Powerful testimony to what went wrong despite the bravery of American military personnel and our Afghan Allies . . . Ackerman s tales are compelling and heartfelt; this title will stand the test of time as a warning against further military misadventures. Booklist
The American betrayal of Afghanistan took twenty years. Elliot Ackerman, a participant and witness, tells the story with unsparing honesty in this intensely personal chronicle. George Packer, author of The Assassins Gate: America in Iraq and The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America
[A] haunting memoir . . . a harrowing portrait of chaos and collapse . . . Writing in evocative, gripping prose . . . Ackerman provides a clear-eyed indictment of America s failures in Afghanistan while paying homage to the soldiers who fought there. The result is a moving elegy for a blighted struggle. Publishers Weekly
Making sense of chaos is never easy, but this powerful book does much to explain why America s debacle in Afghanistan ended the way it did . . . Courage and folly, dedication and tragedy: Ackerman deftly captures all dimensions of a protracted foreign policy failure . . . A must-read account of the end of America s longest war. Kirkus (starred review)
Elliot Ackerman is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels 2034, Red Dress In Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing, and Green on Blue, as well as the memoir Places and Names: On War, Revolution and Returning. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize among others. He is both a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart. He divides his time between New York City and Washington, D.C.