Seierstad was born in Oslo , but grew up in Lillehammer , Norway to " a feminist author mother " , Lector Frøydis Guldahl , and " a leftist politician father " , Assistant Professor Dag Seierstad ( b. 1936 ) She holds a bachelor 's degree from the University of Oslo where she majored in Russian , Spanish and history of ideas . From 1993 until 1996 she reported for the '' Arbeiderbladet '' in Russia and in 1997 from China . From 1998 until 2000 she worked for the national public broadcaster NRK where she reported from the Serbian breakaway province of Kosovo . '' With Their Backs to The World : Portraits of Serbia '' , her first book , is an account of this time . ( This book was extended and republished in 2004 when she again visited Serbia . The name was changed slightly , to '' Portraits of Serbia '' , signaling that Serbia ’s back is no longer turned to the world . ) As a reporter she is particularly remembered for her work in war zones such as Afghanistan , Iraq and most recently Chechnya , as well as for her reports on the September 11 attacks in the United States of America . '' The Bookseller of Kabul '' , her second , bestselling book , is an account of the time she spent living with an Afghan family in Kabul after the fall of the Taliban in 2001 . Her other books include '' One Hundred And One Days : A Baghdad Journal '' which describes the three months she spent in Iraq in the build-up to the U.S.-led invasion in 2003 ; '' Angel of Grozny : Inside Chechnya '' , an account of the time she spent in Chechnya after the war ; and '' One of Us : The Story of Anders Breveik and the Massacre in Norway '' ( 2015 ) , which is the basis for the Netflix drama , '' 22 July ''
September 11 attacks
September 11 attacks
Åsne Seierstad