The Hardest Place

The American Military Adrift in Afghanistan's Pech Valley

By: Wesley Morgan

Narrated by: Mark Deakins

COLBY AWARD WINNER • “One of the most important books to come out of the Afghanistan war.”—Foreign Policy

“A saga of courage and futility, of valor and error and heartbreak.”—Rick Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy and The British Are Coming

Of the many battlefields on which U.S. troops and intelligence operatives fought in Afghanistan, one remote corner of the country stands as a microcosm of the American campaign: the Pech and its tributary valleys in Kunar and Nuristan. The area’s rugged, steep terrain and thick forests made it a natural hiding spot for local insurgents and international terrorists alike, and it came to represent both the valor and futility of America’s two-decade-long Afghan war.

Drawing on reporting trips, hundreds of interviews, and documentary research, Wesley Morgan reveals the history of the war in this iconic region, captures the culture and reality of the conflict through both American and Afghan eyes, and reports on the snowballing missteps—some kept secret from even the troops fighting there—that doomed the American mission. The Hardest Place is the story of one of the twenty-first century’s most unforgiving battlefields and a portrait of the American military that fought there.

Hardest Place

This was a phenomenal listen, was totally engaged from start to finish. God bless these men

Informative and Entertaining

a chronological record of the American military's experiences, lessons, and foibles. Very interesting to listen to as a veteran.

Great book with a full history!

Narrator could have done better at pronouncing some of the words but that’s easy to get by when you hear the content. Stories get you wrapped up

Fantastic detail

Absolutely the most comprehensive retelling of the US time in the Pech Valley. A must listen for those wanting to learn more.

Terrific book

As a member of the Army who joined after the Afghanistan conflict, I have read over a dozen books to gain perspective on what happened over there. This book was referred to me by a buddy who was in the Ranger Regiment, serving in Afghanistan, and he told me this was the best book on the topic Having read it, I agree. Thoroughly researched, and unlike several books that focus primarily on the stories of the individuals, this book wove those stories effectively to explain the broader conflict.