There is an early work by one of the most admired American storytellers of our time to discover: In 1982, at the age of 23, William T. Vollmann travels to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Mujahideen against the occupying forces of the Red Army. How does he come to this? Aimless idealism and incredible folly, he realizes, the longer his adventure lasts. He came to offer help and now needs it more than ever himself. He sought to gain clarity about right and wrong and understands less and less. In the end, he is carried by a partisan through mountain rivers. Vollmann depicts the scenes of war and his personal failure with masterful clarity and free from knowing detachment. Afghanistan Picture Show is the ruthlessly honest story of someone who set out to save the world and became a burden to those in need.