The Hardest Place

COLBY AWARD WINNER • “One of the most important books to come out of the Afghanistan war.”—Foreign Policy “A saga of courage and futility, of valor and error and heartbreak.”—Rick Atkinson, author of the Liberation Trilogy and The British Are Coming Of the many battlefields on which U.S. troops and intelligence operatives fought in Afghanistan, one remote corner of the country stands as a microcosm of the American campaign: the Pech and its tributary valleys in Kunar and Nuristan. The area’s rugged, steep terrain and thick forests made it a natural hiding spot for local insurgents and international terrorists alike, and it came to represent both the valor and futility of America’s two-decade-long Afghan war. Drawing on reporting trips, hundreds of interviews, and documentary research, Wesley Morgan reveals the history of the war in this iconic region, captures the culture and reality of the conflict through both American and Afghan eyes, and reports on the snowballing missteps—some kept secret from even the troops fighting there—that doomed the American mission. The Hardest Place is the story of one of the twenty-first century’s most unforgiving battlefields and a portrait of the American military that fought there.

. a missionary hero of a different sort - far more like you and me. In The Hardest Place, Helen Miller introduces powerful, passionate Warren & Dorothy Modricker. As part of Warren's team her personal knowledge brings this biography alive. She saw their strengths and weaknesses and shares their love for the Somali People. This is the story of reaching a culture damaged by sin and colonization, embittered toward one another by Communism and shattered by the remaining tribalism. Both God and faith are alive and well in this book. Brian Seim, Director, SIM Culture Connexions Helen Miller has captured the vision, passion and sacrifice of Warren and Dorothy Modrickers' lives. They gave all their energy and gifts to bring the gospel and the written Word to the Somali people. Their children are also heroes in this account and deserve our thanks. The Modrickers' story represents that of many other pioneers who gave their love and energy to open the way for the gospel in unreached places. You will be awed and challenged as you read this account. One day Somali brothers and sisters will be singing in the eternal choir that gives praise to the Lamb Dr. Jim Plueddeman, former General Director of SIM International Through grade school and high school, Helen Miller had a strong desire to write. With the passage of time, that desire was supplanted by the desire to go to Africa and minister to Muslims. After high school, she enrolled in Multnomah School of the Bible, graduating in 1956. She sailed for Somalia in 1962. While there she met John Miller, who would become her husband. They served in Somalia until 1972, followed by stints in Ethiopia (1974-76) and Kenya (1977-89). They moved to Caronport, SK, where Helen returned to school and revisited her desire to write. After graduating with a BA in 1991, the Millers moved to Toronto to minister with Somali people. The Hardest Place is Helen's second book.

Volumes 7-77, 80-83 include 13th-83rd, 86th-89th annual report of the American Baptist missionary union.

Volumes 7-77, 80-83 include 13th-83rd, 86th-89th annual report of the American Baptist missionary union.