Crackers (Colv)

The land is known as the graveyard of empires. Its inhabitants, warlike Pashtuns, strictly follow their ancient sacred code of honor, Pashtunwali. The most important clause of that code is Badal, the revenge. A Pashtun must avenge murder of his family no matter what is the cost. Otherwise, he is a pariah in his own community.

Baz is just 10 years old when a group of Uzbek settlers kill his entire family. Baz survives and takes his revenge, but fails to kill one of his enemies. He later learns that Ajab Baig, the lone surviving enemy, is a member of Al-Qaeda and he is planning an attack on US soil. Baz finds himself in a race against time to foil plot and take revenge for what had happened to his family.

This novel mixes fact and fiction to describe the mind-set and culture of Pashtuns. With increased focus on US withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2014, this novel will help the reader understand culture and norms of that region.