The Thousands

Uncomfortable hilarity happens when old people fall down, or an uncle and niece sing a duet of Afternoon Delight. Kim Barker’s latest book, The Taliban Shuffle, is full of uncomfortable hilarity, found in recounts of her absurd personal encounters as a foreign correspondent in the midst of war. Try and hold in your laughter snorts if Barker tells the story of the time she was propositioned for sex by a prominent Pakistani politician.