August in Kabul
America's last days in Afghanistan
Andrew Quilty
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As an MUP member you get 25% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 25% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
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As an MUP member you get 10% off the price of this book.
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As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
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Imprint
August in Kabul
America's last days in Afghanistan
Andrew Quilty
Told through the eyes of witnesses to the fall of Kabul, Walkley award-winning journalist Andrew Quilty's debut publication offers a remarkable record of this historic moment.
As night fell on 15 August 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. After a 20-year conflict with the United States, its Western allies and a proxy Afghan government, the Islamic militant group once aligned with al Qaeda was about to bury yet another foreign foe in the graveyard of empires. And for the US, the superpower, this was yet another foreign disaster. As cities and towns fell to the Taliban in rapid succession, Western troops and embassy staff scrambled to flee a country of which its government had lost control. To the world, Kabul in August looked like Saigon in 1975
August in Kabul is the story of how America's longest mission came to an abrupt and humiliating end, told through the eyes of Afghans whose lives have been turned upside down: a young woman who harbours dreams of a university education; a presidential staffer who works desperately…
As night fell on 15 August 2021, the Taliban entered Kabul, capital of Afghanistan. After a 20-year conflict with the United States, its Western allies and a proxy Afghan government, the Islamic militant group once aligned with al Qaeda was about to bury yet another foreign foe in the graveyard of empires. And for the US, the superpower, this was yet another foreign disaster. As cities and towns fell to the Taliban in rapid succession, Western troops and embassy staff scrambled to flee a country of which its government had lost control. To the world, Kabul in August looked like Saigon in 1975.
August in Kabul is the story of how America's longest mission came to an abrupt and humiliating end, told through the eyes of Afghans whose lives have been turned upside down: a young woman who harbours dreams of a university education; a presidential staffer who works desperately to hold things together as the government collapses around him; a prisoner in the notorious Bagram Prison who suddenly finds himself free when prison guards abandon their post.
Andrew Quilty was one of a handful of Western journalists who stayed in Kabul as the city fell. This is his first-hand account of those dramatic final days.
August in Kabul was Longlisted for the 2022 Walkley Book Award
“
This book will at times quite literally take your breath away. A deeply reported account of the fall of Afghanistan’s capital, August in Kabul tells the harrowing stories of those who escaped and those who were left behind in the maelstrom of those two weeks between the arrival of the Taliban on 15 August 2021 and the final US flight to depart – at one minute to midnight on 30 August. Compelling, vivid, and distressing all at once, it is a damning indictment of the Taliban’s wanton cruelty and of the domestic and foreign policy failures that allowed them to return … This is a heartfelt account of one of the greatest tragedies of our era. Long-form, first-hand journalism at its finest.”
Australian Book Review“
A dazzling and ghastly book about the ruination of war which presents flickeringly but with great power the human faces who suffer it.”
The Australian“
Now comes a revealing account both of the Taliban takeover last year and also of the roots of its inevitability ... In a book that compellingly blends the exposure of US delusions with moving character sketches of Afghans under extreme pressure, he shows how life in Afghanistan became more than an assignment”
The Age“
Chronicles with claustrophobic intensity the war’s final days, from the insurgents’ unstoppable advance to the collapse of the Afghan government and the anarchic evacuation, all of which Quilty witnessed, sometimes, quite literally, at point-blank range. August in Kabul evokes a stricken city.”
Good Weekend“
Succeeds brilliantly in providing a human perspective on a country that Australians too often think of exclusively through foreign policy clichés.”
The Saturday Paper“
A remarkably accomplished feat of detailed yet understated reportage.”
The Newcastle Herald“
Beautifully written...a very fine book.”
Virginia Trioli“
Over decades in broadcasting I’ve been privileged to have close associations with many of the world’s most courageous and insightful foreign correspondents. In the case of Afghanistan it has been an honour to have the contributions of Andrew Quilty. He sees with clarity and uses words wonderfully, spoken or written, as this heartbreaking book attests.”
Phillip Adams“
A compelling, thought provoking must-read about the days leading up to the fall of Kabul and its aftermath from a photo-journalist who spent almost a decade living in Afghanistan, capturing both its sorrows and its joys.”
Yalda Hakim“
Raw, immediate, compassionately written and deeply sourced, Andrew Quilty’s unique account of the debacle in Kabul is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand how a two-decade effort collapsed in defeat, why it happened so quickly, and what the resulting deadly chaos meant for ordinary Afghans.”
David KilcullenAndrew Quilty
Andrew Quilty is the recipient of nine Walkley Awards, including the Gold Walkley, for his work on Afghanistan, where he was based from 2013 to 2022. He has also received the George Polk Award, the World Press Photo Award and the Overseas Press Club of America award for his investigation into massacres committed by a CIA-backed Afghan militia. August in Kabul (MUP), published in 2022, was his first book.
Paperback
Ships in 1–3 days
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 100% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 25% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 25% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 25% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 10% off the price of this book.
Member discount
As an MUP member you get 40% off the price of this book.
Other formats available
- Ebook$22.99 $22.99 $22.99 $22.99 $22.99
