Massoud

Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader by Marcela Grad

 

About the Book

Massoud: An Intimate Portrait of the Legendary Afghan Leader explores the life of the late Afghan leader Ahmad Shah Massoud, who struggled to liberate Afghanistan from the Soviet invasion and the Taliban. Many believe that his assassination on September 9, 2001, was ordered by Al-Qaeda to help clear the way for the attacks of September 11, 2001. These extraordinary stories offer rare insight into the being of a remarkable man whose stature has never been fully recognized in the West.

 

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.

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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.