THE SECRET GATE

The incredible true story of a breathtaking rescue in the frenzied final hours of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan, and how a brave Afghan mother and a compassionate American officer engineered a daring escape - from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 Hours.

THE SECRET GATE begins with the introduction to Homeira Qaderi, a well-known and admired academic, author, and champion for women's liberation in Afghanistan. Homeira had achieved celebrity in her home country by winning custody of her young son in a contentious divorce, a rarity in Afghanistan's patriarchal society. And because of this she was marked by Taliban.

When the U.S. began its withdrawal from Afghanistan and the Afghan Army instantly collapsed, Homeira Qaderi was marked for death at the hands of the Taliban. A celebrated author, academic, and champion for women's liberation, Homeira had achieved celebrity in her home country by winning custody of her son in a contentious divorce, a rarity in Afghanistan's patriarchal society. As evacuation planes departed above, Homeira was caught in the turmoil at the Kabul Airport, trying and failing to secure escape for her and her eight-year-old son, Siawash, along with her parents and the rest of their family.

Meanwhile, a young foreign service officer from New Jersey named Sam Aronson was enjoying a brief vacation between assignments when chaos descended upon Afghanistan. Sam immediately volunteered his services, frantically racing to help rescue the more than 100,000 Americans and their Afghan helpers stranded in Kabul. When Sam learned that the CIA had established a secret entrance into the Kabul Airport two miles away from the desperate crowds crushing toward the gates, he started bringing families directly through, personally rescuing as many as fifty-two people in a single day.

On the last day of the evacuation, Sam was contacted by Homeira's literary agent, who persuaded him to help her escape. He needed to risk his life to get them through the gate in the final hours before it closed forever. He borrowed night-vision goggles and enlisted a Dari-speaking colleague and two heavily armed security contract "shooters." He contacted Homeira with a burner phone, and they used a flashlight code signal borrowed from boyhood summer camp. For her part, Homeira broke Sam's rules and withstood his profanities. Together they braved gunfire by Afghan Army soldiers anxious about the restive crowds outside the airport. Ultimately, Homeira and Siawash had to leave behind their family and everything they had ever known.

The Secret Gate tells the thrilling, emotional tale of a young man's courage and a mother and son's skin-of-the-teeth escape from a homeland that is no longer their own.
Zuckoff's first-hand accounts come exclusively and directly from Homeira, Sam, and Homeira's literary agent. THE SECRET GATE is beyond riveting and will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Mitchell Zuckoff is the Sumner M. Redstone Professor of Narrative Studies at Boston University and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of 13 HOURS. As a member of the Boston Globe's Spotlight Team, he was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in investigative reporting. Zuckoff's honors include the Livingston Award for International Reporting, the Winship/PEN New England Award for Nonfiction, and the Heywood Broun Memorial Award. He is the author of seven previous works of nonfiction, including FROZEN IN TIME Frozen in Time and LOST IN SHANGRI-LA. Zuckoff's work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and numerous other publications.