us president biden announced the withdrawal of troops from afghanistan a few weeks back, a conflict often referred to as the ‘forgotten war’.
one person who surely didn’t forget about it is kim barker who is processing her days as a war correspondent in the region in her book ‘the taliban shuffle’.
long story short: i loved this book.
funny
it is funny. before reading this book, i had an image in my head about war correspondents. that they were serious people, intellectual to the point of being boring, probably even a bit somber, but mostly serious.
sure, the humour is dark at times, but barker’s dry account of her sometimes outlandish experiences make this an overall very entertaining read that deals with these clichés once and for all.
educational
it is educational. most of the long-term conflicts around the world are so complex, that just following the news is not enough to grasp what’s going on. reading this book, however, i learned a ton about a conflict, a region and different cultures i didn’t know much about before.
relatable and inspirational
it is both relatable and inspirational. the reason i love memoirs written by women is because they are strong role models.
to follow barker as she was thrown out of her comfort zone and into the deep end of the pool of being a war reporter and see her persevere, was just right up my alley.
