Library: Webster University Press: Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader

About the book

Massoud: An intimate portrait of the legendary Afghan leader by Marcela Grad
Publication Date: 2009
Author and translator Marcela Grad explores the life of the late Afghan leader, Ahmad Shah Massoud, through personal stories told to her by those who accompanied Massoud during his struggle to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion and the Taliban, and by others from around the world who knew and helped Massoud. Ahmad Shah Massoud was assassinated by Al Qaeda suicide bombers posing as journalists just two days before the 9/11 terrorist attacks. It is widely believed that Massoud was killed to help pave the way for 9/11. Today, Massoud is considered the national hero of Afghanistan and the September 9th anniversary of his death is a national holiday there. Grad spent over four years interviewing a diverse group of Afghans who were commanders, members of the mujahideen, personal secretaries, envoys, women of the resistance, and members of Massoud’s family.

To purchase

Available for purchase in paperback ($21.95) at the Webster University Library front desk or in eBook ($9.99) or paperback ($21.95) at amazon.com

Early review

Sebastian Junger, author of Fire and The Perfect Storm, has this to say about Massoud:

I have been reading Marcela Grad's extraordinary book and I just wanted to say - having met Massoud and being deeply involved in Afghanistan - that I think she has performed a great service to us all. Massoud was one of those pivotal figures who has changed history around him and affected us forever. Many people have written about Massoud, of course - including me - but Marcela's approach is completely unique. She has effectively done an oral history of Massoud, and her book is undoubtedly the richest and most comprehensive collection of information on that man that exists. It was a book that really, really needed to be done. And I think it will interest people for precisely the reason that both Marcela and I were swept into the Massoud story: He was just one of those people in history who manages to magnetize everyone around him. It's a hard thing to explain - I've tried, and failed - but Marcela has found dozens of people who knew Massoud far better than I did. What they have to say about this man is of profound importance in the post-9/11 world.

About the author

Webster University alumnae Marcela Grad is a writer and translator born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The stories in this book were collected by her during a period of three years in which she interviewed Afghans as well as people around the world who knew and accompanied Massoud in the long resistance against the Soviets and the Taliban.