Book Review: The Secret Gate by Mitchell Zuckoff

About:

The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan by Mitchell Zuckoff is the true story of a prominent female Afghan writer, and a young American diplomat helping her evacuate. Mr. Zuckoff is a published, best-selling, author and educator.

• 336 pages
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Random House
  
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593594843

My rat­ing for The Secret Gate — 5
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More Books by Mitchell Zuckoff*

Thoughts:

An excellent, somewhat intimate, recount of the last two weeks, or so, of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Mr. Zuckoff personalized the experience as only he can, recounting in detail two experiences of totally different people.

Homeira Qaderi, academic, author, educator, and icon of women’s liberation who got custody of her child after a divorce, finds herself in a tremendous bind. Leave behind everything she loves, or take her chance with a Taliban-controlled country.

Sam Aronson, a nice Jewish boy from New Jersey, is looking to make a diplomatic career for himself and volunteered to remain in Kabul Airport to help 100,000 Americans and Afghans. Sam rescues as many people as he can navigating through bureaucratic red tape, and using new and old connections.

At some point, of course, Ms. Qaderi’s and Mr. Aronson’s paths meet. The book even includes pictures the author refers to, which certainly helps the narrative. The author manages a fine balance of heroism and brutality of war. The impossible moral choices both protagonists and their loved ones, are faced against are heartbreaking at times.

The Secret Gate personalizes experiences that the majority of us will never know. It’s easy to seat back at home and criticize, but Michell Zuckoff manages to capture the danger, courage, and anguish of the Afghan people, as well as the Americans.

This book is informative, inspiring, and well-written. Given the huge amounts of misinformation, disinformation, and propaganda surrounding the withdrawal, I actually feel as if I learned a thing or two. Us bibliophiles will appreciate the tremendous efforts the publishing community went through to ensure Ms. Qaderi’s safety.

Buy The Secret Gate from Amazon.com*
More Books by Mitchell Zuckoff*

Zohar — Man of la Book
Dis­claimer:I got this book for free
*Ama­zon links point to an affil­i­ate account, the money is usually spent on books

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Summary

Reviewer

Man of la Book

Review Date

2023-04-11

Reviewed Item

The Secret Gate: A True Story of Courage and Sacrifice During the Collapse of Afghanistan by Mitchell Zuckoff

Author Rating

5