Under a Sickle Moon: A Journey Through Afghanistan

I agree with the other reviewers. More important for me was the perspective Hodson gives concering Islamic attitudes and beliefs. That those fighting the Russians often saw Russia and the US as similar is sobering and can help us to better appreciate Islam and its adherents.As a WASP, personal experience and books like "Under a Sickle Moon" have contributed to my recognizing that the concerns expressed in the Middle East and elsewhere have validity and must be addressed before many thorny issues can be fully resolved.

Hodson succeeds because he avoids the self congratulatory tone of many of this kind of travel narrative. He suffers with acute diarrhea, fever and eventually contracts hepatitis as a result of his arduous trip through the mountainous regions of Pakistan and Afghanistan, mostly the latter. This account avoids taking sides and does an excellent job showing what everyday life in the 80's in Afghanistan was like. Interesting how the "common" people often resented the Mujahedin for bringing attacks to their home turf. Sometimes the rebels are treated as heroes, sometimes as villains, but in any case we view all the contradictions, narrow point of view (one group thought Hitler was a great man simply because at one point he fought the "evil" Russians who were at war with their country) and fanatical devotion to the Islamic ideal. Though not as literary as other travelogues, Hodson achieves a gritty, down and dirty tone that serves his narrative well. An excellent read and an impressive journey into a dangerous and complicated land.

This book is really great. I loved travelling with Peregrine Hodson (figuratively) as he walked the walk through Afghanistan. He describes the people and landscape very poignantly. We see the war with Russia from their eyes. If you want to understand the mindset of typical Afghans, as they fight to defend their country, and struggle to survive a war they don't understand, this book is very helpful.

As a cousin of the author, I read with interest Peregrine Hodson's first-hand account of his travels through the Afgan hinterland. Reminiscent of "The Great Game", Hodson's accounting of the Afgani resistance leaves one with a keen appreciation of the struggles and hardships they encountered. Well worth the read! Douglas Mavor Armour. ([email protected])