IN A NUTSHELL: AFGHANISTAN

This audiobook is reminiscent of an installment in the Dummies series. In about an hour, listeners learn the history of a complex nation cobbled together by one foreign conqueror and torn apart by dozens of others. The Afghan backstory is essential for understanding current events and explains, among other things, why fighting slows during poppy harvesting season. (The motivation for many of the Afghan Taliban is economic, not spiritual.) After listening, listeners will feel informed—and perhaps confused—as to why the U.S. and so many other nations have battled their way through this unique landscape. Narrator Benjamin Soames provides a warm but objective tone, making this audiobook more like a friendly newscast than a college lecture. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: JULY 2009]