title: An Unexpected Light
text: # An Unexpected Light
  
  An Unexpected Light: Travels in Afghanistan (1999) is a travel book written by British travel writer Jason Elliot. An Unexpected Light won the Thomas Cook Travel Book Award in the UK and became a New York Times bestseller in the US.
  
  ## Awards and honors
  
  * 2002: ALA Notable Books for Adults
  * 2000: Thomas Cook Travel Book Award
  * 1999: New York Times bestseller
  