Six of the best books about political unrest and conflict

Elliot Ackerman is the critically acclaimed author of the novels Dark at the Crossing and Green on Blue. He is based out of Istanbul, where he has covered the Syrian Civil War since 2013. His writings have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The New Repub­lic and The New York Times Magazine, among other pub­lications, and his stories have been included in The Best American Short Stories. He is both a former White House Fellow and a Marine, and has served five tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan, where he received the Silver Star, the Bronze Star for Valor, and the Purple Heart.

One of Ackerman's six favorite books on war and rebellion, as shared at The Week magazine:

Shah of Shahs by Ryszard Kapuściński

A fever dream of a book — probably the best title on this list — about the fall of Iran's last shah. Nobody writes quite like Kapuscinski, whose style reads like an improbable blend of magic realism and journalism.

Read about the other entries on the list.

Shah of Shahs is among Kamin Mohammadi's top ten Iranian books.

The Page 69 Test: Green on Blue.

My Book, The Movie: Green on Blue.

My Book, The Movie: Dark at the Crossing.

--Marshal Zeringue