MESSAGES FROM AFGHANISTAN, by Nancy Lachapelle, is a collection of emails the author sent home to the United States while embedded with the U.S. Army for six months. The book presents an unfiltered view of the Afghan people that one rarely, if ever, sees in the news. Lachapelle’s story is worthwhile. Unfortunately, it is also riddled with errors of every stripe, making it difficult to read.
In 2007-2008, Lachapelle, a Lieutenant Colonel with the Air Force, served as Chief Nurse Mentor for Paktia Regional Medical Center in Afghanistan, part of the Army’s efforts to win over the “hearts and minds” of the locals. One of few women on staff, Lachapelle commanded respect as she assisted 120 Afghan National Army medical professionals, all men, in the establishment of their Military Health System. The Afghans come across as hardworking and deeply grateful to the U.S. soldiers; they are also profoundly war-weary, and eager to build peace alongside the Americans. That they are also prone to fits of giggles is not something often reported in our media.
The author, too, is clearly sincere in her mission, but is not above telling the occasional howler, such as an argument between a Humvee driver and his commander over whether or not the driver had hit a policeman. (He had. The officer was unhurt.)
Unfortunately, however, the book reads like, well, a collection of emails, a form of communication known for its casual embrace of spelling, grammar, and mechanics. Lachapelle steadfastly refuses to cap “Taliban,” and she alternates between Polish and polish. She writes Eid, a Muslim feast, as EID—and since she also discusses the occasional IED, the effect is confusing to say the least. Her sentences do not so much run on as gallop.
Despite the gripping subject matter, MESSAGES FROM AFGHANISTAN is a slog. It’s sad, because Lachapelle and her story deserve better than this slapdash presentation.
Reviewed by Tilia Jacobs for IndieReader.