Rating: 
Summary: Should Be Required Reading
Review: Christina Lamb brings the reality of Afghanistan's pains through the years to life. She shares the history and lets you meet the people making history now in that part of the world. She makes you understand how they think and why they think and act as they do. Everyone should read this book to know just why our country had to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and has to stay there long enough to make sure the new government survives. It is one of the best, most educational books you can read.
Rating:
Summary: Should Be Required Reading
Review: Christina Lamb brings the reality of Afghanistan's pains through the years to life. She shares the history and lets you meet the people making history now in that part of the world. She makes you understand how they think and why they think and act as they do. Everyone should read this book to know just why our country had to rid Afghanistan of the Taliban and has to stay there long enough to make sure the new government survives. It is one of the best, most educational books you can read.
Rating: 
Summary: A Powerful Way to Learn More about Afghanistan
Review: Christina Lamb's book "The Sewing Circles of Herat" personalizes Afghanistan. In her book, you learn and eventually care about many of the colorful figures of this country. She introduces you to a former Taliban member who details the way he tortured individuals; a rising politician who is descended from Afghan nobility; the widow of the last individual executed by the Taliban who had her first child at the age of 14.
Lamb also takes care in noting the efforts of so many individuals in preserving the country's literary, social and political traditions in secret during the rule of the Taliban. The book's title refers to a group of female writers who kept meeting during the Taliban's time under the pretense of attending meetings of their "sewing circles."
Lamb's book does have some flaws. "The Sewing Circles of Herat" is beautifully reported with many rich details which enliven her stories. However beautiful reporting does not necessarily translate to well written or a strong narrative. In many respects, the book is a series of disparate accounts of Lamb's encounters with various citizens of Afghanistan soon after September 11th. She does not weave overriding themes or carry one strong narrative viewpoint throughout the book.
Still I highly recommend this book for individuals who wish to learn more about Afghanistan or simply want to read a well reported book on a very misunderstood country.
Rating: 
Summary: History and Politics
Review: I picked this up a few months ago at Borers because the topic seemed interesting and the cover was nice (it's usually how I get sucked in). I read a few pages and it seemed ok, so I got it. Six months later we used it for world literature book group, and when we met to discus the book I felt the need to apologize. Although there were many good points about the book, there were more negative points. The first problem I noticed was that Lamb discusses "characters" from the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan as if we know them, and will discuss someone on page 5 and again on page 325 and assume you remember (after 320 pages of other new people). Second, Lamb's writing style is verbose and the editing wasn't done very well (should I be finding run-on sentences in a book?). She is the type of writer who will give you a lot and not give you the chance to digest what you read before writing another heady topic. Although there are negative aspects of the book there are also very interesting and positive aspects such as the discussion of Afghan culture, the thoughts of people being governed by the Taliban, and other things that we can usually only learn from an in-depth discussion with someone from another culture. In all, I would suggest this book to people who are more interested in history and politics than in social life and culture.
Rating:
Summary: "Mullahs on Motorbikes"
Review: Reading THE SEWING CIRCLES OF HERAT is like embarking on a personal tour through Afghanistan's history, culture, and geography. Christina Lamb brings this complex and misunderstood country to vivid life. Most books in this genre attempt to tell the story from the outside-looking-in perspective but Lamb's extensive knowledge of Afghani history, people, and conflict results in a virtual first-hand account of this troubled nation.Lamb first became acquainted with Afghanistan while covering the war between the mujaheddin and the Soviets for two years as a foreign correspondent. During this time she made many friendships and allies with the mullahs and possessed a deep appreciation and sympathy for Afghanistan that continued even after she returned home to London. Twelve years later Lamb returned to Afghanistan once again as a foreign correspondent after the media obsession with September 11th and the hunt for Osama bin Laden. It became apparent quite early that Afghanistan has suffered dearly as a result of the rise and fall of the Taliban. As Lamb travels throughout the country she blends her extensive knowledge of Afghani history and culture with her current observations. Most interestingly she was able to interview a former Taliban torturer, tour a madrassa (religious school) that is credited for educating such figures as Mullah Omar, and speak with her long-term friend Hamid Karzai who is now the appointed leader of Afghanistan. Lamb's observations into the people and conflicts of Afghanistan are insightful and very interesting. After reading this I now have a renewed since of this country and am more understanding of current events. I especially appreciated all the photos that were included throughout the text. With the exception of frequent run-on sentences Lamb's prose is remarkable and very clear. She has the ability to make her subject matter come alive and I was continually interested throughout. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Excellent and Moving Adventure
Review: The Sewing Circles of Herat is a five-star read and Christina Lamb is an adventurer in the grand tradition. Taking her cues from the literature of Kipling and Tennyson, Lamb retells her journeys to Afghanistan and Pakistan from 1988 to late 2001. Literally dodging bullets and sharing the company of warlords, Lamb is a latter-day swashbuckler who will keep you on the edge of your seat. Whether accompanying 'mullahs on motorbikes' in 1988 raids to dislodge the Soviet Union, interviewing a sinister Pakistani intelligence czar, or maintaining a correspondence with a young Kabul woman confined to a burkha in 2001, Lamb offers a vivid and sensitive first-person look at Afghanistan. And she gets around-- she's met and interviewed everyone from Hamid Karzi to Taliban stalwarts to the leading tribal warlords and their underlings. Nor does Lamb ignore ordinary citizens ranging from schoolteachers to housewives to glassmakers to shopkeepers: her depictions of daily life and acts of courage in the midst of deprivation and repression are among the best pieces in the book. Lamb's Afghanistan and its people are romantic, exotic, haunting, and damaged by centuries of war. The book will deepen your understanding of this fascinating nation, even as it makes you wonder whether Afghanistan is doomed to repeat the cycles of the past or whether it will rise phoenix-like to transcend its history.
Rating:
Summary: Great view of Afghanistan and Pakistan -- by a woman author
Review: There are many good books now offering us insight into Afghanistan and Pakistan, but even the best of them -- like Carpet Wars -- are by men and almost all the people they meet and talk about are men -- not surprisingly, given where they are. Christina Lamb has been in Afghanistan and nearby Pakistan over a period of decades. Her writing is clear, direct, and sympathetic to the people she's known there for many years, including Hamid Karzai. The people she meets -- and re-meets -- along the way become part of her story which humanizes the the local situations she describes. Top notch!
Rating:
Summary: a great read on afghanistan from an outsiders view
Review: this book was written by a women who traveled through afghanistan during a period prior to taliban rule and then after. she has key insight into some of the major players in afghanistans history and wars, many of whom helped shape and continue to help shape the course of afghanistans future. wrote from a womens perspective and an outsiders perspective, christina manages to get close and talk to and interact with many of mujahideen fighters and includes her interactions with currently elected president hamid karzai. book ends as he is elected interim president. a good read
Rating:
Summary: A Human Guide to the Ancient civiliazation of Afghanistan
Review: This is an intensely personal encounter of the author with old friends and some not-so-friendly people in Afghanistan. A must read for understanding the deep cultural roots of conflict in the region.
Rating:
Summary: Just Plain wonderful says Jean Sasson
Review: This marvelous book is beautifully written. It's a true story penned by a very courageous author who risked life and limb to discover the hidden lives in Afghanistan during some of the most dangerous periods of history, even during the days of the Russian invasion of Afghanistan! Please don't let anything keep you from missing this through-provoking, yet delightful book.
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