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Published Jan 2016
352 pages
Genre: History, Current Affairs and Religion
Publication Information
There, a few thousand students are learning not just to read and write and add, but to question, criticize, make provocative art. To sing, poke fun at one another, to protest. The Teacher named the school "Marefat" because it means "knowledge" but also all its derivatives: "wisdom;" "education;" "intellect;" "awareness."
Under the protection of foreign forces, a special place has flourished in Afghanistan. The Marefat School is an award-winning institution in the Western slums of Kabul, built by one of the country's most vulnerable minority groups, the Hazara. Marefat educates both girls and boys, embraces the arts, and teaches students to question the world around them, interrogate their leaders, and be active citizens in their quickly-changing country. As the United States withdraws from Afghanistan, this community is left behind, unprotected.
Acclaimed journalist Jeffrey E. Stern explores the stakes of war through the eyes of those touched by Marefat: Aziz Royesh, the school's daring founder and leader; a mother of five who finds freedom in literacy; a clever mechanic; a self-taught astronomer; the school's security director; and several intrepid students who carry Marefat's mission to the streets. We see how Marefat has embraced the U.S. and blossomed under its presence; and how much it stands to lose when that protection disappears.
The Last Thousand tells the story of what we leave behind when our foreign wars end, presenting the promise, as well as the peril, of our military adventure abroad. Stern presents a nuanced and fascinating portrait of the complex history of Afghanistan, American occupation, and the ways in which one community rallies together in compelling, heartbreaking, and inspiring detail.
"Starred Review. Highly recommended to readers trying to understand the impact of American military power on a poor, religious society that has to build institutions and an economy after the Americans depart. After spending many years in Afghanistan, Stern knows the territory well, and conveys its dilemmas through his humane portraits of the people of the Marefat School." - Library Journal
"Stern carefully and gingerly sifts through the changes wrought not only by the American presence, but, critically, by their withdrawal." - Kirkus
"Stern's prose can be quite lyrical and poetic, and he goes to great lengths to explore the nuances of religion, education, women's rights, and foreign diplomacy in present-day Afghanistan. This book is a good primer for anyone interested in modern Middle Eastern politics." - Publishers Weekly
"Jeffrey Stern's documentation of the pioneering work of Aziz Royash is both a testament to his skills as a journalist and a celebration of the power of education in Afghanistan. This is an important book for anyone trying to understand the immense challenges Afghans are facing in Afghanistan and their determination to overcome them." - Qais Akbar Omar, author of A Fort of Nine Towers
"An extremely well-written and sensitive history of a small group of people, the author included, trying to affect discrete and measurable educational progress amid incredible obstacles." - Dave Eggers, New York Times bestselling author of What is the What and Zeitoun and co-founder, the Valentino Achak Deng Foundation
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