Afghanistan:

Nonfiction-
Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad
Sewing Circles of Herat, Christina Lamb
Inside Islam, ed. John Miller & Aron Kenedi.

Fiction-
Swallows of Kabul, Yasima Khadra
Kite Runner, Kahled Hosseini

Video-
Osama

Democratic Republic of Congo:

Nonfiction-
Facing the Congo, Jeffrey Taylor
In the Footstep of Mr. Kurtz, Michela Wrong
King Leopold's Ghost, Adam Hochchild

Fiction-
A Bend in the River, V. S. Naipaul
Heart of Darkness, Joseph Conrad
Poisonwood Bible, Barbara Kingsolver

Video-
Lumumba