{"product_id":"the-finest-hotel-in-kabul-a-peoples-history-of-afghanistan-hardcover","title":"The Finest Hotel in Kabul: A People's History of Afghanistan - Hardcover","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eLyse Doucet\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA NATIONAL BESTSELLER\u003cbr\u003e A \u003ci\u003eNEW YORK TIMES\u003c\/i\u003e EDITORS' CHOICE\u003cbr\u003eSHORTLISTED FOR THE 2026 WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR NON-FICTION \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe story of a hotel. The story of a nation. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eWhen the Inter-Continental Kabul opened in 1969, Afghanistan's first luxury hotel symbolised a dream of a modernising country connected to the world. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eMore than fifty years on, the Inter-Continental is still standing. It has endured Soviet occupation, multiple coups, a grievous civil war, a US invasion and the rise, fall and rise of the Taliban. History lives within its scarred windows and walls. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eLyse Doucet, the BBC's Chief International Correspondent, has been checking into the Inter-Continental since 1988. And here, she uses its story to craft a richly immersive history of modern Afghanistan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIt is the story of Hazrat, the septuagenarian housekeeper who still holds fast to his Inter-Continental training from the hotel's 1970s glory days--an era of haute cuisine and high fashion, when Afghanistan was a kingdom and Kabul was the 'Paris of Asia'. It is the story of Abida, who became the first female chef to cook in the Inter-Con's famous kitchen after the fall of the Taliban in 2001. And it is the story of Malalai and Sadeq, the twenty-something staff who seized every opportunity offered by two decades of fragile democracy--only to witness the Taliban roaring back in 2021. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe result is a remarkably vivid history of how Afghans have survived a half century of destruction and disruption. It is the story of a hotel but also the story of a people.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eLYSE DOUCET is a Canadian journalist and the BBC's Chief International Correspondent. In the course of a career spanning four decades, she has reported from countries around the world and was based as a correspondent in Jerusalem, Amman, Islamabad, Kabul, and Abidjan. She has played a leading role in the BBC's coverage of major events including the recent Iran-Israel war, the Gaza war, the Arab Spring, and the US-led invasion of Afghanistan. She received an OBE in the Queen's Honours list in 2014, and was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2019. She has received many awards, including most recently the 2024 Zenger Award for Press Freedom from the University of Arizona and the 2019 Trailblazer Award from Georgetown University. She was a recipient of the Colombia School of Journalism Award in 2016, an Emmy in 2014 for her team's reporting from Syria, Peabody and David Bloom Awards for her work from Syria and Afghanistan, and an Edward R. Murrow award for her team's reporting from Tunisia. In 2021, she was nominated for a Peabody for her work as a writer and reporter on the BBC podcast \u003ci\u003eAfghanistan: Documenting A Crucial Year\u003c\/i\u003e. Doucet has eighteen honorary doctorates from leading British and Canadian Universities. She has a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Toronto, and a BA Hons. from Queen's University in Kingston. She is also a senior fellow of Massey College of the University of Toronto. Doucet has been reporting on Afghanistan since 1988. She visits the Inter-Continental whenever she is in Kabul.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 448\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.5 x 9 x 6.3 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e November 04, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51890675613984,"sku":"9780735243415","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/wA0RHqYs3g9780735243415.webp?v=1781950967","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/the-finest-hotel-in-kabul-a-peoples-history-of-afghanistan-hardcover","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}