Buy used: $8.55
$3.99 delivery May 6 - 7. Details
Used: Very Good | Details
Sold by awesomebooksusa
Condition: Used: Very Good
Comment: This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See more of our deals.
Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.
Amazon book clubs early access
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Amazon book clubs early access

Join or create book clubs

Choose books together

Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Explore Amazon Book Clubs
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

See all
Felix Kuehn
Follow
Alex Strick van Linschoten
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

My Life with the Taliban Hardcover – March 22, 2010

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 127 ratings
See all formats and editions
This is the autobiography of Abdul Salam Zaeef, a senior former member of the Taliban. His memoirs, translated from Pashto, are more than just a personal account of his extraordinary life. My Life with the Taliban offers a counter-narrative to the standard accounts of Afghanistan since 1979. Zaeef describes growing up in rural poverty in Kandahar province. Both of his parents died at an early age, and the Russian invasion of 1979 forced him to flee to Pakistan. He started fighting the jihad in 1983, during which time he was associated with many major figures in the anti-Soviet resistance, including the current Taliban head Mullah Mohammad Omar. After the war Zaeef returned to a quiet life in a small village in Kandahar, but chaos soon overwhelmed Afghanistan as factional fighting erupted after the Russians pulled out. Disgusted by the lawlessness that ensued, Zaeef was one among the former mujahidin who were closely involved in the discussions that led to the emergence of the Taliban, in 1994. Zaeef then details his Taliban career as civil servant and minister who negotiated with foreign oil companies as well as with Afghanistan's own resistance leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud. Zaeef was ambassador to Pakistan at the time of the 9/11 attacks, and his account discusses the strange "phoney war" period before the US-led intervention toppled the Taliban. In early 2002 Zaeef was handed over to American forces in Pakistan, notwithstanding his diplomatic status, and spent four and a half years in prison (including several years in Guantanamo) before being released without having been tried or charged with any offence. My Life with the Taliban offers a personal and privileged insight into the rural Pashtun village communities that are the Taliban's bedrock. It helps to explain what drives men like Zaeef to take up arms against the foreigners who are foolish enough to invade his homeland.
Previous page
  1. Print length
    360 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Hurst
  4. Publication date
    March 22, 2010
  5. Dimensions
    8.6 x 1.2 x 5.9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1849040265
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1849040266
  8. See all details
Next page
The Amazon Book Review
The Amazon Book Review
Book recommendations, author interviews, editors' picks, and more. Read it now.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Invaluable...This is a book that should be read by anybody with an interest in why Afghanistan has gone so badly wrong."--Nick Meo, The Daily Telegraph

"A book that for the first time places readers at the heart of the Taliban's way of thinking..beautifully translated and extensively edited for easier understanding."--Ahmed Rashid, The New York Review of Books

"Offer[s] important clues that could help to answer some of the most pressing foreign policy questions now confronting the Obama administration."--David Rhode, The New Republic

"[My Life with the Taliban] offers a rare glimpse into the mind of a senior Taliban leader who remains sympathetic to the movement."--Seth G. Jones, Foreign Affairs

"[My Life With the Taliban] reminded me how valuable it is to read about a movement like the Taliban from its own perspective. The real 'intelligence' in the book lies not in its details but in the texture, perspective, assumptions, and narratives that it provides from inside the Taliban leadership-a very rare perspective."--Steve Coll, The New Yorker

About the Author

Born in southern Afghanistan in 1968, Abdul Salam Zaeef played a role in many of the historical events of his lifetime, from his role as mujahed in the 1980s war against the Soviets, to administrative positions within the Taliban movement, to imprisonment in Guantanamo, to a role of public advocacy and criticism of the US-backed Karzai government following his release in 2005. He lives in Kabul.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Hurst; First Edition (March 22, 2010)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 360 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1849040265
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1849040266
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.6 x 1.2 x 5.9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 127 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. Alex Strick van Linschoten

    Alex Strick van Linschoten

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    www.alexstrick.com

    A graduate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (BA Arabic and Persian), Alex Strick van Linschoten first came to Afghanistan six years ago as a tourist. In 2006, he founded AfghanWire together with Felix Kuehn, an online research and media-monitoring group to give a more prominent voice to local Afghan media. In spring 2010 he published My Life With the Taliban, for which he was a co-editor, to critical acclaim, and is also co-editor of a translated volume of Taliban poetry. He co-authored 'An Enemy We Created' as well. All are available for purchase on Amazon. He is currently working on a book and PhD at the War Studies Department of King's College London on the identity of the Afghan Taliban movement 1978-2001.

