Overview

In an Afghan village, a boy learns his letters under a mullah's stick and dreams of a life free of the Taliban; in Virginia, a cadet learns to read a map and lead a platoon into combat. Years later, on a wind-scoured ridgeline overlooking Zabul Province, helicopters roaring overhead, Afghan interpreter Abdulhaq Sodais and U.S. Army Lieutenant Spencer Sullivan must learn to trust each other if they hope to survive. In 2021, when the U.S. withdraws from Afghanistan, the Taliban reassert their rule, disappearing, torturing, and killing U.S. collaborators, including Abdulhaq's fellow interpreters. Yet Abdulhaq's applications for asylum in America are repeatedly denied. With the Taliban closing in, Abdulhaq embarks on a cross-continental trek toward freedom. Caught up in the global refugee crisis, Abdulhaq must surrender himself to safehouses and human smugglers while Spencer fights his own war back in the U.S. to honor America's promise. Not Our Problem, a war memoir and refugee story revealed in alternating voices, follows an Afghan refugee and an American soldier across borders and continents, tracing the long distance between a promise and its keeping-interrogating a world in crisis while celebrating how friendship can outlast the war that created it.

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9798991173155

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Reviews

""Striking portrait of unlikely friendship forged in war and faulty American promises."" BookLife/Publishers Weekly (01/15/2026) ""Not Our Problem is neither a war story nor a love story. It isn't even new. As old as war, as enduring as friendship, and as inspiring as only the human spirit can be, it is a reminder of what truly matters."" -S t a n l e y A . Mc C h r y s t a l, Retired Army General ""In Not Our Problem, Sullivan and Sodais capture the human face of the global refugee crisis with timeless poignancy. The dual-narrative structure injects excitement into an already gripping read; the story of their shared burden mirrors countless U.S. servicemembers and their Afghan allies. This is important work and a must read."" -J a k e T a p p e r, CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent ""The bonds forged in war cannot often be adequately explained to those who have not lived it themselves. Abdulhaq and Spencer have provided the world with a tremendous gift-a profound example of the power of that bond and how it endures throughout all of one's life, long after the battle ends. I've heard many a tale of Afghan interpreters and their American soldiers-to me this stands as one of the definitive best. If you've ever wondered why so many American soldiers will go to the ends of the earth for their Afghan allies, read this book."" -Ma t t Z e l l e r, Co-Founder of No One Left Behind ""Abdulhaq Sodais and Spencer Sullivan have written a ringer of a tale about war, duty, friendship, and the long tail of our promises. More than anything, they remind us that-in a democratic society-what our government does, or doesn't do, in our name is very much our problem."" -N a t h a n i e l F i c k, NYT-Bestselling Author of One Bullet Away

""Not Our Problem is neither a war story nor a love story. It isn't even new. As old as war, as enduring as friendship, and as inspiring as only the human spirit can be, it is a reminder of what truly matters."" -S t a n l e y A . Mc C h r y s t a l, Retired Army General ""In Not Our Problem, Sullivan and Sodais capture the human face of the global refugee crisis with timeless poignancy. The dual-narrative structure injects excitement into an already gripping read; the story of their shared burden mirrors countless U.S. servicemembers and their Afghan allies. This is important work and a must read."" -J a k e T a p p e r, CNN Anchor and Chief Washington Correspondent ""The bonds forged in war cannot often be adequately explained to those who have not lived it themselves. Abdulhaq and Spencer have provided the world with a tremendous gift-a profound example of the power of that bond and how it endures throughout all of one's life, long after the battle ends. I've heard many a tale of Afghan interpreters and their American soldiers-to me this stands as one of the definitive best. If you've ever wondered why so many American soldiers will go to the ends of the earth for their Afghan allies, read this book."" -Ma t t Z e l l e r, Co-Founder of No One Left Behind ""Abdulhaq Sodais and Spencer Sullivan have written a ringer of a tale about war, duty, friendship, and the long tail of our promises. More than anything, they remind us that-in a democratic society-what our government does, or doesn't do, in our name is very much our problem."" -N a t h a n i e l F i c k, NYT-Bestselling Author of One Bullet Away

Author Information

Abdulhaq Sodais lives in Germany, and has begun a new life with his wife, Weeda, after being granted full political asylum in 2021. He speaksfour languages including: Dari, Pashto, English, and German. He has found work in the school system helping disabled students on the bus, and as a forklift operator, among other odd jobs. Abdulhaq continues to face discrimination as an Afghan and as a refugee in his adopted home, but is working hard to integrate into German society. His dream is to travel freely throughout the world, without being harassed or denied at any border. He considers Spencer his most trusted friend and has worked ceaselessly with him to tell this story on behalf of all refugees who are unable to tell their own. Spencer Sullivan is a U.S. Army combat veteran and has been advocating for Afghan refugees for over a decade. His writing and interviews insupport of America's Afghan wartime allies have been featured in various outlets in the U.S. and abroad, including the LA Times, CNN, Associated Press, Fox Business, and STERN. Spencer holds a Bachelor of Arts in history from the College of William and Mary and a Master of Arts in organizational leadership from Brandman University. In addition to his writing, Spencer is a painter, selling prints of his artwork online. He lives in Annandale, Virginia, with his wife and son.

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