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To Lose a War: The Fall and Rise of the Taliban
From one of the greatest foreign correspondents of our time, whose essential and profound on the ground reporting from Afghanistan for The New Yorker from before 9/11 to the return of the Taliban to power in 2021 has definitively shaped our understanding of the country and its fate, comes the complete accounting of that era, combining previously published dispatches and new reporting into a narrative of great impact and lasting value.
Jon Lee Anderson first reported from Afghanistan in the late 1980’s, covering the US-backed mujahedin’s insurrection against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul. Within days of the 9/11 attacks, he was back on the ground as an early eyewitness to the new war launched by the US against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. His reportage from the first year of the war won a number of awards, and was published in book form as The Lion’s Dispatches from Afghanistan. At the time, the American military had prevailed on the battlefield, and the newfound peace seemed to offer a precious space for Afghan society to restore itself and to forge a democratic future. But all was not Osama bin Laden was still in hiding, the Taliban were stealthily reorganizing for a comeback, and the United States was about to make the epochal blunder of turning its attention to Iraq.
To Lose a War collects all of Anderson’s writing from Afghanistan over a near quarter-century span. Containing the stories from The Lion’s Grave and all of those he published since as well as important writing appearing here for the first time, the book offers a chronological account of a monumental tragedy as it unfolds in real time. The colossal waste, missed signals, and wishful thinking that characterized the twenty-year arc of the US-led war in Afghanistan have consecrated it as one of the greatest foreign policy failures of modern times, and a bellwether of a larger American imperial decline.
Jon Lee Anderson’s chronicling of the Afghan war for The New Yorker earned him comparisons to Michael Herr and Ryzard Kapuscinski. Just as The Lion’s Grave offered a highly original, intimate glimpse of the war in its still-hopeful first year, To Lose a War provides today’s readers with an unparalleled narrative history of the entire arc of the American misadventure in Afghanistan.
Jon Lee Anderson first reported from Afghanistan in the late 1980’s, covering the US-backed mujahedin’s insurrection against the Soviet-backed regime in Kabul. Within days of the 9/11 attacks, he was back on the ground as an early eyewitness to the new war launched by the US against the Taliban and their Al Qaeda allies. His reportage from the first year of the war won a number of awards, and was published in book form as The Lion’s Dispatches from Afghanistan. At the time, the American military had prevailed on the battlefield, and the newfound peace seemed to offer a precious space for Afghan society to restore itself and to forge a democratic future. But all was not Osama bin Laden was still in hiding, the Taliban were stealthily reorganizing for a comeback, and the United States was about to make the epochal blunder of turning its attention to Iraq.
To Lose a War collects all of Anderson’s writing from Afghanistan over a near quarter-century span. Containing the stories from The Lion’s Grave and all of those he published since as well as important writing appearing here for the first time, the book offers a chronological account of a monumental tragedy as it unfolds in real time. The colossal waste, missed signals, and wishful thinking that characterized the twenty-year arc of the US-led war in Afghanistan have consecrated it as one of the greatest foreign policy failures of modern times, and a bellwether of a larger American imperial decline.
Jon Lee Anderson’s chronicling of the Afghan war for The New Yorker earned him comparisons to Michael Herr and Ryzard Kapuscinski. Just as The Lion’s Grave offered a highly original, intimate glimpse of the war in its still-hopeful first year, To Lose a War provides today’s readers with an unparalleled narrative history of the entire arc of the American misadventure in Afghanistan.
400 pages, Hardcover
First published August 12, 2025
71 people are currently reading
810 people want to read
About the author
Jon Lee Anderson
64 books284 followersJon Lee Anderson has been a staff writer for The New Yorker since 1998. He has covered numerous conflicts in the Middle East and Africa, reported frequently from Latin America and the Caribbean, and written profiles of Augusto Pinochet, Fidel Castro, Hugo Chávez, and Gabriel García Márquez. He is the author of several books, including The Lion’s Grave: Dispatches from Afghanistan, Che Guevara: A Revolutionary Life, Guerillas: Journeys in the Insurgent World, and The Fall of Baghdad.
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
October 24, 2025
This is an excellent collection of essays covering the war in Afghanistan’s second half.
