In this episode of The Ask, award-winning author Elliot Ackerman discusses his work on The Fifth Act: America’s End in Afghanistan

About the book:

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.

Our Episode Guest:

Elliot Ackerman is the author of the novels Red Dress in Black and White, Waiting for Eden, Dark at the Crossing (a finalist for the National Book Award), and Green on Blue (a finalist for the Dayton Literary Peace Prize), as well as the memoir Places and Names, and is the co-author with Admiral James Stavridis of the best seller 2034: A Novel of the Next World War. Ackerman is both a former White House Fellow and Marine, and served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart.

Get Involved:

The struggle to help at-risk Afghan allies continues. Here are links to several ways you, your friends, and your community can help out:

6 Ways to Welcome Our Afghan Allies – via whitehouse.gov

Join the national effort to help families fleeing from Afghanistan and Ukraine land on their feet – via welcome.us

Podcast Elliot Ackerman The Fifth Act