Baheer lives with his family in Farrah, Afghanistan. Private Joe Killian of the Iowa National Guard is deployed to Farrah to help protect the city from the Taliban. Baheer and Joe meet while Joe is on guard duty and they become friends.

I really enjoyed this book based on the true story of the authors @trentreedy and #jawadarash. The writing is wonderful! It was full of action, suspense, and overcoming preconceived stereotypes. I liked having the perspective from both sides of the story. It showed how people of different nations and religions can work together for the good of mankind and how lasting friendships are formed. It was very insightful about everyday life in Afghanistan, the Muslim faith, and how American soldiers helped improve the lives of the Afghani people.
It was a very inspiring read for me. This would be an excellent read for teens and adults alike!

Thank you to NetGalley and Algonquin Young Readers for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review!

On September 11, 2001, the lives of two boys on opposite sides of the world are changed forever. Baheer, a studious Afghan teen, wonders what will happen to his family as war with the Americans begins. A world away, Joe, a young American army private, sets aside his dreams of becoming a journalist when he’s shipped out to Afghanistan. The two young men meet when Baheer decides to practice English with the young soldier who's stationed next door. As Joe and Baheer become friends, they realize their similarities and get to know each other as individuals rather than enemies.
I appreciated the insight into life in Afghanistan. I learned many things about the culture and family life that I didn't know before, and this book gave me greater compassion for Afghans.
The authors remind readers in several places that war is about control. When people can be controlled, they can be ruled and the rulers win. Often, this control starts by banning books and education.
While this novel was published in 2020, I wonder what the authors would include in the book now that the war is "over."
One of my favorite quotes from the book talks about the value of building a new thing in Afghanistan. "Peace is more than just blowing up bad guys. Real peace comes from building something worth living for." That's what Baheer and his family try to do throughout this book.
The contributor, Jawad Arash, should get more credit and be included in the authorship of this book as he plays a major role in the story. I want to give the book two stars because he's not included more prominently, but the content is worth four stars.

Enduring Freedom is a fictional YA book based on the horrific events that took place on 9/11/2001. I remember where I was when the planes hit. I was in global history class in High School. I saw the smoke from the the first tower from the window. It was such a life changing moment for everyone around the world. It was a time of uncertainty, and reflecting; the course of history would change forever. Right after those tragic events, troops were immediately dispatched to Afghanistan to fight in the war.

Baheer is a boy from Afghanistan. His life revolves around his educations. He's very studious and wants nothing but to educate himself and learn English. His brother on the other hand, only cared to work. Learning and having an education meant absolutely nothing to him. Baheer just sits and sees how his family lives in constant fear because of the wars and violence that plagues their country every single day. He wants better than that for them.
Joe is a young army private who lives on the other side of the world. He's studying to be a journalist, which is one of his biggest dreams. Joe just wishes that he could be a full time journalist and give up the rifle. When September 11th happens, Joe is immediately shipped to Afghanistan, flipping his life upside down. When Joe and his unit arrive to Afghanistan, he's on high alert. He doesn't't trust anyone. On the other hand, Baheer see's it as an opportunity to learn from the soldiers, especially English.
When Baheer and Joe meet, they're uncertain about each other, but as they get to know each other they start to see how much they have in common; their friendship blossoms. Of course, the friendship doesn't come without some rocky moments. Baheer and Joe's friendship is put to the test. Will they be able to ignore the differences and situations that surround them. Huge thanks to Algonquin Young Readers and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Enduring Freedom fills a gap in my Historical Fiction. Being alive during the event and being a wife to a veteran who served overseas during Operation Enduring Freedom, this book hits different with me. It is important that our students know about this more recent part of our American history. There are many books on my shelves about WWI and WWII and this wartime title is much needed.
My favorite aspect of the book is that the characters are inspired by the authors and their real meeting during the actual war. Their perspectives and background knowledge provide the substance to Enduring Freedom. When I introduce this book to my students, I am going to start with the authors' bios because knowing this novel is based on actual events and real people who met through the war makes reading it even more special.
Highly recommended purchase for middle school and high school libraries.

I loved this book! I was drawn into the story with its beautiful opening sentence - “Nothing in the world was so comforting or wonderful as the Afghan family.”

I know the book is classified as a Young Adult book, but I think it has an adult appeal also. As I peeled back the layers of the story, I found three elements to explore.

The first element is the story itself. The story is engaging, riveting, heartbreaking, and heartwarming. Based upon the two authors’ true-life experiences, this is the story of an unlikely friendship between a young American soldier from Iowa and a teen Afghan boy. Baheer has studied English and initiates a conversation with Joe.

