The story of my life and work in Afghanistan.
“I am about to be left in charge of the office. I’m not sure I am ready for the responsibility, so I double-check with my boss.
He reassures me. ‘You’ll be fine, Marianne. As long as no one kills Amanullah Khan, you’ll be fine.’
By midday, Amanullah Khan is dead.”
The official blurb:
In 2006 Marianne Elliott, a human rights lawyer from New Zealand, was stationed with the UN in Herat. Several months into her new role a tribal leader is assassinated while she is in charge of the local UN office. She must defuse the situation before it leads to widespread bloodshed. And this is just the beginning of her story inAfghanistan.
Zen Under Fire is a vivid account of Marianne’s experience living and working in the world’s most notorious battlefield. As well as sharing the incredible details of her UN role, Marianne tells the very personal story of the shattering effect that the high-stress environment had on her and her relationships, and asks what it really means to do good in a country that is under siege from within.
This is an honest, moving and at times terrifying true story of a woman’s time peacekeeping in one of the most dangerous places on earth.
‘This is an amazing book, kind of like if Eat, Pray, Love had happened in Afghanistan and the stakes were life and death. Marianne’s story is touching, relatable, informative, and, to boot, fantastic storytelling.’ — Susan Piver, New York Times best-selling author
