Elise Cooper for BLACKFIVE Thomas W. Young’s book, The Mullah’s Storm, is about a battle for survival, fighting the elements and the enemy in Afghanistan. The plot starts off when a transport plane, carrying a high-value Taliban detainee, is shot down in Afghanistan during a ferocious snow storm. The rest of the story depicts how the navigator, Major Michael Parson, and army interpreter, Sergeant Gold rely on each other to complete their mission and to keep each other alive. This book appears to be a fictional version of the book War by Sebastian Junger. Young commented to blackfive.net that “I wrote the book for a few reasons. I wanted to write a compelling story about my worst fears, the thought of getting shot down and killed since I am a flight engineer for the Air National Guard in Afghanistan. Basically my job is to move cargo in and out of the war zone. I also wanted to give an insight into the people who are fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq, the motivations and mindset of the people who serve there.” It is a fast paced book that allows the reader to feel they are part of the battle. The reader is able to experience through Young’s very descriptive narrative the cold, hunger, sleep deprivation, fear, and mental strength that the characters had to go through to survive. He commented that the characters, Parson and Gold, “had a professional partnership. Major Parson is a country boy who has an outdoors skill which he used to help keep himself and Sergeant Gold alive. Sergeant Gold’s skills are the knowledge of the human terrain, the Afghan culture, and the Pashto language. “ Young avoids entangling the characters in a romantic relationship. He skillfully points out that the relationship is based on a professional partnership since, as he notes, “it would not have been realistic for them to form any kind of relationship because they were in too much pain, too tired, and faced too much danger. I never gave Sergeant Gold a first name so that she could keep a certain professional distance.” The reader is able to understand the theme of the book through the way Young illustrates the challenges and difficulties faced by the service men and women in Afghanistan. His goal was to “show their professionalism and their dedication to the mission.” He definitely does that and more in this powerful, informative, and insightful book.
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Posted
Sep 08 2010, 09:13 AM
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BLACKFIVE