Afghanistan - A Fort of Nine Towers

Book #1: A Fort of Nine Towers: An Afghan Family Story - Qais Akbar Omar (Afghanistan)

"Twenty-three years ago - after the Soviets left and before the Taliban came to power - Kabul was a garden where seven-year-old Qais Akbar Omar flew kites from the roof of his grandfather's house. Then came the hollow sounds of rocket fire as the Mujahedin, self-proclaimed holy warriors, took over Afghanistan, and the country erupted in civil war. Omar's family fled, leaving everything behind to take shelter in an old fort. But after a narrow escape from death, his father decided that the family must leave the country. 

Yet the journey proved more difficult than anticipated, and in this stunning coming-of-age memoir, Omar offers a moving recollection of these events - a story of daily hardships, relieved by moments of joy and immense beauty. Inflected with folktales and steeped in poetry, A Fort of Nine Towers is a life-affirming triumph." 

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I loved this book. It's a brilliant way to start a daunting round-the-world journey. If you've read Khaled Hosseini's Kite Runner, Omar's Afghanistan will be a familiar place. I think it's especially important for Americans to see Afghanistan through the eyes of its people, rather than just as it's portrayed on the news. This book offers such a rich tapestry of people and places - you'll be drawn in.