West of Kabul, East of New York, Tamim Ansary
West of Kabul, East of New York, Tamim Ansary
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
Club: $8.47

West of Kabul, East of New York
An Afghan American Story

Author: Tamim Ansary

Narrator: Tamim Ansary

Unabridged: 8 hr 1 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/01/2006

Synopsis

The day after the World Trade Center was destroyed, Tamim Ansary sent an anguished e-mail to twenty friends discussing the attack from his perspective as an Afghan American. The message reached millions.Born to an Afghan father and American mother, Ansary grew up in the intimate world of Afghan family life. When he emigrated to San Francisco, he believed he’d left Afghan culture behind forever. But at the height of the Iranian Revolution, he took a harrowing journey through the Islamic world to rediscover his roots. In the years that followed, he struggled to unite his divided self and to find a place in his imagination where his Afghan and American identities might meet.Here in his own words is one man’s personal journey through two cultures in conflict.

About Tamim Ansary

Tamim Ansary is the award-winning author of Destiny Disrupted and West of Kabul, East of New York. He has been a major contributing writer to several secondary-school history textbooks offering an Islamic perspective.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jim

I highly recommend this book to anyone who thinks they understand Islam, as well as anyone with an interest in Afghanistan. My experience with Muslims has shown me that there is no more of a uniform, single-minded Islam than there is a Christianity where everyone has the same agenda, values and goal......more

Goodreads review by Jeanne

West of Kabul, East of New York is a fascinating but frustrating read, in part because I was unclear about Tamim Ansary's thesis. As I read his prologue, where he described learning about 9/11, writing an email to friends that went viral, and being asked to serve as "spokesman" for Afghanistan, I th......more

Quotes

“A book that steadies our skittering compass...It speaks with a modesty of tone and is all the more resonant for that reason[It] sees things we cannot make out and need to.”  New York Times

“His descriptions of his Afghan childhood are luxe and delicious—crammed with beautiful textiles and wondrous smells, bazaars, casbahs, compounds with courtyards, servants, strawberry patches, ragged mountains.” Esquire

“[An] emotional and moving memoir, driven by passion and intelligence…It breaks the heart.”  Times-Picayune (New Orleans)

“[A] powerful, timely book, written with clarity and eloquence…We come to see the humanity behind the country that has come into the international spotlight.” Mercury News (San Jose)

“Any carping about this being an instant book should be quelled when readers actually encounter Ansary’s considered prose…His descriptions of having lived in and identified alternately with the West and the Islamic world are utterly compelling.” Publishers Weekly

“Ansary’s low-key reading adds a humanizing tone.” AudioFile

“[Ansary] tells truths about dislocation, heritage, home, family, and religion that both affirm life and profoundly sadden…Worth any reader’s time.” Library Journal

“Gracefully written and very powerful, Ansary’s meditative memoir reaches deeper and illuminates more brightly than any news report or political analysis.” Booklist

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List