What a fantastic book to read. A right eye opener. Very powerful. The book was very well written I really enjoyed the authors descriptive writing. He really captured it well. I couldn’t possibly imagine what it was like. But made for a great book

If you want to know what it's like to be an interpreter for the US and UK Special Forces, then this is your book!

There's a funny passage where he explains why they are INTERPRETERS and not TRANSLATORS.

An American soldier tells the interpreter to tell the detainee, "Tell him I don't give a fuck about his bullshit story."

"I can't," said the interpreter. "That's a rude word. I mean NOBODY says that to people"

"Fuck, Eddy, you telling me nobody fucking swears in this fucking country?"

"Well not like that. I mean that would be really insulting."

"OK, just tell him the best way you can."

The main reason I don't give the book 5 stars is that it lacks nuance.
It's always: Taliban = bad; Westerners = good
The Afghan interpreter/author loves his country and the West - and hates the Taliban.
That's understandable.
But it would have been nice to have a bit more nuance.

A bit more humility or admission of their mistakes would have been useful.

But a great book overall.

An interesting perspective of an Afghan interpreter working for both the US Army and the British Army.
A well written book and quite a quick read.
I enjoyed the book but think it could have been improved with more recollections of operations, with only 2 being detailed in the book, both of which were very well detailed.

A fascinating and revealing insight into the world of local Interpreters in the British and American military during the military campaigns in Afghanistan,
The author was attached to the Allied Special Forces in Afghanistan and participated in hundreds of covert and very dangerous missions against the Taliban and Al Qaeda. The 'Terps' played a vital role in acting as the interface between the civilian population and the NATO military. Sadly, they were hated and mistrusted by a large majority of Afghanis, leading to widespread executions of them and their families.
Most of us know that interpreters were widely used by the military, but were unaware of their very high death rate. The author, understandably, skims over a lot of details of his highly classified missions. What horrors he must have seen, which must have affected his mental health.
One detail I found really fascinating was the headset that the author used on operations - one earpiece was tuned into the NATO frequencies, the other into listening to the Taliban chatter. He was also expected to be able to converse in English and Pashtun at the same time as monitoring his headset conversations - all in the middle of a conflict zone!
The way the interpreters were treated after the Allies left was appalling. Many were left to be executed by the Taliban, even though the allied forces were fully aware of the interpreter's eventual fate. Some, including the author, were eventually given asylum in the UK and US, but were treated abominably by the immigration authorities.
An easy, and sometimes shocking read. Congratulations to the author.

Wow, this was quite the read! I have never read a book before which was written by an interpreter and this one was an eye-opener.

Eddie worked with the Americans in Afghanistan as an interpreter and the British SAS as well. He went on missions with them and he got fully involved with those operations, not just interpreting/translating but also bearing arms etc. His hatred of the Taliban is clear, and it is also very clear why he needed to relocate to the UK, to keep himself and his family safe.

I can't even imagine working in this role, in a country that you love but which is being torn apart by civil war. Eddie was on the right side but there were many in his position who were not and although part of me knew that this would probably be the case, Eddie describes in graphic detail what kinds of people were getting paid to help the allied forces and yet who were hardly their biggest fans.

The descriptions of some of the missions was hair raising and it is a wonder that not more people get killed doing them. When you are fighting people who look forward to dying, it takes things to a whole new level.

I found most of the book really good, and I thought Eddie's explanation was interesting about how interpreters also need to be familiar with the culture and body language of their subjects, and not just know the language - I hadn't really thought of that before. The descriptions of how women live in Afghanistan were horrifying and the level of poverty they endure when they are wives of Taliban fighters was also awful. I do wonder about the description of the newborn baby who only had green tea to drink - wouldn't the baby be breastfed? One would hope so.

I did think that the story ended up a bit braggy, it sounds like Eddie single-handedly saved the day, sometimes. I also wanted to know what happened to his wife and child/ren, he glossed over those parts a bit, other than saying that he probably got married too young. I hope that his wife is safe too, and not just his parents and siblings.

I hope for Eddie's sake and other Afghans who are living elsewhere, that their country becomes peaceful once more and that they can return.

4.5 stars from me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Pen & Sword.

While the grammatical structures and diction of this account may not be to the level one would like, it is impossible to deny the value of Eddie Idrees’ story (not his real name). Idrees is a young Afghan who sacrificed everything to serve as interpreter to American and British Special Forces units in the fight against the Taliban. His passion for the cause of a free and healthy Afghanistan is palpable on each page, as is his grief over his having to flee to the UK for asylum after death threats.

Idrees provides an inside view of missions carried out during his time in service; he also sheds light on the depressing fractures that exist among the Afghan people, both in their country and in the UK. Readers are left more knowledgeable about the conflict and also with a heavy heart for this young man and the many others like him.

Thank you to Eddie Idrees, Pen & Sword Books, and NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

Extremely interesting and emotive book
‘Eddie’ takes us from childhood in Afghanistan to living as a Asylum Seeker in the UK and all that’s inbetween, and it’s full on, enlightening and informative, dramatic, scary, anger inducing and upsetting
It is obvious from the onset his love for Afghanistan, his home and his heartbreak for the past decades of hell his Country has gone through and how via a complicated but fascinating route he becomes an interpreter for the SAS, he details missions he was involved in and his life through the years and what really went on ( from what he saw ) in Afghanistan/Pakistan and what is happening now in the UK, it is frightening stuff in part and his hatred for the Taliban is given no short measure, I admired his honesty and his love for his Country and his pride in working for the SAS
Written well and reads easily as only a book where someone is relaying their life to a stranger can it is truly an eye opener and I finished it having only respect for him and his life
Thoroughly readable

10/10
5 Stars