There is another generational novel entitled LEGACY OF LOVE which, if you are a more orderly person than I, you may wish to read first. Apparently that book leads up to this one, though I have to say this one stood quite well on its own. I do intend to read the earlier book, for I truly enjoyed this author.

London swings like a pendulum in the sixties, but Alexa Langley feels more like a fish out of water. Unlike her successful parents who thrive in the mod climate, Alexa feels shy and unworthy. Everyone concludes that Alexa is a classic underachiever who could do better. Even in marriage she fails though betrayal by her spouse is a more apt description. Alexa finally flees London with her infant Carly for a family owned Scottish castle that has been neglected for years. Will Alexa find the inner strength that flows in the blood of her female ancestors or is she the skipped generation?

In 1988, Carly finds an extraordinary journal that describes the adventures of her great great grandmother in Afghanistan (see A LEGACY OF LOVE). Unable to resist, Carly retraces the steps of her ancestor while not knowing what she seeks or what she will find as she treks across the war-scared landscape.

A SECOND LEGACY is actually two novellas in one book. Caroline Harvey, better known as Joanna Trollope, (both names appear on the title page - duh) provides her audience with the tales of two women. The story lines are similar yet quite different. Alexa's tale is a character study of someone struggling to find contentment and her self worth. Carly's plot centers on finding a place in the world too, but is more of a romantic suspense drama. Still each story engages the reader who feel empathy towards the heroines and shows why this writer is a highly regarded best selling author.

Harriet Klausner

Nasir Shansab's book deals with the Soviet's expansion into Afghanistan. His book chronicles Communisms rise in Afghanistan, the Soviets' invasion of Afghanistan in 1919, and the subsequent jihad that has followed. However, it is important to note that this book was written in 1986, before the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan had ended. However, Shansab does a wonderful job on giving a detailed history of the fifteen to twenty years that led up to the Soviet invasion, as well as details as to what took place during the occupation. The book begins by telling the reader 'Russian expansionist ambitions in Central and Southwest Asia had taught Afghan rulers to be on guard.' Thus rulers of Afghanistan were always cautious of their northern neighbors. The book itself is divided into four main parts. The first part of the book deals with how and why Soviet Communist ideas spread into Afghanistan. Shansab feels that because of '[p]overty, lack of opportunity, social injustice, and political subjugation,' throughout the seventies and earlier, has left Afghanistan as a prime place for instilling communist beliefs. He goes on to state that the Soviets planned to use this social unrest and the public's frustration to their own advantage. Thus during the 1950's they began to loan Afghanistan money and began trading with them in an attempt to make them seem as a more powerful, yet charitable ally, while in reality making Afghanistan dependent on the Soviet assistance. In the sixties, the Soviets began funding groups in order to spread communism into Afghanistan. Shortly after, a small group of Marxists met in 1965 and formed the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan. This group felt that they needed to abolish the existing political system, and replace it with a Communist regime. Thus, part one ends with Daoud being overthrown by the Communist party by announcing their victory on radio in Kabul.
The second part of the book deals with the different social and cultural aspects of Afghanistan, and how they dealt with the new Communist leaders. Shansab details incidents, especially one in Heart in March of 1979, where the lower class and middle class people revolted against the new Communist regime by ransacking government buildings and killing local officials. These incidents began to grow in number, as well as the death toll of Communist leaders and Shiite Muslims. The protests and executions grew so bad that by the summer of 1979, the Soviets were convinced they had to invade Afghanistan and put down the rebellions. In part three of the book, Shansab deals with strategies and tactics of the Russian army when they invaded Afghanistan. Their first step was to assassinate the old ruler, Hafizullah Amin and installed Babrak Karmal as president, in an attempt to have him and the PDPA consolidate power. Shansab describes this new phase of Afghani history by explaining that 'The tragedy of a nation engulfed in civil war caused by internal socio-political factors now took on the form of a national resistance against foreign occupation.' The soviet army began to kill protestors and students that were in opposition. By 1981, the Soviets had shown that they were incapable of putting down the resistance movement. Shansab feels that this weakness was due to the fact that all of the army's orders came from Moscow, a place not used to fighting guerilla wars. The resistance continued, and in 1985, six years after the initial invasion, the Soviet soldiers hadn't accomplished any of their goals and were still trying to stop the resistance fighters. In fact by 1986, all the Russians had accomplished was forcing 3 million refugees into Pakistan and one million into Iran. Since the book was published in 1986, part three ends here with Afghanistan's neighbors dealing with the refugee problem. Part four deals with Soviet geopolitics and American efforts to help the Afghani people and refugees. Shansab feels that the reason the Soviets have not found success in Afghanistan is because they did not count on such strong resistance. According to Shansab, there are 10 different factions of resistance, each being unique in religious or social backgrounds. 'In spite of its obvious shortcomings, the Afghan resistance has continuously grown from its isolated pockets of rebellion into a nationwide war of resistance.' Shansab feels that this is a war that the Soviets most likely will not win. He feels that the only reason that the Soviets are trying to invade Afghanistan is because they feel that they are in completion with the United States for influence in the smaller countries of Asia and Europe. However, Shansab feels that because of this event, this has forced the United States from a passive observer into an active challenger. He notes that the United States has been giving covert assistance to Afghanistan and its neighbors in order to hinder the Soviet's operation. However, Shansab feels that the United States must now deal with either trying to build democracy in other Third World countries, or whether it should help the existing governments in order to ensure the public's safety. Thus in his final statement, Shansab states that he feels that this conflict is bigger than just the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, he feels as if the United States should help the Afghani people not only because they are being oppressed but for the sake of the free world.
Bryon Wait

I found Shansab's analysis refreshing and would recommend this book to anybody who is interested in the Middle East and Islamic fundamentalism.

