Taliban: Militant Islam, Oil and Fundamentalism in Central Asia

Rating:
Summary: A sleeping pill
Review: This is a great book for anyone hoping to learn about Afghanistan or the Taliban. Starting with a thorough summary of Afghanistan's history and the people who inhabit it, he goes all the way up to the current day and age and gives the reader a very good idea of the main players in the Taliban, where they came from, and what they want.
Ahmed Rashid knows his stuff, he has personal experience with the nation and with many of the people he writes about. I doubt you'll find anyone else with his perspective writing books.
It's a very well written and engaging book. From a purely entertainment standpoint the book also does well, you'll enjoy it.
A lot of misinformation can be found about Afghanistan, the Taliban, and the role of other nations, mainly the US, in their creation, reading this will give you a much better and much more accurate picture.