Told in alternating perspectives between PFC Joe Killian and Baheer, we see the war from both sides and are exposed to opinions Joe and Baheer have of each other. Joe is disappointed that, as an infantryman, he is not “in the field” fighting the enemy but is instead assigned to peacekeeping and reconstruction. From Baheer’s perspective, we get an understanding of life under the Taliban and the war’s devastating impact upon the local people. Basic freedoms are now cherished, and they fight to keep the Taliban from again controlling them. There are a few instances of Baheer explaining why the Taliban are not Muslims. At one point, Baba Jan, Baheer’s grandfather, says “…a good Muslim leader should be lenient, kind-hearted, and forgiving. Not like these monsters.” The descriptions by the authors made me feel as though I was right there with them suffering the unbearable heat and terrified by the Taliban attack upon the soldiers.

The second element is the message of the story, and it is so much more than just a war story. In my opinion, the primary message is that educated people are a threat to totalitarian regimes. In a letter from Joe to Baheer, he writes “War isn’t about religion or resources. It’s about control. And the real battle for control is in the schools and libraries.” And in Jawad’s note at the end of the book, he writes “Throughout history, the Taliban, Nazis, Soviets, and other evil forces have always targeted education because uneducated people are easier to rule.” Because of Baheer’s education, he was able to form the friendship with Joe which resulted in both their lives being changed. I think Joe learned that he had a positive impact on the Afghan people as part of the reconstruction team by learning to understand them, creating trust with the local people, assisting them in stamping out ignorance and furthering education. After becoming friends with the “other”, it becomes impossible to then see them all in the same light. The Afghan people are now differentiated from the Taliban. Joe came to realize just how courageous the Afghan people are, fighting the Taliban day after day in their own way. The initial opinions Joe and Baheer had changed, and the war became their war, Americans and Afghans fighting side by side. Fighting for the freedom of the people and their desire for education.

And the third element is the collaboration of the authors. They not only had the geographic distance between them (Trent in the US and Jawad in Afghanistan), but Jawad had to write in a second language. That is not an easy accomplishment. When I read the notes by each author at the end of this book, I had to agree that they accomplished what they set out to do, namely jointly write a book that not only had the power to pull readers in, but honestly revealed how their lives were changed and enriched by the alliance that was built between the two nations.

As this book releases, we hear in the news of military pulling out of Afghanistan. This is the perfect time to remind people that there were successes during our time there. The Afghan people have hope and will continue to rebuild their country even after we are gone. And after reading this book, we should never again take our education for granted.

I received an advance copy of this book from the publisher. The opinions expressed here are my own.

4.5 ⭐️

I remember exactly where I was when the planes hit the twin towers on September 11, 2001, maybe some of you do too. I watched in horror as the second plane flew into the south tower on live TV.

Almost 3,000 lives lost that day and our country plunged into an ongoing war against terrorism. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘮𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘧𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨?

𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 is the story of two teens that come together in war as enemies but find common ground and develop an enduring friendship.

Invaders have ravaged Baheer’s home of Afghanistan for many, many years, and he is tired of the Taliban’s cruel ways. When he and his family hear news of an attack on the United States, they know this will only mean war will be brought to their front door.

Private Joe Killian is with the Iowa National Guard and his unit is deployed to Afghanistan. In his heart, Joe would trade his rifle for a pen, as he aspires to be a journalist. He wants to use this as an opportunity to record the history he just stepped into.

Baheer sees the American soldiers as an opportunity to learn proper English and even earn some money. When he meets a soldier named PFC Killian, who at first is standoffish and rude, a connection is made.

𝐄𝐧𝐝𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐝𝐨𝐦 brings us up close to the human element of war. Not afraid of expressing their dislike for elements in each other’s cultures, Baheer and Joe show us that ignorance and prejudice can be an ugly enemy. This is a great resource to understand and respect cultural differences and help educate as Baheer and Joe strived to do.

Thank you to @algonquinyr and @trentreedy for an invitation to this tour.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC. Unfortunately, this was a DNF book for me.

War stories are low on my genre list. I read them, but not often. I really hoped this was going to be a good one for me. I made it a little under halfway through the book and decided not to continue.

It's written, in my opinion, to cater to a young side of the YA spectrum, maybe like an upper MG book. The only interesting aspects for me was Baheer's point of view. Joe got on my last nerve and his point of view's made no sense, especially leading up to his and Baheer's meeting. I enjoyed the small mentions of the Islamic faith and the way Baheer's story went.

