The Sleeping Buddha

Having read this book I have a better idea of the complexities of Afghan history and politics. More than anything, it was the sadness of leaving your home, your culture and your family, and then returning to find such a totally different place, that struck me most. Those of us who are free and live in "civilised democracies" do not realise how lucky we are. Everyone should read this book.

A thoroughly enjoyable and educational read (0/0 people found this helpful)

From the moment I picked up the book to the very last page I was captivated by the description and history in the book. Whether you're an Afghanistan-phile or a complete newbie to the subject the book must be required reading. When set against the current problems facing Afghanistan the book is a useful guide to a fiercely complicated history and present of Afghan society.

Moving portrait of Afghanistan (1/1 people found this helpful)

This book is a joy to read. The author brings the subject to life even though it must have been a painful personal journey, not just when she was a reporter in Afghanistan but when she was writing about her own and her family's past, intertwined as they are with the history of Afghanistan. Yet she has produced such a moving, evocative and clear-sighted book. It is a tremendous achievement. Instead of the usual gloomy media portrayal, Afghanistan emerges in its true colours - a beautiful country and an old civilisation.
Rebecca Eliahoo

A captivating read .. (1/1 people found this helpful)

You can sink your teeth into the politics and discover a true understanding of how Afghanistan came to be...but the parts that resonated the most for me were Hamida's descriptions of the food and the people. The food's preparation, always seasonal, firey spiced or chilled just left me searching for the nearest Afghan restaurant. And the insight into the people - their tribal culture, mannerisms, hopes, thinking, successes and humour was rich, insightful and rewarding. Best of all is her story, how she fits into this land, and discovers the part of her that is Afghanistan.

Essential reading - forget everything you thought you knew about Afghanistan and read this. (2/2 people found this helpful)

The tragedy of Afghanistan is expertly told through a combination of family memoirs and the eyes of the ordinary Afghans, whom Ghafour meets whilst travelling through the land of her birth. The author left the country when she was a child and it would have been all too easy for her own opinions and beliefs to cloud the narrative - rather she lets the people she meets tell the story and you get a sense of a nation tired of continual conflict and wanting the same security, same opportunities and same prosperity as the rest of us.

Time and time again we learn how Afghanistan has been abused by invading cultures and countries, and it is testament to the people's courage and resilience that the book is peppered with ambitious hopes and dreams; both you and the author can't help but wish them well. By the end you get a sense of the total lack of understanding (and unwillingness to learn) that the west has for the country and the culture, prefering to impose it's own ideas of freedom and democracy at any cost; creating a 'Disney-esque' version of what Afghanistan should be. Again Ghafour lets us discover this for ourselves and the book is all the better for it.

This book should be added to the libraries of The White House, the Kremlin and Downing St; and should be made compulsory reading for all those you claim to understand, influence or implement foreign policy in the region.

Hamida Ghafour

Reader Reviews:

An English woman's view (2/2 people found this helpful)

A thoroughly enjoyable and educational read (0/0 people found this helpful)

Moving portrait of Afghanistan (1/1 people found this helpful)

A captivating read .. (1/1 people found this helpful)

Essential reading - forget everything you thought you knew about Afghanistan and read this. (2/2 people found this helpful)

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