Having read a LOT about ISIS, the Taliban, and the two wars America began after 9/11, two things make this book so compelling:
1. Because the “chapters” are articles from time periods past, there’s a visceral sense of dramatic irony and foreboding. This tunes the tragic failure of this war to a much higher frequency. And when I say “failure,” I take nothing away from the soldiers and service people who sacrificed so much. What I DO mean is that AFTER all the “blood and treasure”— a euphemistic phrase which conceals the horrors of war—let’s instead say, AFTER all the crushed, damaged, and dead human beings on both sides of this conflict, AFTER the TRILLIONS of dollars spent on this war rather than a variety of other domestic or international work—the Taliban is back in power throughout the country, women are BACK beneath the burqa, and girls are back to being hidden in the house.
Usama bin Laden is dead. And the only terrorist attacks this country has mourned since, have been committed by its own people shooting schools and assassinating politicians. 😳
It remains up to the reader to decide whether killing UBL (and many other most wanted operatives) is enough to justify the mission creep, America’s second humiliating evacuation from a country we committed ourselves to helping, and the subsequent loss of American prestige and respect around the world.
2. Anderson’s chapters are mostly focused upon either single individuals who played pivotal roles in the conflict, or upon particular battles.
This appealed to ME, because I’ve previously read: The Great War of Our Time by Michael Morell, the Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright, The Assassin’s Gate by George Packer, Steve Coll’s magnificent Ghost Wars, Directorate S, and The Achilles Trap, Black Flags by Joby Warrick, The Black Banners by the wonderful Ali Soufan, and The Mission by Tim Weiner.
Which is to say that I wasn’t looking for another soup to nuts study.
I feel tremendous empathy for both our service people and their families and the Afghan civilians killed, maimed, or now, once again, living under oppression. The human sacrifices of this war have been astronomical, and they’ve yet to be comprehensively tallied.
Anderson does offer an argument as to WHY the war went as it did. Obviously, we’ll never know how things would have gone if handled differently, but Anderson points out that America specifically, and her allies in general, went into this conflict with tremendous support.
But he argues that assumptions quite similar to what made Vietnam such a quagmire were evident in the DOJ and CIA’s planning and mindset. He notes a general ignorance of the terrain, history, language, and culture of Afghanistan. Worse than ignorance, and also echoing Vietnam, he argues that American planners and operatives—in GENERAL, certainly not comprehensively, viewed the Afghans and Afghanistan as backward, primitive, and cowardly. American exceptionalism, pride in our military, and a sense of righteous indignation over the 9/11 and USS Cole attacks contributed to blinding planners to Afghanistan’s well earned moniker as “The Graveyard of Empires.”
What happened is what happens whenever a war like this ensues. It begins with a massive and intimidating show of the more powerful player’s technology, firepower, and ingenuity. We hear of successes in taking back cities and eliminating figures who promise imminent destruction.
And then—reading the the writing on the cave walls—the “weaker” participant’s fighters dissolve back into the general population, into the wilds of the mountains, and most importantly, into the world they know FAR better than their opponents. Then they wait, demonstrating the patience and long view to know that a face to face conflict is out of the question and that the invading entity will only tolerate so much death, frustration, and time. That’s how it’s been.
And that’s how To Lose A War.
Having read a LOT about ISIS, the Taliban, and the two wars America began after 9/11, two things make this book so compelling:
1. Because the “chapters” are articles from time periods past, there’s a visceral sense of dramatic irony and foreboding. This tunes the tragic failure of this war to a much higher frequency. And when I say “failure,” I take nothing away from the soldiers and service people who sacrificed so much. What I DO mean is that AFTER all the “blood and treasure”— a euphemistic phrase which conceals the horrors of war—let’s instead say, AFTER all the crushed, damaged, and dead human beings on both sides of this conflict, AFTER the TRILLIONS of dollars spent on this war rather than a variety of other domestic or international work—the Taliban is back in power throughout the country, women are BACK beneath the burqa, and girls are back to being hidden in the house.
Usama bin Laden is dead. And the only terrorist attacks this country has mourned since, have been committed by its own people shooting schools and assassinating politicians. 😳
It remains up to the reader to decide whether killing UBL (and many other most wanted operatives) is enough to justify the mission creep, America’s second humiliating evacuation from a country we committed ourselves to helping, and the subsequent loss of American prestige and respect around the world.
