The fifth act: America's end in Afghanistan
(Book)
Author:
Published:
New York : Penguin Press, 2022.
Format:
Book
Physical Desc:
276 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Status:
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
958.1 ACK
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.
Copies
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Ashland Adult Nonfiction
958.1 ACK
Available
Dec 5, 2022
Location
Call Number
Status
Last Check-In
Hurley Adult Nonfiction
958.104 ACK
Available
Superior Adult Nonfiction
958.1 Ac57f
Available
Jan 20, 2023
Subjects
LC Subjects
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.
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.
United States. -- Central Intelligence Agency.
United States. -- Marine Corps. -- Marine Regiment, 8th. -- Battalion, 1st.
Other Subjects
More Details
Language:
English
ISBN:
9780593492048, 0593492048
Notes
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"--,Provided by publisher.
Citations
APA Citation (style guide)
Ackerman, E. (2022). The fifth act: America's end in Afghanistan. New York, Penguin Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Ackerman, Elliot. 2022. The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan. New York, Penguin Press.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Ackerman, Elliot, The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan. New York, Penguin Press, 2022.
MLA Citation (style guide)Ackerman, Elliot. The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan. New York, Penguin Press, 2022.
Note! Citation formats are based on standards as of July 2022. Citations contain only title, author, edition, publisher, and year published. Citations should be used as a guideline and should be double checked for accuracy.
Staff View
Grouped Work ID:
e3aa0f26-820e-2384-2e56-092bd8797c55
Record Information
Last Sierra Extract Time | Apr 22, 2024 07:28:17 PM |
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Last File Modification Time | Apr 22, 2024 07:28:53 PM |
Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Apr 26, 2024 04:39:12 AM |
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