Reference Reviews

Reference for Students

The History of Afghanistan. By Meredith L. Runion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 2007. 1 vol. 155 p. $45.00. ISBN 10: 0-313-33798-5; 13: 978-0-313-33798-7.

Most students know of Afghanistan because we have soldiers stationed there. However they may be less aware that "Since the dawn of humankind and throughout history, Afghanistan has faced centuries of turmoil and strife…. [It's] history is one steeped in conflict, distress, and social unrest…" The U.S. supported the Afghanistan rebels in their fight against the U.S.S.R. only to have the country taken over by the Taliban. Now "free," once again, the country is trying to rebuild. Beginning with a 4-page timeline and an outline map of its relationship to other "..stan" nations including Pakistan, and Iran and China, chapters which follow are "An Introduction to Afghanistan: The Land and People," "Prehistory," "Early Civilization and the Nomadic People of Afghanistan," "…from the Greek Hellenistic Culture to the Introduction of Islam," "The Mongolian Invasion through the Shah Dynasty," "… 1839-1919," "…1919-1979," "The Soviet Invasion and the Afghan Civil War, 1979-1992," "Fundamentalism and the Taliban Regime, 1992-2001" and "Democracy and the Future of Afghanistan." Appendixes include a 6-page annotated list of "Notable Figures in Afghanistan," a 5-page glossary and a 5-page bibliography. Because of the current focus on this country and the conflicts there, current events and world history teachers and their students will use this book for background information.