The fifth act: America's end in Afghanistan
Author:
Publisher:
Varies, see individual formats and editions
Pub. Date:
2022
Language:
English
Description
“The American betrayal of Afghanistan took twenty years. Elliot Ackerman, a participant and witness, tells the story with unsparing honesty in this intensely personal chronicle.” —George Packer
A powerful and revelatory eyewitness account of the American collapse in Afghanistan, its desperate endgame, and the war’s echoing legacy
Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and later as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities for years now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation effort was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With former colleagues and friends protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman joined an impromptu effort by a group of journalists and other veterans to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America's longest war. For Ackerman, it also became a chance to reconcile his past with his present.
The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week, the week the war ended. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves a personal history of the war's long progression, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story’s tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan's dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war’s trajectory will find a trenchant account here. But The Fifth Act also brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, and at great personal cost. Ackerman's story is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic.
A powerful and revelatory eyewitness account of the American collapse in Afghanistan, its desperate endgame, and the war’s echoing legacy
Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and later as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities for years now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation effort was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With former colleagues and friends protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman joined an impromptu effort by a group of journalists and other veterans to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America's longest war. For Ackerman, it also became a chance to reconcile his past with his present.
The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week, the week the war ended. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves a personal history of the war's long progression, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story’s tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan's dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war’s trajectory will find a trenchant account here. But The Fifth Act also brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, and at great personal cost. Ackerman's story is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic.
Subjects
Subjects
Ackerman, Elliot
Afghan War, 2001-2021
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Evacuation of civilians
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Peace
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Personal narratives, American
Biography & Autobiography
Disengagement (Military science)
Evacuation of civilians
History
Nonfiction
Paramilitary forces
Paramilitary forces -- Afghanistan
Peace
Personal narratives
Politics
United States. -- Central Intelligence Agency
United States. -- Marine Corps. -- Marine Regiment, 8th. -- Battalion, 1st
Afghan War, 2001-2021
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Evacuation of civilians
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Peace
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Personal narratives, American
Biography & Autobiography
Disengagement (Military science)
Evacuation of civilians
History
Nonfiction
Paramilitary forces
Paramilitary forces -- Afghanistan
Peace
Personal narratives
Politics
United States. -- Central Intelligence Agency
United States. -- Marine Corps. -- Marine Regiment, 8th. -- Battalion, 1st
More Details
ISBN:
9780593492048
9780593492055
9780593492055
Staff View
Grouping Information
| Grouped Work ID | e3aa0f26-820e-2384-2e56-092bd8797c55 |
|---|---|
| Grouping Title | fifth act americas end in afghanistan |
| Grouping Author | elliot ackerman |
| Grouping Category | book |
| Grouping Language | English (eng) |
| Last Grouping Update | 2024-05-07 04:39:14AM |
| Last Indexed | 2024-05-07 05:16:41AM |
Solr Fields
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author
Ackerman, Elliot
author_display
Ackerman, Elliot
available_at_ashland
Ashland Vaughn Public Library
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Ashland Adult Nonfiction
Online OverDrive Collection
Online OverDrive Collection
display_description
"A powerful and revelatory eyewitness account of the American collapse in Afghanistan, its desperate endgame, and the war's echoing legacy Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and, later, as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August of 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had, for years, worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation process was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With his former colleagues, and friends, protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman was drawn into an impromptu effort alongside a group of journalists, and other veterans, to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America's longest war, but the success they achieved afforded a degree of redemption. And, for Ackerman, a chance to reconcile his past with his present. The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week at its bitter end. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves in a personal history of the war's long progress, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story's tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan's dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war's trajectory will find a trenchant accounting here. And yet The Fifth Act is not an exercise in finger-pointing: it brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, in good faith and at great personal cost. Understanding combatants' experiences and sacrifices while reckoning with the complex bottom line of the post-9/11 wars is not an easy balance; it demands reservoirs of wisdom and the gifts of an extraordinary storyteller. It asks for an author willing to grapple with certain hard-earned truths. In Elliot Ackerman, this story has found that author. The Fifth Act is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic"--
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Books
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literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
local_callnumber_ashland
958.1 ACK
Online OverDrive
Online OverDrive
owning_library_ashland
Ashland Vaughn Public Library
Ashland Vaughn Public Library Online
Ashland Vaughn Public Library Online
owning_location_ashland
Ashland Vaughn Public Library
Online OverDrive Collection
Online OverDrive Collection
primary_isbn
9780593492048
publishDate
2022
publisher
Penguin Press
Penguin Publishing Group
Penguin Publishing Group
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Ackerman, Elliot
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Evacuation of civilians
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Peace
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Personal narratives, American
Disengagement (Military science)
Paramilitary forces -- Afghanistan
Personal narratives
United States. -- Central Intelligence Agency
United States. -- Marine Corps. -- Marine Regiment, 8th. -- Battalion, 1st
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Evacuation of civilians
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Peace
Afghan War, 2001-2021 -- Personal narratives, American
Disengagement (Military science)
Paramilitary forces -- Afghanistan
Personal narratives
United States. -- Central Intelligence Agency
United States. -- Marine Corps. -- Marine Regiment, 8th. -- Battalion, 1st
title_display
The fifth act : America's end in Afghanistan
title_full
The Fifth Act America's End in Afghanistan
The fifth act : America's end in Afghanistan / Elliot Ackerman
The fifth act : America's end in Afghanistan / Elliot Ackerman
title_short
The fifth act
title_sub
America's end in Afghanistan
topic_facet
Ackerman, Elliot
Afghan War, 2001-2021
Biography & Autobiography
Disengagement (Military science)
Evacuation of civilians
History
Nonfiction
Paramilitary forces
Peace
Politics
Afghan War, 2001-2021
Biography & Autobiography
Disengagement (Military science)
Evacuation of civilians
History
Nonfiction
Paramilitary forces
Peace
Politics
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