    He has worked as a freelance journalist from Afghanistan, Syria, Lebanon and Somalia, writing for Foreign Policy, International Affairs, ABC Nyheter, The Sunday Times (UK), The Globe and Mail (Canada) and The Tablet (UK). He speaks Arabic, Farsi, Pashtu and German and can get by in French and Dutch.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Abdul Salam Zaeef

    Abdul Salam Zaeef

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Born in Kandahar Afghanistan 1 January 1967, Abdul Salam Zaeef fled to Pakistan in 1979 after the Russian invasion. In 1983 he joined the opposition against the Soviets. By the end of the war Abdul Salam returned to his home in Kandahar but civil war and a massive earthquake in 1991 forced him to flee to Pakistan again; on his return in 1992 he became Imam of a masjid in Kandahar. The chaos and faction fighting among the war lords after the Russian retreat led to his participation in discussions that led to the formation of the Taliban to restore order and calm.

    In 1996 the Taliban took control of Kandahar, and Abdul Salam began working in the judiciary in the nascent Taliban government. From 1997-1999 he was entrusted with several critical posts from defence to the ministries of mines and industry and transport. In 1999 a military coup in Pakistan brought Musharraf to power and Abdul Salam was deployed to Islamabad as the Taliban Government’s Ambassador to that country. In 2001 after the 9/11 attacks in New York Abdul Salam was renditioned and taken to Guantanamo Bay prison.

    Sheikh Abdul Salam Zaeef is also the author of My Life with the Taliban, which offers a view into his extraordinary life, and a counter-narrative to the standard accounts of Afghanistan since 1979.

    See more on the author's page
  3. Felix Kuehn

    Felix Kuehn

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
  4. Felix Kuehn

    Felix Kuehn

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    www.felixkuehn.com

    Felix Kuehn travelled to Afghanistan first some 5 years ago, having spent several years in the Middle East including just short of a year in Yemen, where he first learnt Arabic in 2002. In 2006, he founded AfghanWire together with Alex Strick van Linschoten, an online research and media-monitoring group to give a more prominent voice to local Afghan media. In spring 2010 he published My Life With the Taliban, for which he was a co-editor, to critical acclaim, and is also co-editor of a translated volume of Taliban poetry (forthcoming).

    Felix holds a degree from the School of Oriental and African Studies (BA Arabic and Development Studies), and lives permanently in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

    See more on the author's page
  5. Felix Kuehn

    Felix Kuehn

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
127 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Peacemaker
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a rendition of the reality seen on the ground which explains the position of the Taliban.
Reviewed in the United States on December 1, 2022
Verified Purchase
This book is an eye opener to the reality of what the Taliban/Pashtun people faced on the ground from their perspective. A well written and translated book this is. It would be an absolute shame and dishonest assessment of the Taliban to judge them or their position without reading this book.
Helpful
 Report
R2D4
4.0 out of 5 stars Another Perspective on Regional Affairs in Afghanistan
Reviewed in the United States on October 30, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book provides another perspective on the region and the forces at play that led to the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan. While clearly written from a Taliban insider, with his own associated bias, it does encourage the reader to question and examine their own perspective on Afghanistan against the people who live there and those offered by the western culture and media. A military maxim is to know your enemy as well as yourself, and this writing by Zaeef does a good job of understanding the Taliban motives and world-view.

Written in a clear, practical and straightforward style, devoid of excessive diplomatic or political science jargon, I found this book difficult to put down. I would recommend it as a good primer for anyone interested in the history of the region or the present state of affairs in Afghanistan. After you read this book you will understand better why a western model of government and democracy in the region is not likely to take hold ... ever.
7 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
WSV1975
5.0 out of 5 stars Know the truth about the Taliban
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2016
Verified Purchase
Anyone who wants to understand how the Taliban was created and came to be such dedicated fighters needs to read this book. Zaeef was there at the beginning and helped create the Taliban in response to the Russian and Communist take over of Afghanistan. He was a foot soldier who became a leader of the movement. If you want to know who what when and why of the Taliban, this is an essential read.
2 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Tim Karimi
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book.
Reviewed in the United States on October 2, 2015
Verified Purchase
Excellent book.. Would recommend reading it lots of history told by a person who saw it all and lived to tell the story...
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Jean MacKenzie
5.0 out of 5 stars Shattering Preconceptions about the Taliban
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2010
"My Life with the Taliban" may not be for everybody -- only for those who seek to truly understand the movement in its historical context. Those who insist on remaining mired in prejudice, who prefer demonization of the Taliban to a closer examination of their motivations and goals, should skip this book. Mullah Abdul Salaam Zaeef's account of his early years as a struggling Taliban official gives us a deeper and more realistic view of a group that has been branded with all of the sins of Afghanistan and none of its virtues. Readers who say that Zaeef's version of events is self-serving are undoubtedly correct -- this is a personal memoir, not a cold historical treatise. But it gives us an invaluable glimpse of a man and his time, it draws back the curtain on a period about which we have very little real information.
Some people will be made uncomfortable by Zaeef's account of his treatment at the hands of the Americans following the Taliban's ouster -- it is much more difficult to justify cruelty towards those we do not know. But, again, Zaeef and his editors perform a valuable service in introducing us to Guantanamo from the point of view of one of its inmates. Most readers will be moved to anger and outrage -- Zaeef was a diplomat, not a fighter -- but, again, sympathy with the Taliban is not an emotion everyone can handle.
"My Life with the Taliban" should become standard reading for anyone who wants to study Afghanistan today.

