The Fifth Act

America's End in Afghanistan

By: Elliot Ackerman

Narrated by: Elliot Ackerman

“The American betrayal of Afghanistan took twenty years. Elliot Ackerman, a participant and witness, tells the story with unsparing honesty in this intensely personal chronicle.” —George Packer

A powerful and revelatory eyewitness account of the American collapse in Afghanistan, its desperate endgame, and the war’s echoing legacy

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 2021 and the Afghan regime began its death spiral, he found himself pulled back into the conflict. Afghan nationals who had worked closely with the American military and intelligence communities for years now faced brutal reprisal and sought frantically to flee the country with their families. The official US government evacuation effort was a bureaucratic failure that led to a humanitarian catastrophe. With former colleagues and friends protecting the airport in Kabul, Ackerman joined an impromptu effort by a group of journalists and other veterans to arrange flights and negotiate with both Taliban and American forces to secure the safe evacuation of hundreds. These were desperate measures taken during a desperate end to America's longest war. For Ackerman, it also became a chance to reconcile his past with his present.

The Fifth Act is an astonishing human document that brings the weight of twenty years of war to bear on a single week, the week the war ended. Using the dramatic rescue efforts in Kabul as his lattice, Ackerman weaves a personal history of the war's long progression, 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 account here. But The Fifth Act also brings readers into close contact with a remarkable group of characters, American and Afghan, who fought the war with courage and dedication, and at great personal cost. Ackerman's story is a first draft of history that feels like a timeless classic.

Should be mandatory in all classrooms

Excellent narrative that everyone should read. I look forward to more books by this author.

loved it!

Having the actual author narrate the book makes all the difference. Should be recommend reading for all high schools. Non partisan author. Highly recommend.

WOW!

VERY Well written and put together. Well read by the author. But just WOW! I'll buy the book too.

Thank you

Met yesterday the son of a good friend who is a naval officer committed as you were and are to serving our country. I gave him a big hug, thinking of you. Thank you!

Powerful and Poignant

This is a beautiful book to listen to. The story captures you and feel the depth of emotion that these people felt in their committment to rescue the Aghans.

I can't wait to read another of Ackerman's books.