From That Flame: A Novelized Account of the Life, Death, and Legacy of Ahmed Shah Massoud

by MaryAnn Beverly

Overview

He was a man of peace who became Afghanistan's most brilliant military leader. He was America's best Afghan ally who warned about the attacks of 9-11. He fought for democracy until he was assassinated by Osama bin Laden. He was...Ahmed Shah Massoud.

Synopsis
FROM THAT FLAME follows journalist Michelle Garrett as she interviews the legendary Commander Ahmed Shah Massoud – the "Lion of Panjshir" – in Afghanistan's rugged Hindu Kush Mountains. Without warning, an attack by Taliban and al-Qaeda troops propels Michelle into a wartime adventure with Commander Massoud and his Mujahidin, one in which a friendship between the journalist and Massoud grows, giving her a unique perspective into the man the Wall Street Journal credited as being "the Afghan who ended the Cold War."

Reviews for From That Flame
"The kind of story that people need to know about ... It stimulates the body, the mind, and most importantly the soul."
--Edward James Olmos, actor and activist

"Massoud grieves in the novel, and then we, who have come to know him in this thoughtful and well researched book, grieve for him and for his dreams -- and our own. Ms. Beverly has given us much to ponder." [The book says] Pay attention."
--Mary Sheeran, author Who Have the Power

"The amount of in-depth research it contains is extraordinary and is evident within the story. MaryAnn brings back to life for the reader a man who is truly worthy of the appellation 'Hero'."
--Katherine Swan, artist/artist representative (Duncan Regehr, RCA)

"History wears two faces. One is built of facts and timelines, names and places. But the other face, whose marks are far more indelible, less vulnerable to manipulation, is the image its impresses on those who lived it. This book is about the second: the image of one man that has marked his nation, his people forever. Set against a quick moving and suspense-filled background, the author has given us not only a powerful portrait of a modern hero, but posed some of the most burning questions of human life today, and answers them exquisitely. Read with caution: it might change your life."
--Helene Walker, independent reviewer

"Ms. Beverly has captured the heart and essence of the man the world knows as the Lion of Panjshir. Her book flows well, and even the most up-to-date history buff who knows the 'ending' will want to keep reading -- possibly hoping for a miracle."
--Marsha de Garcia, independent reviewer

Product Details

BN ID:	2940013202641
Publisher:	Kallisti Publishing
Publication date:	08/11/2011
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	348
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

MaryAnn T. Beverly is an Ohio native who has made her home in Columbia, SC for the past 25 years. A former high school English teacher, and married mother of two, she left teaching to write and direct a documentary movie, “The Arts in Education,” in Cali, Colombia, South America. After 9/11, and the invasion of Afghanistan she learned about freedom fighter Ahmed Shah Massoud who was assassinated by Osama bin Laden only two days before the tragic suicide bombings took place. As Beverly began to conduct extensive research on the man whom Afghan people call the “Lion of Panjshir”, she discovered a fascinating 30-year history of our two countries, beginning with the Russian invasion of Afghanistan’s in 1979, up through the mistakes and blunders made by the CIA and six U.S. presidents.

In From That Flame, the author has laced a historically accurate account (enhanced with a fictionalized back story) of the late Ahmed Shah Massoud and his 20 year fight for the Afghan people. During research and development, Beverly became acquainted with and friend to Zahir Sajanie, a mujahidinwho spent over 20 years with Massoud.

The freedom fighter opened many doors for her, including anintroduction to Ambassador Haroun Amin, whose history in Afghanistan dates back to 1979 when he led protests against Russia after their invasion (he and his family fled the country the following year and settled in California, where in 1995 he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in political science at USC, Riverside). In 1988 Amin returned to Afghanistan to join Massoud in their fruitless quest to promote democracy and end the killing by the Taliban and Osama bin Laden. Amin fought side-by-side with the Lion of Panjshr until Massoud’s assassination on Sept. 9, 2001.

Following the establishment of the transitional Afghan government (under Hamid Karzai) in 2002, Mr. Amin was appointed charge d’ affaires/deputy chief of mission at the Afghan embassy in Washington, D.C. In December 2003, he was appointed to the post of Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Japan.

Editorial Reviews

I did agree with the author that a fictional account was the most appropriate means of showing us more about this extraordinary man. I wasn't sure what to expect from this book, since I've never had much of an interest in what went on in the Middle East, but From That Flame is a surprisingly interesting story. Reading about the struggles in Afghanistan and how the people are affected puts US involvement there in a whole new perspective.

Bergers Book Reviews - Alice Berger