2. Anderson’s chapters are mostly focused upon either single individuals who played pivotal roles in the conflict, or upon particular battles.
This appealed to ME, because I’ve previously read: The Great War of Our Time by Michael Morell, the Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright, The Assassin’s Gate by George Packer, Steve Coll’s magnificent Ghost Wars, Directorate S, and The Achilles Trap, Black Flags by Joby Warrick, The Black Banners by the wonderful Ali Soufan, and The Mission by Tim Weiner.
Which is to say that I wasn’t looking for another soup to nuts study.
I feel tremendous empathy for both our service people and their families and the Afghan civilians killed, maimed, or now, once again, living under oppression. The human sacrifices of this war have been astronomical, and they’ve yet to be comprehensively tallied.
Anderson does offer an argument as to WHY the war went as it did. Obviously, we’ll never know how things would have gone if handled differently, but Anderson points out that America specifically, and her allies in general, went into this conflict with tremendous support.
But he argues that assumptions quite similar to what made Vietnam such a quagmire were evident in the DOJ and CIA’s planning and mindset. He notes a general ignorance of the terrain, history, language, and culture of Afghanistan. Worse than ignorance, and also echoing Vietnam, he argues that American planners and operatives—in GENERAL, certainly not comprehensively, viewed the Afghans and Afghanistan as backward, primitive, and cowardly. American exceptionalism, pride in our military, and a sense of righteous indignation over the 9/11 and USS Cole attacks contributed to blinding planners to Afghanistan’s well earned moniker as “The Graveyard of Empires.”
What happened is what happens whenever a war like this ensues. It begins with a massive and intimidating show of the more powerful player’s technology, firepower, and ingenuity. We hear of successes in taking back cities and eliminating figures who promise imminent destruction.
And then—reading the the writing on the cave walls—the “weaker” participant’s fighters dissolve back into the general population, into the wilds of the mountains, and most importantly, into the world they know FAR better than their opponents. Then they wait, demonstrating the patience and long view to know that a face to face conflict is out of the question and that the invading entity will only tolerate so much death, frustration, and time. That’s how it’s been.
And that’s how To Lose A War.
September 20, 2025
I liked this a lot. Anderson does a great job pulling together decades of reporting and showing how the US was set up to lose in Afghanistan long before the messy withdrawal. I just wish there were more Afghan civilian voices, not just the war lens. Still, a powerful read! recommend!
October 27, 2025
Wonderfully well-written, with a pericope/anecdotal style that makes it very easy to set down and then pick up again. The author's style is smooth and polished and the breadth of time he covers here, over a quarter-century in Afghanistan, lends itself to insight and is very thought-provoking.
August 11, 2025
I was apprehensive how a book of published articles would hang together, but I needn’t have been. Anderson’s narrative style is really engaging, each chapter has great character bios, and there is a very clear story arc 🗞️
.
We’re told this is a re-write of his previous book, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓲𝓸𝓷’𝓼 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮: 𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓐𝓯𝓰𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷 (2002), which came out after the US waged war on Al Qaeda and the post-9/11 fervour seemed too righteous to fail. Anderson felt a follow up was due after witnessing 25 years of turmoil, a resurgent Taliban, and America’s staggering departure in 2021 📰
.
The bulk of the book focusses on 2001/2002: the US invasion, bio’s of Afghan leaders, power struggles, the Taliban defeat. The latter chapters covering 2011-2022 are fewer and shorter but have a clear change in tone: the inability of US forces to train Afghan soldiers, the war on drugs failing to stymie poppy cultivation, growing distrust, US soldier war crimes. Adding the Wests failures to the Taliban’s unwavering patience made for a seemingly inevitable comeback ⚠️
.
Afghan civilians and soldiers alike are reportedly exhausted from decades of war. They’ve lived in a country beset with conflict since the 1970’s and they’ve done what they needed to survive - switching allegiances, switching back, keeping quiet, hiding out 💣
.
I would’ve liked some more focus on women’s treatment. It’s mentioned a few times but I felt such a significant aspect could’ve warranted more word count 🚺
.
In the end we’re told Afghanistan is the “graveyard of empires” and America can claim no moral authority. Investment abruptly ended leaving many jobless, starving, or addicted to their most precious export, opium. It’s a dismal end that leaves you wondering how much more resilience regular Afghans need to get by ❓
.
