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 listener who wants to understand what went wrong with the war’s trajectory will find a trenchant account here. But The Fifth Act also brings listeners 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.

©2022 Elliot Ackerman (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"A master of his genre . . . among the best in war literature, like Norman Mailer’s The Naked and the Dead or Hemingway. Read this book.”—Bernard-Henri Lévy, Tablet

“Ackerman’s prose successfully transports the reader to the battlefield and into the midst of ambiguities facing young combatants required to make life-and-death decisions. He writes lovingly of his comrades, bringing them to life and heightening the poignancy of the stories he tells.”—Foreign Affairs

“The quality of the writing stands out. . . . part of a distinguished and growing literature by American veterans trying to understand the experience of those who served. . . . The Fifth Act’s contribution to understanding the war lies foremost in passages of reflection and well-chosen quotes . . . They give pause and offer a window into deeper thought.”—Washington Post

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!

Poignant

Ackerman is an incredible story teller. I was captivated as soon as I started this book. I’m still thinking about it and how our volunteer army has been at war for 20+ years while the rest of us have been at the mall.

The Closed Abby Gate

This book puts a human face on the tragedy of the Afghan withdrawal. It's a story that questions the impact of the "Political Industrial Complex"on the war in Afghanistan. It's an excellent read.

WE didn’t lose, we were failed.

It’s often said by the public that we lost the war in Afghanistan much like we ”lost” in Vietnam, and there is a small amount of truth to that statement that makes it a bitter pill to swallow. The war in Afghanistan lasted so long that it involved both my father and I, a bond that none of my siblings or my mother are able to share and to me is something special, which made our botched withdrawal sting even more. In family gatherings my uncle who served in Vietnam often let us know he was proud of us and what we were doing but we seldom shared experiences that is, until we pulled out of Afghanistan and my heart began to fill with rage and hate for the politicians that had failed not only my family but thousands of families over twenty years. After the withdrawal my uncle seemed a bit more empathetic to my father and I and it took me some time to realize it was because he knew exactly how we felt. This book has helped me to put into words some of how I feel but more importantly it has helped me understand the “survivors guilt” that many of us feel about a futile and endless war. Thank you Elliot for your service and thank you for helping me better understand that we aren’t alone and life must continue on, even in the midst of crisis

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.

Must read

People often use the words “must read” in reviews. I actually believe this book should be required reading for every American.

A need to understand

Mr. Ackerman tells it like he sees it with truth and depth. It brings Afghanistan to your door step.