An Afghanistan Picture Show: Or, How I Saved the World

by William T. Vollmann

Release Date: July, 1992

Edition: Hardcover

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Astounding

I don't have much to say really, just that this book is rings with bold, naked, and humiliating truth and should be read by every American, especially those who step or even think of stepping off of their own shores. It's ridiculous that it's out of print. For anyone who has ever felt a desire to help another and is even dimly aware of the complex moral swamp "altruism" can be.

a book more worthy than worthwhile

vollmann's afghanistan book is surely his weakest, but it is a useful window on the author's life and some themes that run through his fiction. it is at times tedious and over-thought (the style is two parts personal history, one part philosophizing). but after all, the book is largely about the inability of a thoughtful young man to apply his high-minded idealism in a practical way, so a little wittgenstein here and there can be appropriate. overall, vollmann's story is sadly poignant, but you have to be able to sympathize with his earnestness and altruism from the get-go. otherwise, you'll probably just get aggravated or bored.