My main problem was really not connecting with Joe. But his writing seemed to go in several different directions at times. When he ships out, he thinks about wanting to be a journalist and telling the unbiased truth, but a few pages later he starts thinking he'll tell everyone about the atrocities that are the Muslims in Afghanistan. So not very unbiased there, Joe. But what really grated my nerves was when he met Baheer. His internal monologue has this entire chapter where they run drills over how to interact with an IED, and made several mentions of how it could be anything, like a soda can. And when Baheer first approaches the American compound, what does he give Joe?

A soda can. And Joe accepts it readily.

The whole situation made no sense. First Joe is defensive about a Muslim kid coming up to the wall, which would be the appropriate military response. But then Baheer said two words and Joe's training goes out the window? "Sure kid I'll take a soda thanks. Could kill me but it doesn't matter." It was insanely annoying to see so many borderline racist thoughts in Joe's head, and all of a sudden with one drink--mind you, there was absolutely NO THOUGHTS from Joe about how maybe this kid is safe or his people aren't all terrorists, like Joe originally thought--everything changed.

I'm sure there's a cutesy story about how Joe grows up in Afghanistan and realizes the few don't speak for the many, and he and Baheer have a great friendship, but I couldn't finish this book. Joe was way too cringey and not likable at all.

This one was definitely one I found interesting. It focuses on the the experiences of both Baheer and Joe Killian; an Afghani, and a US soldier. It's definitely a story of friendship I didn't expect. The experiences of Baheer really hit hard, and put the war in Afghanistan in perspective.

Rating: 3.5/5

This isn't the type of book I am naturally drawn to, and had it not been offered to me as an arc, I didn't even request it, I probably would not have read it.  So, to say that this young adult OWN voice 246 page post 9/11 war story had a lot to overcome for me personally, is putting it mildly.  I gave in and decided to read it for the simple fact that I was curious to see what the narrative is in today's literature, as we approach the 20 year anniversary of the attacks on US soil.  The afterward is very clear that the agenda of the two authors, one an Afghan and the other a US veteran, was to show a personal view of growth and assumptions on both sides and how the future of Afghanistan needs to be rooted in education and stability.  I think the book accomplished its goals, and made very clear how the terrorists first victims were their own people, and that extreme ideologies of the Taliban were and are still not reflective of the larger population.  The pacing of the dual narratives, however, was a bit off to me, and I really felt that some of the major plot points didn't get explored in a meaningful way, that they were simply glossed over and brushed aside to keep the book inline with the authors' objectives.  The book is not overly political, and the Muslim characters are religious and knowledgeable, but for a book that talked about how even in war the people, the soldiers, are the story, I wanted to see more internal wresting with choices and their outcomes, then what was offered.

SYNOPSIS:

The book is told in alternating view points, one is that of Baheer an Afghan boy living with his large extended family in Kabul next to a Taliban compound.  The family is religious, Baheer's grandfather, Baba Jan, is well read in poetry and religious text and often quotes the Quran by ayat and surah number.  The family sells carpets, and often hides the latest movies or news recordings in the rolls, so that they can be brought home, the blackout shades pulled and the tapes enjoyed.  They are fearful of being harassed for not having long enough beards, shaved heads, turbans and the like. Baheer and his brother Rahim do not enjoy school with the strict and abusive teachers.  The talibs seem to touch them inappropriately and scold them harshly.  Their older sister is not allowed to attend school and never has even though the family used to live in Pakistan where the boys enjoyed school. It doesn't explain why they were there or why they returned.  One uncle is assaulted by the Taliban and soon after, a news clip showing the attacks on 9/11 is secretly watched by the family.  As a result they decide to move to Farah, in Western Afghanistan where Baba Jan has family and property, to be away from the impending US attacks and Taliban assaults.

Joe Killian is the other voice.  When the book starts he is sitting in class, his senior year, when news about the attacks on the World Trade Center starts to break.  He had joined the national guard that summer for the college money, and as his classmates sit glued to the televisions in Iowa, he is nervous that he is about to be called up to war.  He doesn't get called up that day, he graduates, and is studying journalism in college when the call finally comes.  He is preparing for combat, but when he is deployed and discovers it is a reconstruction mission he is angry and annoyed.  A year of helping what he terms barbarians, is not what he signed up for.

The majority of the book reads like a 'day in the life' of each of these two voices, as they adapt to life in Farah, as they deal with each other's presence and as their friendship forces their assumptions to change.  The interactions between Joe and Baheer show the power in getting to know someone to alter perceptions, and the threat of the Taliban on both the average citizen and the US forces on the ground as a unifying enemy to allow the friendship to grow.

