Two Book Reviews: The Bear Trap & Bleachers

The Bear Trap on amazon.com

Bleachers on amazon.com

Salaams! Just finished up two books on my recent trip in-country. Here's a little blurb about them:

Rating = ********* (7.5/10)

1. The Bear Trap: Afghanistan's Untold Story, Mohammad Yousaf & Mark Adkin
A fascinating book on the Soviet occupation period by the man who directed the Afghan Bureau of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) from 1983-1987. He and his department worked closely with the CIA to fund the Mujahideen resistance, by funnelling 100s of 1,000s of tons of weapons/ammunition/equipment, training over 80,000 Mujahideen fighters, and planning tactical field operations. Does have a heavy Pakistani perspective, including some comical claims that Yousaf's ISI department was "untouched" by financial irregularities. The incredibly successful training/deployment of US Stingers in 1986 led to the pull-out of the Soviet forces in Feb 1989. Yousaf's claim that the US deliberately withdrew much of its support for the fundamentalist-oriented Mujahideen parties during the period just before and following that Soviet pull-out was most insightful for me. He claims at that point the US and Soviet purposes converged--to prevent an Islamic fundamentalist government from being established in Afghanistan. Which is the very thing Zia Al-Haq and the Pakistanis wanted to happen... which most likely led to the mysterious fantastic explosion of the main ISI/Mujahideen weapons & ammunition dump in Rawalpindi (April 1988) and to the assassination of Zia and most of his top generals (August 1988).

2. Bleachers, John Grisham

Rating = ********* (9/10)

Another different book by Grisham that has nothing to do with lawyers. The book revolves around the impending death of an eccentric small town high school football coach. Players converge back at the bleachers of their high school stadium to reminisce about their experiences under the coach's hard-nosed tutelage. An interesting look at the impact and long-term fruits of some radical leadership in the lives of those subjected to its full fury.

All for now--wes

******************************************
"If you're not standing on the edge,
you're taking up too much room."
******************************************