American Cipher

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Private First Class Bowe Bergdahl left his platoon's base in eastern Afghanistan in the early hours of June 30, 2009, and was captured by the Taliban. On May 31, 2014 President Obama announced the release of Bergdahl; in exchange five detainees at Guantanamo Bay would be released to Qatar. Since that day, answers to questions surrounding his case have proved elusive. Farwell and Ames examine the parallel stories of a young man's halting coming of age and a nation stalled in an unwinnable war. The result is a meticulous investigation of government dysfunction and political posturing, a blistering commentary on America's presence in Afghanistan, and a story of a naïve young man. -- adapted from jacket