{"product_id":"9781250390486","title":"Twenty Years","description":"Author: Sune Engel Rasmussen\u003cbr\u003eISBN: 9781250390486\u003cbr\u003ePublisher: St Martins Press\u003cbr\u003eYear first published: 09 Dec 2025\u003cbr\u003ePages: 352 \u003cbr\u003eFormat: Paperback \/ softback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of the Overseas Press Club of America’s Cornelius Ryan book award\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOne of the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e's 50 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAn \u003ci\u003eEconomist \u003c\/i\u003eBest Book of the Year | An \u003ci\u003eAir Mail \u003c\/i\u003eeditor's pick\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Rasmussen combines social history with rigorous reporting . . . His ability to delve into [his characters'] lives lends his book the feeling of a novel . . . Trenchant . . . Superlative.\" —Martha Anne Toll, \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\"Devastating . . . Impressive . . . Haunting.\" —Suzy Hansen, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Review of Books\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn intimate history of the Afghan war—and the young Afghans whose dreams it enabled and dashed.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\nNo country was more deeply affected by 9\/11 than Afghanistan: an entire generation grew up amid the upheaval that began that day. Young Afghans knew the promise of freedom, democracy, and safety, fought with each other over its meaning—and then witnessed its collapse. In \u003ci\u003eTwenty Years\u003c\/i\u003e, the \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e correspondent Sune Engel Rasmussen draws on more than a decade of reporting from the country to tell Afghanistan’s story from a new angle. Through the eyes of newly empowered women, skilled entrepreneurs, driven insurgents, and abandoned Western allies, we see the United States and its partners bring new freedoms and wealth, only to preside over the corruption, war-lordism, and social division that led to the Taliban’s return to power. \u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\nRasmussen relates this history via two main characters: Zahra, who returns from abroad with high hopes for her liberated county, where she must fight to escape a brutal marriage and rebuild her life; and Omari, who joins the Taliban to protect the honor of his village and country and winds up wrestling with doubt and the trauma of war after achieving victory. We also meet Parasto, who risks her life running clandestine girls’ schools under the new Taliban regime, and Fahim, a rags-to-riches tycoon who is forced to flee. With intimate access to these and other characters, Rasmussen offers deep insight into a country betrayed by the West and Taliban alike.","brand":"Ships in 10 to 15 days","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46677238841502,"sku":"TLD-9781250390486","price":36.78,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0400\/9043\/5742\/files\/9781250390486.jpg?v=1775454815","url":"https:\/\/classicbargains.com.au\/products\/9781250390486","provider":"Classic Bargains Australia","version":"1.0","type":"link"}