This memoir invites readers into the mind and heart of an introspective man who became a sniper. Azad, the nom de guerre of the author, was born in Kurdistan (Iran). He sought asylum in Britain, where he learned English and studied journalism. When the Syrian civil war broke out, Azad was drawn into the cause of the Kurdish freedom fighters, and moved to the Kurdish region of northern Syria. During 2014-15, an alliance of US-led military and determined YPG and YPJ resistance fighters successfully repelled Islamic State forces from the Kobani region. Often gritty, always introspective, Long Shot resonates because Azad was in the center of these sieges. His storytelling, the details of particular comrades and battles give face to what has often—in the United States, at least—been reduced to staccato news headlines. The region continues (in 2021) to suffer war and factional disputes. Azad’s focus on individual sacrifices made during battle humanizes tragic and enduring costs of war: for those who die, and for those who survive. Essential reading for our times.

While I typically enjoy military books, this one felt bogged down by lots of small details, that seemed unimportant to the book as a whole. I was disappointed to end up putting this book down about 1/4 of the way through and I don't have a desire to pick it back up. This does not happen very often for me; I had less than 5 DFN books so that was dissapointing for me.

This is a book that contains is written around something very important, a memoir of the difficult times going in Syria. The way book is written is very good. So captivating and the scenes are described are so accurate that I feel them they are happening in front of my eyes. A lot of things written that people speculate about it, but this book definitely brings some light on the facts.

The facts that he explained about himself and how the war affected him is really great. I highly recommend this book. Thank you Netgalley!

I received an ARC from Netgalley (thank you kindly) in exchange for a review.
I picked this because I love memoirs and thought the perspective sounded interesting. Can I just say Azad can write! This read like a thriller. Very engaging read. He also did a great job of being real about how war impacted his life.