Places in Between

　　In January 2002 Rory Stewart walked acrossAfghanistan-surviving by his wits, his knowledge of Persiandialects and Muslim customs, and the kindness of strangers. By dayhe passed through mountains covered in nine feet of snow, hamletsburned and emptied by the Taliban, and communities thriving amidthe remains of medieval civilizations. By night he slept onvillagers' floors, shared their meals, and listened to theirstories of the recent and ancient past. Along the way Stewart metheroes and rogues, tribal elders and teenage soldiers, Talibancommanders and foreign-aid workers. He was also adopted by anunexpected companion-a retired fighting mastiff he named Babur inhonor of Afghanistan's first Mughal emperor, in whose footsteps thepair was following.　　Through these encounters-by turns touching, con-founding,surprising, and funny-Stewart makes tangible the forces oftradition, ideology, and allegiance that shape life in the map'scountless places in between.