Afghanistan: The Road to Kabul

Rating:
Summary: VERY INTERESTING
Review: I was looking for a book about the war in Afghanistan and I finally found it! And it is very very good ! This book covers nothing else but the three months of war, from October to December, that the Northern Alliance fought to liberate Kabul/Afghanistan. The peculiarity and complex political and cultural aspects of this conflict all are evident in this book. The photography is fantastic and really brought me close to a reality so far away from mine. The text accompany the images very well and the result is a comprehensive "diary" of the trip that Ron Haviv and Ilana Ozernoy undertook last winter. A book worth buying and keeping. A book that will help us understand Afghanistan, his people and what thirty years of war have left behind.

Rating:
Summary: loved it
Review: Mr. Haviv and Ms. Ozernoy have captured the complexity of modern Afghanistan poignantly. The journal is reflective and thought-provoking, and the photographs are both tragic and beautiful. A must buy for someone who wants a real glimpse of Afghanistan and its people during the intitial stages of the war.

Rating:
Summary: The shock The beauty The truth - War Reporting at its best
Review: Success in war reporting can be excruciatingly elusive. Especially in military photo journalism. In America, where the vast majority takes a car to drive to the burger joint two blocks down the road, it can be a Sisyphus task to invoke deep emotions for human suffering. Of course, I am not taking into account tears - the cheapest and easiest commodity that will secure an Oscar in no time. I am talking about emotions and feelings that make one understand that there is something terribly wrong with humankind. Mr. Haviv and Mrs. Ozernoy have successfully invoked exactly the latter.

I believe that this book does not just introduce one to the roots, core and consequences of the war in Afghanistan. It laces one into the complex fiber of life that almost does not want to part from medieval. Mr. Haviv has captured an ethnos in a conflict that is intertwined with the essence and color of hard land called Afghanistan. Mrs. Ozernoy added descriptive passages that make one wish for an ability to rebel against passivity of comfortable nations.

I was stunned to actually feel uncomfortable when I was looking at the pictures of troops' movements. I almost felt dust penetrating my retina. Then my eyes were soothed by pleasing colors of Afghan fabrics that were part of a picture depicting life of women there.

There are many brilliant allegories in this book. When understood, they will help us all live peacefully.

Rating:
Summary: The shock The beauty The truth - War Reporting at its best
Review: Success in war reporting can be excruciatingly elusive. Especially in military photo journalism. In America, where the vast majority takes a car to drive to the burger joint two blocks down the road, it can be a Sisyphus task to invoke deep emotions for human suffering. Of course, I am not taking into account tears - the cheapest and easiest commodity that will secure an Oscar in no time. I am talking about emotions and feelings that make one understand that there is something terribly wrong with humankind. Mr. Haviv and Mrs. Ozernoy have successfully invoked exactly the latter.

I believe that this book does not just introduce one to the roots, core and consequences of the war in Afghanistan. It laces one into the complex fiber of life that almost does not want to part from medieval. Mr. Haviv has captured an ethnos in a conflict that is intertwined with the essence and color of hard land called Afghanistan. Mrs. Ozernoy added descriptive passages that make one wish for an ability to rebel against passivity of comfortable nations.

I was stunned to actually feel uncomfortable when I was looking at the pictures of troops' movements. I almost felt dust penetrating my retina. Then my eyes were soothed by pleasing colors of Afghan fabrics that were part of a picture depicting life of women there.

There are many brilliant allegories in this book. When understood, they will help us all live peacefully.

Rating:
Summary: A mind-opening experience
Review: This book was recommended by a friend of mine, who said the book really opened her mind to the people of the country of Afghanistan and to their struggles. After reading this book, I see what she means! The pictures are beautiful, in a haunting way, and the images will stay in my mind for a long time. After hearing so much about Afghanistan on the news, it was refreshing to finally see what life is like for the real people. The commentary is sharp and savyy and went well with the photos. This is one book I won't forget because I learned so much from it!

Rating:
Summary: A mind-opening experience
Review: This book was recommended by a friend of mine, who said the book really opened her mind to the people of the country of Afghanistan and to their struggles. After reading this book, I see what she means! The pictures are beautiful, in a haunting way, and the images will stay in my mind for a long time. After hearing so much about Afghanistan on the news, it was refreshing to finally see what life is like for the real people. The commentary is sharp and savyy and went well with the photos. This is one book I won't forget because I learned so much from it!

Rating:
Summary: Evocative photos, Radiant colors
Review: Wonderful book. The photography is just so compelling. I wonder how Haviv got such great exposure. Together with the rich text...While my expertise lies in the Middle East, this is by far the best book I've ever seen on Afghanistan, irregardless of the current war.