The incredible true story of a breathtaking rescue in the frenzied final hours of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan—and how a brave Afghan mother and a compassionate American diplomat engineered a daring escape—from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 Hours.
MITCH ZUCKOFF
Sumner M. Redstone
Professor of Narrative,
Boston University
Zuckoff is the author of eight previous works of nonfiction, including the #1 New York Times bestseller 13 Hours: The Inside Account of What Really Happened in Benghazi, which became the basis of the Paramount Pictures movie of the same name.
“In Mitchell Zuckoff’s capable hands, here is an unforgettable account of a daring attempt to temper the brutality of war. It’s all here: the impossible moral choices; the desperation and the ingenuity; the courage to step in and help when it’s most needed; the anguish of those who must uproot themselves and take the struggle for freedom to another shore. The Secret Gate is inspiring on every level.”—Robert Kolker, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hidden Valley Road
“Mitchell Zuckoff’s The Secret Gate is the harrowing and emotional true-life story of survival during the Afghanistan evacuation. The fast-paced drama centers around the American diplomat Sam Aronson and the Afghan women’s rights activist Homeira Qaderi. This riveting book has major motion picture written all over it. A must-read!”—Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Silent Spring Revolution and American Moonshot
“The Secret Gate allows us to bear witness to the rare alignment of stars required to extract Homeira Qaderi, one of Afghanistan's boldest women, from a capsized Kabul. [Mitchell] Zuckoff's meticulous recounting provides instructive glimpses into the chaotic end to America's military engagement as well as the barbed trauma of being uprooted from home.”—Nadia Hashimi, internationally bestselling author of The Pearl That Broke Its Shell and Sparks Like Stars
“No one else but Mitch Zuckoff could pull this diamond of a survivor's tale from the rough chaos of the evacuation of Afghanistan. A harrowing true story of escape, perseverance, and courage under fire, told with a journalist's eye and a novelist’s skill.” —Chuck Hogan, New York Times bestselling author of Gangland
“A women’s rights activist facing death by the Taliban. A young American diplomat plunged into a humanitarian disaster. Their unforgettable—and ultimately, intertwined—stories make The Secret Gate a triumph of narrative nonfiction. Mitchell Zuckoff reveals the chaos of the U.S. departure from Afghanistan with pulse-pounding urgency and heartrending insight.” —Abbott Kahler, New York Times bestselling author (as Karen Abbott) of The Ghosts of Eden Park
“In the tragic and demoralizing sequence of events surrounding the American exit from Afghanistan, Mitchell Zuckoff has located a genuinely thrilling tale—and has told it with style, grace, and empathy. The Secret Gate will get your blood pumping, and as the pages rapidly turn, you may come to think differently about America’s longest war.”—Hampton Sides, New York Times bestselling author of Ghost Soldiers and On Desperate Ground