In this brilliant book, Peter Dale Scott shows how since World War Two the CIA has recurrently used drug-trafficking allies against its enemies in oil-rich areas of the Third World, and how this has contributed to a staggering increase in the global drug traffic. He traces this practice back to the surprising connection in 1950 between the responsible CIA officer and Meyer Lansky's chief money-laundering bank. He warns that America's recent restoration of the drug traffic in Afghanistan will help fuel an increased wave of terrorism in the region and the world.

More important for me was the perspective Hodson gives concering Islamic attitudes and beliefs. That those fighting the Russians often saw Russia and the US as similar is sobering and can help us to better appreciate Islam and its adherents.

As a WASP, personal experience and books like "Under a Sickle Moon" have contributed to my recognizing that the concerns expressed in the Middle East and elsewhere have validity and must be addressed before many thorny issues can be fully resolved.

Mark Galeotti provides a more historical and wider view of the war. He discusses the Soviet Union's involvement in the war and its effects on that country. He particularly addresses the argument that the war in Afghanistan was central to the fall of the Soviet Union. In pursuing this argument, a detailed and compelling analysis of the effects of the war upon the Soviet Union is provided.

The major problem with the book is that at times it feels spotty. Galeotti sometimes exhaustively focuses on issues that are tangential to his argument, such as the role of Afghan veterans in Soviet/Russian society, while providing only adequate amounts of detail on the actual war in Afghanistan. The overall history of military operations is covered very briefly. In particular, analysis of military effectiveness focuses almost entirely on tactics and does not attempt a detailed appraisal of flaws/strengths in Soviet strategy.

Nevertheless, this is a very strong book and certainly vital reading for understanding the importance of the Soviet war in Afghanistan.

Ted doesn't manage to prove his major thesis, that an Afghan war was being planned prior to 9/11. The evidence he presents is intriguing, but circumstantial. However, he clearly documents the preeminence of the oil pipeline in our management (or mismanagement) of that country following the invasion.

This book really seems to upset people. Perhaps that's because the motivations Ted ascribes to our leaders really do seem more congruent with the end results of their actions than do their stated intentions.

her descriptions of the trips outside of the city were my favorite parts of the book, especially the hiking trip with the us embassy group and visits to pakistan.

you get a glimpse of the struggles in her marriage, the 'workings' of non-governmental agencies, the un, usaid, and local governments.

There is a minimum of political analysis- as the author shows repeatedly, they were kept ignorant of the political scene by the news censorship practiced by the Government. Stratton doesn't 'talk about' Afghanistan, she describes what she saw, felt and smelled as she, her children and friends travelled around the country, and lets the imagery speak for itself. She has a knack for describing scenes so you feel like you're right there, too, seeing what she's seeing.

Stratton had contact with several different social classes in her experiences so this is not at all a story of What Happened At The U.S. Embassy. She shows how the average Afghan lived in conditions most Americans wouldn't tolerate, what it's like to deal with native servants, lack of the most basic medical care, shortages of even the commonest food staples. The everyday evidence of institutionalized male chauvinism is faithfully noted, but not analyzed. This book has no mission or agenda, it's purely, "Wow, look at that!".

Perhaps the most entertaining aspect of the book is seeing how people coped with their situations. Unless it was the description of the ride in the airliner crammed with unbathed Afghan men who insisted on ignoring the stewardesses. Or dealing with Customs on a trip to India, or barely escaping getting jailed when they found themselves in the middle of the Russian coup.

This book is a lot of fun, it's an eye opener to a radically different culture than ours, and almost coincidentally, it's relevant to current events.

The chapter concerning the dilemmas facing the international agencies who are currently engaging with this movement was excellent although could have been expanded further. The loss of UN crediability to intervene in the ongoing civil war is perhaps one of the greatest disappointments to all involved, especially the civilians of the country.

The book is a compilation of a number of Afghanistan experts views. Therefore, the reader will find some chapters easy reading and informative while others seem cumbersome and boring.

The Western media portrays the excesses, or perceived fundamentalism, of the Taliban to a great extent. The book attempts to show that there are positive aspects to the movement as well. In a country which is traditionally conservative in its view of women and culture norms, the Taliban are not as hated as the media often indicates.

Overall the book does well in portraying a forgotten country and the issues it is dealing with in the post Soviet Union era.

Shirin Raza