for the benefit of the poor or needy, including slaves, debtors and travelers. "
So I'm left not knowing what to believe ??
----
I can see why RS lied (¬_¬) to these village people and their headmen about why he was there and was insisting on walking as his only means. These illiterate poor people probably would of just killed him out right for such a vain pursuit, . Refusing a ride in a car, are you crazy! l'o'l
These people, just outside of Kabul and Harat still live as they did hundreds of yrs ago, just add the assault rifle. And from reading RS's experiences my impression is that they are a barbarous, crazy people (the men, anyway :o)). Violent, cruel, pathological liars. In every village he came upon the children would throw rocks at him, hitting him in the head. They'd sic their dogs on him, try to knock him off the trail, and demand to be given this n that (money, his sunglasses, you name it). Where do they get all this aggressive hate so young? One guy, a Khalili soldier at a check post, actually punched RS in the face while his buddies came and surrounded RS. SCARY
No toilet paper (they use dirt and gravel) and they empty their bowels anywhere/everywhere. You'd think they'd have come up with some sort of system for dealing with village or family toilet after these thousands of years but no. I find that beyond bizarre and imo inexcusable. No electricity, no furniture.....
RS recommends "The bookseller of Kabul" for info on women as he only saw I think four women the whole trip. One while she was going to the bathroom out in the back forty. The other he actually spoke with for a minute and found out that she had never been further than a days walk from her home. She was 40 y/o.
What did he have in that dang backpack that made him complain about its weight, even on the last day? I've been backpacking the sierra nevada, cascades etc since I was 14y/o and the pack always gets lighter as you go unless you're collecting stuff of course. The pack eventually becomes a part of you.
Re: Babur the poor dog: Who in his right mind would give a dog who has few, if any teeth (the afghan owner knocked them out- lovely people the afghans aren't they?) a rack of lamb to eat. He died on the bones the day before his plane flight to Scotland. If that was me I'd of lambasted the idiot who did that.
"Afghanistan's Ultimate Sport. Banned under the Taliban, the popular Afghan sport of buzkashi is more than just a game -- it's a metaphor for the cultural and power relationships among Afghans. The rules are simple: Two teams vie to carry a headless goat (or calf) around corner posts and back into the center circle in which it was first placed, all the while steering their horses away from the whips of the opposing side. " It's gruesome to say the least." Lovely people.
Other books about the general area (arabs, mid-east) that I've read and recommend
Bonner, Arthur - Among the Afghans (mujahideen vs soviet war)
King, Dean - Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival (yr. 1815, a must read)
Thesiger, Wilfred - The last Nomad
Mamdani, Mahmood - Good Muslim, Bad Muslim: America, the Cold War, and the Roots of Terror
Keddie, Nikki R. - Modern Iran: Roots and Results of Revolution
Nasr, Vali - The Shia Revil: How Conflicts within Islam Will Shape the Future
Farmaian, Sattareh - Daughter of Persia
Wright, Robin - In the Name of God
Rossi, Melissa - What every American should know about the Middle East
Galbraith. Peter W. - The End of Iraq
Baer, Robert - See No Evil
El-Kikhia, Mansour Omar - Libya's Qaddafi: The Politics of Contradiction
I also read the fiction book Khaled Hosseini's 'A Thousand Splendid Suns' too depressing.
Customer Review:ABEYIVEZQ1K6N
Rating: 
Summary: Very impressive adventure
Nicely written, this book give an overview of the afghan culture. Wish would have been more details but still, a must read.
Customer Review:A2TGB0ZMGEVA00
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating piece of history
"The Places in Between" is an important book to read because Afghanistan has been in the news for years, and newspaper reporters have never painted a compelling picture of what the country is really like until now. I truly enjoyed this informative best-selling travel narrative.
Rory Stewart eloquently describes the terrain, the people, and his experiences in a land that is in a time wharp. We get a sense of what it is like to live hundreds of years ago in a place where religion and tradition trumps all.
As Stewart walks across the country, the book almost takes on the rhythm of his feet and body movements, and the reader becomes at one with him.
I highly recommend the audio version of this book because the author's voice adds depth to his words and thoughts.
When you read this you will understand what the cultural heritage is of the Muslim world
Customer Review:A293TMQ0IWZFGU
Rating:
Summary: Book
Book came quicky and in great condition - better than expected. Plus it was a great book.
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