Highly recommend for anyone that wants an absorbing Afghan history lesson 🇦🇫
.
We’re told this is a re-write of his previous book, 𝓣𝓱𝓮 𝓛𝓲𝓸𝓷’𝓼 𝓖𝓻𝓪𝓿𝓮: 𝓓𝓲𝓼𝓹𝓪𝓽𝓬𝓱𝓮𝓼 𝓯𝓻𝓸𝓶 𝓐𝓯𝓰𝓱𝓪𝓷𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓪𝓷 (2002), which came out after the US waged war on Al Qaeda and the post-9/11 fervour seemed too righteous to fail. Anderson felt a follow up was due after witnessing 25 years of turmoil, a resurgent Taliban, and America’s staggering departure in 2021 📰
.
The bulk of the book focusses on 2001/2002: the US invasion, bio’s of Afghan leaders, power struggles, the Taliban defeat. The latter chapters covering 2011-2022 are fewer and shorter but have a clear change in tone: the inability of US forces to train Afghan soldiers, the war on drugs failing to stymie poppy cultivation, growing distrust, US soldier war crimes. Adding the Wests failures to the Taliban’s unwavering patience made for a seemingly inevitable comeback ⚠️
.
Afghan civilians and soldiers alike are reportedly exhausted from decades of war. They’ve lived in a country beset with conflict since the 1970’s and they’ve done what they needed to survive - switching allegiances, switching back, keeping quiet, hiding out 💣
.
I would’ve liked some more focus on women’s treatment. It’s mentioned a few times but I felt such a significant aspect could’ve warranted more word count 🚺
.
In the end we’re told Afghanistan is the “graveyard of empires” and America can claim no moral authority. Investment abruptly ended leaving many jobless, starving, or addicted to their most precious export, opium. It’s a dismal end that leaves you wondering how much more resilience regular Afghans need to get by ❓
.
Highly recommend for anyone that wants an absorbing Afghan history lesson 🇦🇫
July 7, 2025
Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing me with a review copy!
I found the book to be fascinating. Since the writing came from previous New Yorker pieces there was an immediacy that came from reading them that one doesn’t get from a book written with time and distance. I appreciated Anderson’s insights on the conflict, as well as his character profile of all types of Afghans that he met and spoke to; everyone from warlords to politicians and regular people. I could feel his anger at the mistakes that he was witnessing happening in real time, as well as genuine sadness at the cost of those mistakes. Anderson is a great writer, and again the fact that the book was pulled together from many New Yorker pieces really showed the tragedy in Afghanistan happening in real time.
My only minor complaint, and it is very minor, is that since the book was made up of previously written pieces there is a tendency to repeat information over and over again. The same stories might appear more than once or twice because he is referencing something previous even if it was in the previous chapter. Again, this speaks to the immediacy that each chapter provides, as they were written years apart from each other. Maybe some of that will be cleaned up in further editing for the final edition, but I found it to be very minor and did not hamper the reading experience.
Would definitely suggest this to someone who is interested in history and current events. Really shines a fascinating and sad light on a time in history that we already seem to be forgetting about.
I found the book to be fascinating. Since the writing came from previous New Yorker pieces there was an immediacy that came from reading them that one doesn’t get from a book written with time and distance. I appreciated Anderson’s insights on the conflict, as well as his character profile of all types of Afghans that he met and spoke to; everyone from warlords to politicians and regular people. I could feel his anger at the mistakes that he was witnessing happening in real time, as well as genuine sadness at the cost of those mistakes. Anderson is a great writer, and again the fact that the book was pulled together from many New Yorker pieces really showed the tragedy in Afghanistan happening in real time.
My only minor complaint, and it is very minor, is that since the book was made up of previously written pieces there is a tendency to repeat information over and over again. The same stories might appear more than once or twice because he is referencing something previous even if it was in the previous chapter. Again, this speaks to the immediacy that each chapter provides, as they were written years apart from each other. Maybe some of that will be cleaned up in further editing for the final edition, but I found it to be very minor and did not hamper the reading experience.
Would definitely suggest this to someone who is interested in history and current events. Really shines a fascinating and sad light on a time in history that we already seem to be forgetting about.
November 29, 2025
This is a collection of essays and articles, pretty much all (literally all?) were previously published in Anderson's work as reporter and war correspondent. This gives each chapter a sense of immediacy and heightened concern. The downside is you do not necessarily get the overall scope of things. It's more a series of trees rather than a view of the forest.
