The Punishment of Virtue: Inside Afghanistan After the Taliban Audiobook

" Excellent overview of Afghanistan's history and the emergence of the post-Taliban government. A must read for anyone interested in Afghanistan. "

" This book is, similar to "Sewing Circles of Herat," is a book by a white female reporter about her experiences in Afghanistan, but what a difference! Where Christina Lamb gives her superficial impressions, here Sarah Chayes goes deep into historical analysis and the subtleties of the political and military players after the US invasion and comes out the other side with this extremely satisfying, dense and nuanced book. "

" She has slightly out of date information for those looking for a recent story, but she gets the complexity level right. Also a lot of the allegations of gross incompetence are pretty accurate. Pay careful attention to what she says about Pakistan. "

" Fascinating read, but contains a lot more historical background than expected--which made it harder to plough through. Clearly leaves reader feeling that America has really messed up in Afghanistan and it cannot be corrected. "

" Great read. This, for me, was The Ugly American Kandahar style. "

" Great way to understand Afghanistan, though as she has attested to, it only focuses on a southern/Kandaharian outlook of the country, which can give a pretty biased interpretation. "

" former NPR reporter moves to Afghanistan and reports on life in one village and her attempts to improve that life. Good read. She claims the Pakistani government is playing the US government, feeding them some Taliban members every now and again to stay in their favor, while their corrupt government makes life miserable for Afghanistan folk. "

" This book gives amazing insight into our involvement in Afghanistan and why we will probably never make much progress there. "

" Excellent but so tragic. A really well-done and insightful portrait of war-torn Afghanistan in the wake of 9/11. "

" Wow. One of the most revealing books I've read this year. I feel like I grasp American pitfalls so much better now. "

" I could not put this book down. It gave me an entirely different perspective on the war in Afghanistan. "

" i really enjoyed sarahs viewpoint on afghanistan culture and wars and how they connect "

" This book was truely an educational journey in what Afganistan is like right now. The author is now one of my heros. She is amazing and paints a wonderful picture of the country and people of Afganistan. "

" Overview of the culture of AF, emphasis on the mistakes made in U.S. Military and Diplomatic Policy and lessons learned from those mistakes. Told from the personal viewpoint of Sarah Chayes, a former NPR reporter who now runs a non profit soap making business out of Kandahar./ "

" This book was hit and miss for me (some sections were engaging, some I ended up skimming just to get through). However, her ideas and concerns about U.S. policy in Afghanistan are excellent. So, the ideas I like, but the book itself was a struggle. "

" This should be mandatory reading for politicians and NATO military command. Excellent background to recent history in Afghanistan--and how not to win hearts and minds. "

" An amazing account of both the history of Afghanistan and its current problems, largely as a result of American mismanagement. Highly recommended to anyone who wants to understand the current conflict. "

" This is a really good account of a Westerner living in Kandahar (in the south of Afghanistan) for most of the time between 2002-2005 getting to know the locals, working with them, trying to improve things and finding continually so many efforts thwarted (hence the title). "

" A great introduction to development challenges and Afghanistan to some extent. I really appreciate Chayes honesty about her inspirations, emotions, and struggles during her 4 years in Afghanistan. "

" A great introduction to development challenges and Afghanistan to some extent. I really appreciate Chayes honesty about her inspirations, emotions, and struggles during her 4 years in Afghanistan. "

" really great, informative, readable. i love well written non-fiction. unintentional learning... "

" Highly recommend reading this to gain an understanding of what has happened in Afghanistan from a non-political/military perspective from someone who took the time to engage on the ground with local people. I'm only sorry the book only covers until mid 2005. "

" Great read. This, for me, was The Ugly American Kandahar style. "

" If you read "Three Cups of Tea" and felt let down by the writing style, this book will be so refreshing to you I think. Chayes' style is direct and precise, and perfectly descriptive. And I feel like I understand so much more about Afghanistan and Pakistan after reading this book. "

" This should be mandatory reading for politicians and NATO military command. Excellent background to recent history in Afghanistan--and how not to win hearts and minds. "