The book concludes when Joe's year of deployment is up, but really the authors' notes at the end are a better conclusion to the real life friendship and growth of the two authors that resulted in the writing of the book

WHY I LIKE IT:

I love that the family sees the planes hitting the towers and is mortified at the brazen destruction and loss of life.  They immediately start praying for the victims even as they realize they will be the recipients of the backlash. I like that it highlights where practicing Muslims and extremists differ, by having the Quran quoted and explained as opposed to the rhetoric the Taliban is spouting.  Baba Jan's manner for speaking the ayats is a bit awkward in that most people don't in daily conversation source and reference their dialogues, but it does grow on you.  I think the book is very simplistic in making the Taliban to unequivocally be the 'bad guys' without any context of how they gained traction. It talks about the Soviets, but I think it will leave the readers wondering where this group came from and why the Afghan people allowed it. Unfortunately, there are a lot of nuances and complexities that are overlooked by such a simple narrative, and allow for an inaccurate picture to be formed. 

I like that Baheer pushes back on Joe who thinks America is perfect and that Afghanistan is less than, by pointing out the flaws in American society as well as his own.  I was ok with Baheer pushing the cultural limits to talk to a girl, it was innocent and I think understandable. My biggest concern is that I really felt that there needed to be more space on the page dedicated to understanding the repercussions of him being an informant to the Americans, and his brother passing on information to the Talibs.  People were taken in to custody and injured and killed as a result of these boys' actions and to just chalk it up to something to be forgiven, was not enough for me.  I wanted them to hash it out and wallow in their choices, not forgive and move on so quickly.  I also wanted to know more about their reconstruction efforts.  It seemed rather minimal: relocating explosives, helping a burn victim, sending supplies to a school, I think in a year, that there would be more mixing with the people than the book would suggest.  And finally, I felt like the sister not getting to go to school was handled as an obligation to address, not that any insight or understanding was really given to such a hot button issue. 

The book is really slow and dragging at parts, I couldn't tell you about any of the dozen or so soldiers that are mentioned, I don't even recall any of their names. I think the book has a lot of potential, and perhaps it does shine in showing the effects of war and terrorism on the Afghan people.  It held my attention while actively reading it, but I just as easily could have put it down and forgotten about it if I wasn't under obligation to offer an opinion in exchange for an early copy.

FLAGS:

There is language, stereotypes, physical abuse, sexual misconduct, death, killing, violence, acts of war, bloodshed, a crush. Upper middle school and high school can handle it.

TOOLS FOR LEADING THE DISCUSSION:

I don't think I'd select this book as a book club selection because I'm not sure what would be gained from the book.  The characters assumptions are challenged and evolve, but I think most minorities know that, getting to know someone is often the best way to have their image changed.  I think the book still functions to make Americans feel better about  invading Afghanistan, rather than have us question what the long term affects of our involvement have been.

September 11, 2001 changed the lives of many people. Enduring Freedom is the story of two teens from different parts of the world and how these events affected them. Baheer is an Afghan teen whose family had to change everything after the war caused them to lose their business. Joe is a private in the Army National Guard who wants to become a journalist. Joe’s schooling is put on hold when his unit is activated to go to Afghanistan. Baheer uses the little English he knows to help his family by providing services to the Americans. Joe doesn’t trust any of the locals, but as Baheer keeps coming by; Joe starts to see him as a person instead of a nation. What will these teens learn about each other as their paths continue to cross? Will this relationship stay professional or will they ever become friends?

Enduring Freedom is a historical fiction story that tugged on my heartstrings. I was in the Army National Guard during Desert Storm and remember the thought of activation always on my mind. As a young teacher when 9-11 happened, I saw these same feelings flowing around the seniors in the school. Today’s teens were not alive when this happened, but that does not mean they can’t understand what was going on. Reedy took some really hard topics and made them relatable to today’s readers and hopefully this book will make everyone who picks it up re-think about what they thought they knew about this time period. Enduring Freedom is not a long book and I recommend it to everyone, even if war or history is not your go-to genre.

Wow wow wow. Okay, not going to lie, the cover threw me off because it is a little too much but this book was amazing. The writing, the plot, and the characters were unreal. I need more books like this. It was like a movie within pages. I could picture it all.

Trent Reedy, along with Jawad Arash, tells a story of two sides of the War in Afghanistan after the 9/11 attacks and two boys caught in the middle. I learned so much about the Afghan people and their perspective on the presence of the United States military in their country. I love the way the authors show the importance of education and how education holds such power in overcoming our world's struggles. The authors' notes gave me a deeper appreciation for the book as they tell the real-life connection between the two authors and how this connection is mirrored in the story of Joe and Baheer. I will have no problems finding readers for this book.