The Fifth Act : America's End In Afghanistan - Elliot Ackerman

The Fifth Act

America's End In Afghanistan

By: Elliot Ackerman

Paperback | 17 August 2022

At a Glance

Paperback


Limited Stock Available

RRP $32.99

$30.25

or 4 interest-free payments of $7.56 with

 or 
In Stock and Aims to ship in 1-2 business days

When will this arrive by?

How and why did American involvement in Afghanistan end in tragedy?

Elliot Ackerman left the American military ten years ago, but his time in Afghanistan and Iraq with the Marines and, later, as a CIA paramilitary officer marked him indelibly. When the Taliban began to close in on Kabul in August of 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had, for years, worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation process was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe.

The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week at its bitter end. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves in a personal history of the war's long progress, beginning with the initial invasion in the months after 9/11. It is a play in five acts, the fifth act being the story’s tragic denouement, a prelude to Afghanistan's dark future. Any reader who wants to understand what went wrong with the war’s trajectory will find a trenchant accounting here. And yet The Fifth Act is not an exercise in finger-pointing: it brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, in good faith and at great personal cost. Understanding combatants’ experiences and sacrifices while reckoning with the complex bottom line of the post-9/11 wars is not an easy balance; it demands reservoirs of wisdom and the gifts of an extraordinary storyteller. It asks for an author willing to grapple with certain hard-earned truths. In Elliot Ackerman, this story has found that author. The Fifth Act is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic.

About the Author

Elliot Ackerman is a former White House Fellow and Marine, serving five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor and the Purple Heart. He has written five novels including 2034 which was a New York Times bestseller. His books have been nominated for the National Book Award, three times for the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and non-fiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize among others. His writing often appears in Esquire, The New Yorker, and The New York Times where he is a contributing opinion writer.
Industry Reviews
‘His understanding of war is so profound that one feels like secrets have been revealed – truths – information that one day may be necessary for our survival’
Sebastian Jungerauthor of WAR and TRIBE

Other Editions and Formats

Hardcover

Published: 18th August 2022

More in True War & Combat Stories

Chickenhawk - Robert Mason

Paperback

RRP $22.99

$21.00

Unbroken : An Extraordinary True Story of Courage and Survival - Laura Hillenbrand
Schindler's Ark : Winner of the 1982 Man Booker Prize - Thomas Keneally
Agent Sonya : Lover, Mother, Soldier, Spy - Ben Macintyre
44 Days : 75 Squadron and the Fight for Australia - Michael Veitch
Australia's Secret Army - Michael Veitch

RRP $34.99

$31.75

Lone Survivor : Incredible True Story of Navy SEALs Under Siege - Marcus Luttrell
Tribe : On Homecoming and Belonging - Sebastian Junger
Looking At Women, Looking At War - Victoria Amelina

RRP $34.99

$31.75