Rasmussen, who began reporting from Afghanistan in 2014, tells the story of post 9-11 Afghanistan through the eyes of the people who lived it, among them: Zahra, a woman who returns to Afghanistan after living with her family in Iran with hope for a new future for her country; Omari, a Taliban fighter from a Pashtun village outside of Kabul who ultimately wrestles with the outcome of the conflict; Parasto who runs a underground girls’ school, and Fahim, a entrepreneur who flees the country.
The Washington Post cites Rasmussen’s “superlative reporting skills” and said his ability to delve into the lives of his subjects “lends his book the feeling of a novel.”