About half of the book comes from 2001, when the post-Taliban government is just trying to get established. The rest comes on Anderson's later visits to the country, as you can see how things gradually deteriorate. You get a sense of how things are deteroriating more than why they are. That said, a few themes in those later chapters emerge. US policy is often distracted and/or indifferent. Rebuilding Afghanistan would takes tons of time and effort, and the US had other priorities. Beyond that, policies like destroying opium production largely alienated large swaths of farmers. The US was distrustful and sometimes openly contempuous of native Afghani soliders and civilians, with stories of shooting civilians for sport emerging from time to time. Ultimately, the Taliban had a big advantage: they cared a lot more about what happened in Afghansitan than the US did.
Anderson is extremely skeptical of any Taliban claims of moderation or change. He believes that any such talk is purely for the cameras, and he notes you can already see them sliding back to their old ways shortly after retaking Kabul.
About half of the book comes from 2001, when the post-Taliban government is just trying to get established. The rest comes on Anderson's later visits to the country, as you can see how things gradually deteriorate. You get a sense of how things are deteroriating more than why they are. That said, a few themes in those later chapters emerge. US policy is often distracted and/or indifferent. Rebuilding Afghanistan would takes tons of time and effort, and the US had other priorities. Beyond that, policies like destroying opium production largely alienated large swaths of farmers. The US was distrustful and sometimes openly contempuous of native Afghani soliders and civilians, with stories of shooting civilians for sport emerging from time to time. Ultimately, the Taliban had a big advantage: they cared a lot more about what happened in Afghansitan than the US did.
Anderson is extremely skeptical of any Taliban claims of moderation or change. He believes that any such talk is purely for the cameras, and he notes you can already see them sliding back to their old ways shortly after retaking Kabul.
September 4, 2025
I appreciate he entrenched himself for 30 or so years in Afghanistan BUT I had many problems with this.
First, a compilation of articles, things are bound to be repetitive.
Second, I had previously not read the articles and found they contained facts but personal opinions were definitely interjected (not completely objective reporting).
Third, the prologue really soured me and I wasn't sure if I was even going to peruse the book (which I ended up doing). He has empathy for the Afghan civilians (completely understandable) but then there's statement's like this: [after the Taliban returned to power in 2021] "the Taliban left people of Kabul to their own devices, and except for a few disturbing incidents, ...there had been little overt repression." (Dorset, England 2025 is the footnote at the end of the prologue). There seemed to be more compassion for the civilians in some of the articles.
Fourth, he places a lot of blame- on the West. Some justifiable, some not.
A frustrating book about a frustrating war.
There are much better books on the history of Afghanistan and the region as a whole.
First, a compilation of articles, things are bound to be repetitive.
Second, I had previously not read the articles and found they contained facts but personal opinions were definitely interjected (not completely objective reporting).
Third, the prologue really soured me and I wasn't sure if I was even going to peruse the book (which I ended up doing). He has empathy for the Afghan civilians (completely understandable) but then there's statement's like this: [after the Taliban returned to power in 2021] "the Taliban left people of Kabul to their own devices, and except for a few disturbing incidents, ...there had been little overt repression." (Dorset, England 2025 is the footnote at the end of the prologue). There seemed to be more compassion for the civilians in some of the articles.
Fourth, he places a lot of blame- on the West. Some justifiable, some not.
A frustrating book about a frustrating war.
There are much better books on the history of Afghanistan and the region as a whole.
September 2, 2025
Twenty years of tragedy and horror up close
A compelling story of war and terrorism that I could not put down. Each chapter drew me into this saga of hopeless disaster and tragedy. It provided an always insightful understanding of the reasons the “war on terror” failed and why it dragged on for so long. The book also provides insight into the failure to learn and heed the lessons of the Vietnam war era as a major reason for many more decades of tragic counterinsurgency war history centered in and around Afghanistan. Also insightful about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism. The story is helpful in understanding the cultural and political conflict currently raging in the USA. Fundamentalism, a surfeit of private weapons, weakening democracy, increasing xenophobia, misogyny, and other forms of intolerance and hatred are just some of the problems shared by both countries.
