Not Our Problem, Abdulhaq Sodais
Not Our Problem, Abdulhaq Sodais
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Not Our Problem
The True Story of an Afghan Refugee, an American Promise, and the World Between Them

Author: Abdulhaq Sodais, Spencer Sullivan, General Stanley A. McChrystal

Narrator: Grover Gardner, Assaf Cohen, Chris Abell

Unabridged: 8 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/20/2026

Synopsis

In an Afghan village, a boy learns his letters under a mullah’s stick and dreams of a life free of the Taliban; in Virginia, a cadet learns to read a map and lead a platoon into combat.Years later, on a wind-scoured ridgeline overlooking Zabul Province, helicopters roaring overhead, Afghan interpreter Abdulhaq Sodais and US Army Lieutenant Spencer Sullivan must learn to trust each other if they hope to survive.In 2021, when the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban reassert their rule, disappearing, torturing, and killing US collaborators, including Abdulhaq’s fellow interpreters. Yet Abdulhaq’s applications for asylum in America are repeatedly denied.With the Taliban closing in, Abdulhaq embarks on a cross-continental trek toward freedom. Caught up in the global refugee crisis, Abdulhaq must surrender himself to safehouses and human smugglers while Spencer fights his own war back in the United States to honor America’s promise.Not Our Problem, a war memoir and refugee story revealed in alternating voices, follows an Afghan refugee and an American soldier across borders and continents, tracing the long distance between a promise and its keeping—interrogating a world in crisis while celebrating how friendship can outlast the war that created it.

About Abdulhaq Sodais

Abdulhaq Sodais lives in Germany and has begun a new life with his wife, Weeda, after being granted full political asylum in 2021. He speaks four languages including Dari, Pashto, English, and German. He has found work in the school system helping disabled students on the bus, and as a forklift operator, among other odd jobs. Abdulhaq continues to face discrimination as an Afghan and as a refugee in his adopted home, but is working hard to integrate into German society. His dream is to travel freely throughout the world without being harassed or denied at any border. He considers Spencer his most trusted friend and has worked ceaselessly with him to tell this story on behalf of all refugees who are unable to tell their own.

About Spencer Sullivan

Spencer Sullivan is a US Army combat veteran and has been advocating for Afghan refugees for over a decade. His writing and interviews in support of America’s Afghan wartime allies have been featured in various outlets in the US and abroad, including the LA Times, CNN, Associated Press, Fox Business, and STERN. Spencer holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Brandman University. In addition to his writing, Spencer is a painter, selling prints of his artwork online. He lives in Annandale, Virginia, with his wife and son. 

About Grover Gardner

Grover Gardner is an award-winning narrator with over a thousand titles to his credit. Named one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and a Golden Voice by AudioFile magazine, he has won three prestigious Audie Awards, was chosen Narrator of the Year for 2005 by Publishers Weekly, and has earned more than thirty Earphones Awards.

About Assaf Cohen

Assaf Cohen is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator. He has appeared in various plays, short films, and television shows. He grew up in Palo Alto and attended UC Berkeley where he earned a bachelor’s degree in integrative biology. He continued his classical training by earning a master of fine arts in acting from the Mason Gross School of the Arts at Rutgers University under the instruction of legendary acting instructor William Esper.

Reviews

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Quotes

“Sodais’s chapters are stark and embodied, grounded in trauma and the constant threat interpreters face as ‘traitors,’ while Sullivan’s voice is measured, dissecting the ethical compromises of command. Their juxtaposition is devastating…Both narratives show what it means to risk everything for a foreign power whose protection can evaporate without explanation.” Publishers Weekly

“Not Our Problem is neither a war story nor a love story. It isn’t even new. As old as war, as enduring as friendship, and as inspiring as only the human spirit can be, it is a reminder of what truly matters.”  General Stanley A. McChrystal (USA, Ret.)

“The dual-narrative structure injects excitement into an already gripping read; the story of their shared burden mirrors countless US servicemembers and their Afghan allies. This is important work and a must-read.” Jake Tapper, CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent

“The bonds forged in war cannot often be adequately explained to those who have not lived it themselves…If you’ve ever wondered why so many American soldiers will go to the ends of the earth for their Afghan allies, read this book.” Matt Zeller, co-founder, No One Left Behind

“A ringer of a tale about war, duty, friendship, and the long tail of our promises…They remind us that—in a democratic society—what our government does, or doesn’t do, in our name is very much our problem.” Nathaniel Fick, New York Times bestselling author

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