“When Graeme Smith travelled to the war in Afghanistan as a young and idealistic journalist in 2005, he fully believed that the international community could “bring the whole basket of civilization to [this country]: peace, democracy, the rule of law.” The Dogs Are Eating Them Now is his painfully detailed, eyebrow-raising account of what he saw during his six years of reporting on that effort for The Globe and Mail: a tragic mix of cultural ignorance, miscommunication, greed, brutality, and political naivete that no amount of individual courage and dedication could ultimately overcome. A graphic but determinedly even-handed memoir that does much to counter the reams of official spin this topic has endured over the years.” – 2013 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Jury (Hal Niedzviecki, Candace Savage, and Andreas Schroeder)

“In The Dogs Are Eating Them Now, Graeme Smith tells the story of Canada’s role in the ill-fated war in Afghanistan. Beyond bang-bang journalism or simple-minded patriotism, Smith takes readers on a boots-on-the-ground journey through an inhospitable landscape and an impossible military mission. It is a master class in war reporting that will be studied by Canadian policy makers for years to come.” – 2013 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing Jury (Licia Corbella, Jane O’Hara, and Doug Saunders)