The Last Thousand: One School's Promise in a Nation at War - Softcover

Stern, Jeffrey E.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250116430 ISBN 13: 9781250116437

Publisher: Picador, 2017

Synopsis

Under the protection of foreign forces, a special place has flourished in Afghanistan. The Marefat School is an award-winning institution in the western slums of Kabul, built by one of the country’s most vulnerable minorities, the Hazara. Marefat educates both girls and boys; it teaches students to embrace the arts, criticize their leaders, interrogate their religion, and be active citizens in a rapidly changing country. But they are dependent on foreign forces for security. When the United States begins to withdraw from Afghanistan, they are left behind, unprotected.

Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey E. Stern explores the stakes of war through the eyes of those touched by Marefat: the school’s daring founder and leader, Aziz Royesh; a mother of five who finds freedom in literacy; a clever mechanic; a self-taught astronomer; the school’s security director; and several intrepid students who carry Marefat’s mission to the streets.

We see how Marefat has embraced the United States and blossomed under its presence---and how much it stands to lose as that protection disappears.

The Last Thousand tells the story of what we leave behind when our foreign wars end. It shows us up close the promise, as well as the peril, of our military adventures abroad. Stern presents a nuanced and fascinating portrait of the complex history of Afghanistan, its American occupation, and the ways in which once community rallies together in compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring detail.

About this title

About the Author

Jeffrey E. Stern is an award winning journalist and author. Stern has written three books, including The 15:17 to Paris, which was turned into a major motion picture by Clint Eastwood and Warner Brothers, and The Last Thousand, which received honorable mention for best book of the Year by Library Journal. He has reported from Yemen, Iraq, Afghanistan, Guantanamo Bay, Kashmir, the epicenter of the west African Ebola outbreak, and Oklahoma's death row. His work has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, The Atlantic, and other outlets. In 2019, he received the Overseas Press Club award for the best human rights reporting in any medium, and the Amnesty International Award for foreign reporting. Stern sits on the board of the Bamyan Foundation, which supports education for at-risk groups in Afghanistan. He received his bachelor's degree from Duke University and master's in international relations from Stanford University.

Edition details

• Publisher: Picador
• Publication date: 2017
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1250116430
• ISBN 13: 9781250116437
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 336