A compelling story of war and terrorism that I could not put down. Each chapter drew me into this saga of hopeless disaster and tragedy. It provided an always insightful understanding of the reasons the “war on terror” failed and why it dragged on for so long. The book also provides insight into the failure to learn and heed the lessons of the Vietnam war era as a major reason for many more decades of tragic counterinsurgency war history centered in and around Afghanistan. Also insightful about the rise of Islamic fundamentalism and extremism. The story is helpful in understanding the cultural and political conflict currently raging in the USA. Fundamentalism, a surfeit of private weapons, weakening democracy, increasing xenophobia, misogyny, and other forms of intolerance and hatred are just some of the problems shared by both countries.
October 17, 2025
The author seems to have had open doors to Afghan leaders, some with blood on their hands, for more than two decades. He embedded with US units at their remote outposts. A fine writer, too, he's the epitome of what a journalist should be.
It may be unfair to fault a book for what it doesn't have, but what keeps this book from excellence in this old soldier's eyes is the absence of reporting on our departure.
We left Bagram Air Base without ceremony, almost in the middle of the night. We seem to have failed, except by individuals, in evacuating interpreters who had worked with us over the years. And the fiasco at the Kabul airport cannot be allowed to be forgotten.
The book's last chapter was on the new Taliban regime enforcing sharia law, especially on its women. I wish the chapter had instead been on America's final months, where we got so much wrong. And probably a lot right. But none of it is in the book.
Other than that, I recommend it completely.
It may be unfair to fault a book for what it doesn't have, but what keeps this book from excellence in this old soldier's eyes is the absence of reporting on our departure.
We left Bagram Air Base without ceremony, almost in the middle of the night. We seem to have failed, except by individuals, in evacuating interpreters who had worked with us over the years. And the fiasco at the Kabul airport cannot be allowed to be forgotten.
The book's last chapter was on the new Taliban regime enforcing sharia law, especially on its women. I wish the chapter had instead been on America's final months, where we got so much wrong. And probably a lot right. But none of it is in the book.
Other than that, I recommend it completely.
October 5, 2025
Informative series of stories spanning the U.S. adventure in Afghanistan. The author, a veteran foreign correspondent for the New Yorker, has compiled these in chronological order to trace the arc of this generationlong war.
He asks the question whether the disastrous withdrawal marks the end of the American empire. While the answer isn't clear, he opines that the squandering of U.S. military prowess and economic wealth over the last four presidencies certainly has diminished its international image -- and that's not even to mention the dismantling of U.S. aid, diplomacy and leadership programs abroad.
He asks the question whether the disastrous withdrawal marks the end of the American empire. While the answer isn't clear, he opines that the squandering of U.S. military prowess and economic wealth over the last four presidencies certainly has diminished its international image -- and that's not even to mention the dismantling of U.S. aid, diplomacy and leadership programs abroad.
July 26, 2025
Jon Lee Anderson is one of my favorite New Yorker staff writers. There aren't many foreign correspondents with such stature, which comes from his extensive experience, as well as his talent as an author and the deep insights he offers.
I’ve read some of the stories included in this book in the magazine, but together, they provide an excellent overview of Afghanistan’s recent history. Highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher, The Penguin Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
I’ve read some of the stories included in this book in the magazine, but together, they provide an excellent overview of Afghanistan’s recent history. Highly recommended!
Thanks to the publisher, The Penguin Press, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.
Want to read
August 19, 2025Placed a hold on the ebook (ebccls). Read in New York Times article about the two brothers who are war reporters. Both books - Iran (Scott Anderson) and Taliban (Jon Lee Anderson) look interesting.
"Two War Reporter Brothers, 60 Countries and Now a Pair of New Books"
Jon Lee and Scott Anderson avoid being in the same conflict zone. But with new books publishing this month, they made a rare joint appearance in New Jersey.
"Two War Reporter Brothers, 60 Countries and Now a Pair of New Books"
Jon Lee and Scott Anderson avoid being in the same conflict zone. But with new books publishing this month, they made a rare joint appearance in New Jersey.
October 17, 2025
History repeats itself
This book provides great insight on how the Taliban never really went away and the hubris of the US believing they could do what other industrial nations couldn't. It also didn't help that the culture on the whole didn't seem willing to resist the Taliban. Highly recommended to those who will learn the war wasn't lost by Biden but lost soon after it started.
