The Places in Between

Over the course of 40 days, the author of this book walks across Afghanistan a mere 6 weeks after the fall of the Taliban. In the dead of the winter. What kind of crazy guy is he? He describes his treks through the snow, in blizzards, across mountain passes. He relies on the goodness of villagers along the way to provide him shelter and food. He picks up a large retired fighting dog along the way that accompanies him for much of his walk. In the opening chapter, a member of the newly reformed Security Service warns him: "It is mid-winter. There are three meters of snow on the high passes, there are wolves, and this is a war. You will die, I can guarantee." My main reaction was incredulity that anyone would subject themself to such a daunting task.

Through his journey, he meets members of all four of the main ethnic groups in the country and through the recounting of his experiences with them, I got a tiny taste of Afghanistan: the regional differences, the narrow local focus, the differences in worldview of Afghans compared to Westerners. I wish he would have given a bit more of the history and filled in details. More, he simply describes his trek.