I don't think I have a fascination with the Arab world, I just feel that I have VERY little understanding and real knowledge except from what is seen in the media. This book is based on a reporters experiences while living in Afghanistan/Pakistan/India and it gives one woman's view of life in those countries. I chose this book because I wanted to learn but I wanted to experience some humor as well since it always seems to be such a serious subject: this book fir the bill.
Kim Barker, reporter for the Chicago Tribune, begins in Kabul, where the war is now pretty sleepy and the big news stories are in Iraq. Her story includes so many instances of her cultural ignorance that as a reader, I was like, OH MY HEAVENS, what are you doing? She is very honest about it and of course afterwards and upon reflecting about her experiences, fully recognizes her errors. Not that that would have changes the story, but the people she offended, the difficulties she had with the Afghani's, could have been substantially lessened if she had been more aware and willing to be more humble. One review says it's an eventful look covering and ambivalent war in a complicated country, and that's exactly how I felt. She was in very little danger the majority of the time because the war wasn't huge during her time there, but the politics and navigating life in that area of the world were made that much more difficult by her own obstinate attitude and refusal to learn and adapt to their way of life and customs. Still a good read and informative.
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