This book provides great insight on how the Taliban never really went away and the hubris of the US believing they could do what other industrial nations couldn't. It also didn't help that the culture on the whole didn't seem willing to resist the Taliban. Highly recommended to those who will learn the war wasn't lost by Biden but lost soon after it started.
October 22, 2025
Before reading Steve Coll's "The Achilles Trap," I asked myself, do I really need to read another book about our Iraq and Afghanistan wars? For that book, the answer was definitely a yes. For this one, it's a maybe. It collects Anderson's reportage from Afghanistan for The New Yorker over more than two decades. He's a fine writer and careful observer, but it's more of a greatest hits, than a coherent whole with the courtesy of retrospect.
November 27, 2025
A collection of essays that the author wrote for The New Yorker magazine on Afghanistan over the years: from the anti-Soviet fight in the 80's to the American departure (and the aftermath of the resurgence of Taliban) in the 2020s. Reading these pieces with the benefit of hindsight the tragedy of Afghanistan becomes clearer. The failure of the American project was there from the seeds.
September 7, 2025
Extraordinary read from start to finish. For those like me who may have failed to read these accounts in what's left journalistically of The New Yorker over the last three or more decades, this is an invaluable read.
September 15, 2025
20 years of writings by the author provides a good overview of our efforts in Afghanistan and where we went wrong. future for the people there is unclear. history is told through the periodic articles the author wrote for the New Yorker
October 8, 2025
A good introductory read from a journalistic point of view. A bit disjointed from my perspective and the usage of previously published articles as a series of Chapters feels a bit disingenuous. I give it a 3.75/5. Could have been better!!
October 26, 2025
Mostly forgettable. I’m just against the idea that “a collection of a bunch of articles I previously published are now assembled into a book” is a viable genre. The whole thing felt stale & opportunistic.
September 17, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
A searing, definitive account of America’s longest war, Jon Lee Anderson captures Afghanistan’s tragedy with rare clarity and haunting immediacy.
A searing, definitive account of America’s longest war, Jon Lee Anderson captures Afghanistan’s tragedy with rare clarity and haunting immediacy.
September 28, 2025
So much blood and treasure, and still not finished.
October 8, 2025
Disappointing. It is a collection of articles previously written by the author. As such it is disjointed and many parts of the Afghanistan story are missing.
November 2, 2025
Really interesting and a bit depressing
November 26, 2025
I read this book as I am rounding out my 2025 reading year with a topic that I started this year with: The American invasion and occupation of Afghanistan & the Taliban. I knew going in that this book was a collection of essays written by Jon Anderson reporting from Afghanistan over the span of before the war, during the war, and as the war wound up. All the reviews say it was eloquent writing that was woven together perfectly. I don't know if it was Jon's writing style or what, but I found his writing and telling of history to be quite dull, not as engaging as several of the other books on this topic that I've consumed. Honestly I found Craig Whitlock's The Afghanistan Papers: A Secret History of the War a more enjoyable and engaging telling of this tranche of history than Anderson's book. I think a great companion book to Anderson's AND Whitlock's book is Hassan Abbas' The Return of the Taliban: Afghanistan after the Americans Left
Overall Thoughts:
Would I read it again knowing Anderson's writing style? No. Do I think there are better books to illuminate the mind about the rise and fall of the Taliban? Yes. I didn't find the reporting style in this collection of essays to really satisfy me in what I was looking. I also feel that Whitlock's analysis is simply better than Anderson's as he presents it with more clarity, less flowery writing and emotional pondering, and offers a better explanation of the Taliban's trajectory, how America was successful at running Al-Qaeda out of town, but brutally pointing out Americas gross failures at dealing with the Taliban and why the war went so horrifically off course for the Americans.
Overall Thoughts:
Would I read it again knowing Anderson's writing style? No. Do I think there are better books to illuminate the mind about the rise and fall of the Taliban? Yes. I didn't find the reporting style in this collection of essays to really satisfy me in what I was looking. I also feel that Whitlock's analysis is simply better than Anderson's as he presents it with more clarity, less flowery writing and emotional pondering, and offers a better explanation of the Taliban's trajectory, how America was successful at running Al-Qaeda out of town, but brutally pointing out Americas gross failures at dealing with the Taliban and why the war went so horrifically off course for the Americans.
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