After President Obama's speech on Afghanistan last night it seemed pretty timely to point everyone in the direction of a recent book on the country I read that blew my socks off. I hardly ever say this here, but really - you need to buy this book. Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortenson is exceedingly well written, easy to follow and does an excellent job of showing what life is like for the Afghani people living in the rural areas. I reviewed it for the new issue of Booklist (the Upfront Section, starred review). Here it is:

Mortenson’s best-seller, Three Cups of Tea (2009), introduced his commitment to peace through education and became a book-club phenomenon. He now continues the story of how the Central Asia Institute (CAI) built schools in northern Afghanistan. Descriptions of the harsh geography and more than one near-death experience impress readers as new faces join Mortenson’s loyal “Dirty Dozen” as they carefully plot a course of school-building through the Badakshan province and Wakhan corridor. Mortenson also shares his friendships with U.S. military personnel, including Admiral Mike Mullen, and the warm reception his work has found among the officer corps. The careful line CAI threads between former mujahideen commanders, ex-Taliban and village elders, and the American soldiers stationed in their midst is poetic in its political complexity and compassionate consideration. Using schools not bombs to promote peace is a goal that even the most hard-hearted can admire, but to blandly call this book inspiring would be dismissive of all the hard work that has gone into the mission in Afghanistan as well as the efforts to fund it. Mortenson writes of nothing less than saving the future, and his adventure is light years beyond most attempts. Mortenson did not reach the summit of K2, but oh, the heights he has achieved.

Stones is not a very political book - Mortenson does not dwell on the US invasion or the Soviet invasion or the recent civil war. He does talk about the history of specific villages and provinces to explain CAI's school building strategies there and discusses working with the US military on projects and the insanity of dealing with Afghanistan's bureaucracy. His goal is not to come down on one side or the other however, or to preach who is right or wrong. Rather he is focused on making positive change in the region, just as he has been focused on the same goal in Pakistan. And he's doing it - CAI is really doing it. Over 130 schools have been built in rural areas in the two countries and these are schools for girls and boys and the villages where they were built want the schools and support them and love them.

It is an experiment that has proven itself over and over again. It is working and not just because an American has come in and thrown money at the problem. It is working because the people want it to work and Mortenson knows this and so do the people who work with him. And if you ever wondered just who "those" people are in Afghanistan, or if "they" want us there or if it matters that we are there then you need to read about this project and its enormous success. You need to learn that yes, they are just like us.

Am I the only one who hears Sting singing "Russians" in the background right now?

I asked my grandmother once about the Japanese internment camps during WWII and she told me they were necessary - "we couldn't trust them," she said. "They weren't like us". For my mother's generation and partly my own it was the Russians who could not be trusted; they were the ones who were monumentally different. Then it became the Iraqis and Afghanis - or more generally, simply Muslims. There is always someone to collectively turn away from in fear. But Mortenson doesn't believe this and really, none of us should either.

Isn't that the part when the terrorists really win? (Or at least the part where someone says they do.)

We are in Afghanistan for three more years for sure, the President made that clear last night. So yeah, you can bitch about it and make inane comments about it at work or on the playground or standing around at parties. You can pretend not to care or make it all about Republicans and Democrats and get sucked into Obama vs Cheney discussions. Or you can read a book that will tell you something about who they are and what they hope for and how they are trying to change their world.

You can buy this book and strike a blow for good works. You can even donate to CAI. (Twenty dollars buys school supplies for one child FOR A YEAR.) Stones Into Schools is a good book, a really really good book. It made me believe in a lot of things so many of us have grown accustomed to not believing in anymore. We say hope all the time but this book really did give me hope. I can't think of anything better to celebrate this holiday season or a more important story to share.

Buy this book; plain and simple, just buy this book.

[Post pics from CAI site - the bottom pic is of porters carrying roof beams 18 miles to Korphe School. Pakistan. Clearly, these people are willing to work damn hard to get their school!]