River run

The river path, newly paved, hard, flat, and fast, was a nice change from yesterday's bumpy, hilly run. I went out fast--:30 faster after 10 minutes to the big bend in the river, and another :25 faster at the turn around than the last time I ran this route. I returned along the farm road, for 38:00.

I just finished this book. It's depressing, but gives a really intimate look at contemporary family life in Afghanistan. The book has been criticized for simply re-inforcing western stereotypes about Afghan culture, and the real bookseller now claims that the book has ruined his life; he is currently writing some kind of reply and preparing to sue Seierstad in the Norwegian courts. But even with all these flaws, I still think it's worth a read. I tore through this book, partly because it was well-researched and well-written (err, well-translated), but also because my dad and his family lived in Kabul while he was in 3rd and 4th grade. They travelled the Khyber pass, watched Buzkashi, and ate lots and lots of lamb. It was interesting to compare my family's stories from that time with how the same period, the 1960s and 70s, are described in modern Afghani memories. In the book, it is either remembered as Afghanistan's last happy time (the history since then has been nothing but war: civil, with Soviets, the cultural war imposed by the Taliban, and the American/Northern Alliance coup of 2001) or as the period of sinful modernism/westernism (by the fundamentalists). Thanks to DV and AK for a great travel gift!