Jean MacKenzie, Afghanistan-based journalist.
27 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Scott Madsen
3.0 out of 5 stars It's what Zaeef doesn't say...
Reviewed in the United States on October 26, 2010
Verified Purchase
This book offers insights from a perspective that Westerners seldom see, that of a man who was born into war and later helped form the Taliban. Though Saeef offers insights into the birth, history and (selected) inner workings of the Taliban, most of his "facts" should be cross-checked by anyone interested in accuracy. Zaeef has written a self-serving piece of propaganda, as well as a valuable look into the mind of a religious zeolot. As a student of Afghan history, I am particularly vexed by what he does NOT report, especially his treatment of the Northern Alliance, Ahmad Shah Massoud and other mujahideen prior to and after 9/11, and his hypocritical critcisms of the US, Pakistan, and anyone else who does not buy his narrow view of the world. Good to read for its view into the mind of a fanatic, but take it with a heaping table-spoon of salt. Having said that, we should also read our own press releases and books by our own warriors with a similar dose of caution and skepticism.
15 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Atall
4.0 out of 5 stars The Taliban's perspective
Reviewed in the United States on May 19, 2013
Verified Purchase
This is a decent book if you are a student of Afghanistan's history and want to dig deep into some of the cultural norms of Southern Pashtuns. Zaeef is somewhat of a moderate in the Taliban, which means instead of having the perspective of a person from the 7th century he has the perspective of someone from the 12th century. His views towards Afghanistan's future, the legitimacy of the Taliban, and the role of the international community are definitely those of a typical backwards thinking, repressive Islamist. Still, the book is interesting for the perspective and as a glimpse into the mind of a former Taliban minister.
One person found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Mohammad Taqi
1.0 out of 5 stars Tainted and poor historian
Reviewed in the United States on March 1, 2010
Verified Purchase
My life with the Taliban is a poor narrative by a tainted and poor historian (Urdu: raavi e zaeef). The glorification of the book by authors of repute, impugns their credibility too.

The editors/translators are out of their league and their lack of insight into Afghan/Pashtun culture and history shows at every step.

Professor Rubin has done himself and his admirers like myself a disfavor by writing an endorsing foreword to this revisionist attempt to gloss over the Taliban atrocities.
13 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Jafar
5.0 out of 5 stars The genuine and first hand insight into American Afghan war...
Reviewed in Canada on September 17, 2023
Verified Purchase
A must read book for people who want understand the fake crusade American imposed on Afghanistan, on the pretext of Osama bin Laden, who worth does no way more than million of innocent Afghani killed by American, this book rightfully reveals how barbaric Americans are...
Report
RedBeard134
5.0 out of 5 stars Change your perspective of the world and the dominance of US.
Reviewed in India on February 17, 2022
Verified Purchase
Book was in good condition though not excellent, 9/10 for book condition. Rest the contents of the book are amazing. If you want to learn what it takes to win, this is a must buy, you will learn a lot of lessons from it and know a great deal about what the world politics really looks like. Especially if u r a Muslim. Must buy. Recommended to my Muslim brethren especially.
One person found this helpful
 Report
Sara D'Aniello
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!
Reviewed in Italy on October 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
Amazing book, well written! It seems to be there with the Mujahideen!
Remember, all of you who still wants to conquear Afghanistan. Your democracy will never reach Afghanistan!
One person found this helpful
 Report
LouisaBalata
5.0 out of 5 stars Très instructif.
Reviewed in France on April 25, 2013
Verified Purchase
A mettre entre toutes les mains des personnes qui s'intéressent sérieusement à l'Afghanistan, son histoire et sa culture. Vision du monde d'un membre important du mouvement taliban, et le moins que l'on puisse dire, c'est que ce témoignage est bien souvent inattendu, complexe, posé, loin des clichés que l'on nous concocte.
One person found this helpful
 Report
kashif
5.0 out of 5 stars A true insight in to the war on terror with bigger terror
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 9, 2011
Verified Purchase
In the Hands of the Taliban
This book is a shocking contrast to a book written by Taliban captive Yvonne Ridley 'In hands of Taliban' read your self and compare to figure out who is a better human being.

I always thought about Taliban negatively due to their narrow minded attitude. The book by Yvonne Ridley is evidence for this. However after reading this book it gives more insight and shows how the people condemned in the media may be better human being than the self portrayed civilized people. One thing I can reassure Mullah Zaeef that cruel security agencies in Pakistan have similar attitude to poor Pakistani suspects. They handed over many Pakistanis to US without any evidence who were tortured inside Pakistan, Afghanistan and Guantanamo bay.This is the case in most of the Muslim countries which are under influence of American empire. This is a neo-coloniolism not the new world order in which these cruel people can go step ahead against their nationals to please their masters. It makes you ashamed to think that you belonged to such a nation with disgraceful organisations and inhuman practices.
Report