Zen Under Fire
How I Found Peace in the Midst of War
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- $14.99
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
I am about to be left in charge of the office.
I'm not sure I'm ready for the responsibility, so I double-check with my boss. He reassures me.
"You'll be fine, Marianne. As long as no one kills Amanullah Khan, you'll be fine."
By midday, Amanullah Khan is dead.
Marianne Elliot is a human rights lawyer stationed with the UN in Herat when the unthinkable happens: a tribal leader is assassinated, and she must defuse the situation before it leads to widespread bloodshed. And this is just the beginning of the story in Afghanistan.
Zen Under Fire lays bare the struggles of a war-torn region from a uniquely personal perspective. Honest and vivid, her story reveals the shattering effect that the high-stress environment has on Marianne and her relationships. Redefining the question of what it really means to do good in a country that is under siege from within, Zen Under Fire is an honest, moving, at times terrifying true story of a women's experience at peacekeeping in one of the most dangerous places on Earth.
"This is an amazing book, kind of like if Eat, Pray, Love had happened in Afghanistan and the stakes were life and death."—Susan Piver, New York Times bestselling author of Wisdom of a Broken Heart
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Veteran human rights lawyer Elliott relates her two years in Afghanistan working for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and monitoring human rights cases for the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA). Beginning with the assassination of a powerful tribal leader on her first day, Elliott endures much in the war-torn country, from personal upheavals and triumphs to professional disappointments and achievements. Precisely recording her emotional states, she explains how yoga, meditation, and journaling eased her trenchant perfectionism and provided an outlet for her anger, guilt, and sadness. After directing successful workshops focused on ending violence against women, Elliott builds confidence in her new surroundings and begins to find humor in the absurd while discussing religion with an Afghan driver she notices a similarity to debates about football teams. She also highlights the behavior of her Afghan colleagues and officials: their kindness, courtesy, generosity, and genuine desire for justice prevail against great odds. She points to disillusioned foreign aid workers, overlapping humanitarian and military efforts, and protocol-heavy U.N. initiatives as barriers to real change in the country. At times there is an imbalance between Elliott's professional role and her personal journey. Yet overall, her eyewitness report presents a solid view of Afghanistan's potential.
