The Middle East!
I have found the threat of al Qaeda and Islamo-fascist terrorism so frightening for the last 18 years that I tried to ignore the entire thing. But now I feel like it’s safe enough to read about it without having nightmares for six weeks, like when I read I Am Pilgrim. Those brave Kurds and Kurdesses have more or less got ISIS on the run and we can safely blow raspberries at the lot of them.
So I came out from behind the sofa and read Manhunt by the CNN journalist Peter Bergen, which is the most terrific romp through the hunt for and the capture of Bin Laden.
The book is at times reminiscent of Team America: World Police, but only in a genial, patriotic way. I took huge comfort from the pen-sketch of Bin Laden as faintly dotty rather than an evil genius and al-Qaeda as a sort of ridiculous Secret Club for Boys that just had too much money – like the Bullingdon gone really bad.
Anyway the detail was mesmerising and Bergen can really tell a story, which isn’t easy with the amount of primary sources he had access to. If you’re remotely interested, have a look. It’s gripping, reading it will make you feel clever and at times it is genuinely funny.
Finding myself suddenly an expert on the Middle East from the years 1991 – present, I turned for fun to My War Gone By: I Miss It So by Anthony Lloyd. Not least because I thought I ought to do him the solid of downloading his book, following his sensational scoop of finding poor old Shamima Begum in al-Hawl. And doubly for then admitting that it was sheer dumb luck.
The prologue is a long apology from Lloyd for what a total bellend he comes across as – (the book was written in 1997 but unpublished until 2015) – which is strange because in the prologue he sounds absolutely identical to the bellend in the general prose, in no way different in writing style or world outlook.
But it doesn’t matter; I adore bellends. Lloyd is exactly the sort of dashing twit I would fall for in a heartbeat and I was prepared to read the whole thing despite the ludicrous, keffiyeh-tossing sunset-gazing style.
But as it turns out, (it covers the Bosnian war and a bit of smack addiction), it was just too gruesome and graphic. I know what happens to women and children in wartime and I don’t want to read about it. Added to that, the Bosnian war was hellishly complicated, such a crazy scrap, it would take someone with a much better gift for explicatory storytelling – (anyone got Peter Bergen’s email?) – to unravel the whole mess. But even then I’m not sure I’d want to know.
Before I ditched the book, I did get to enjoy Lloyd’s solid diss of all war reporters as revolting death tourists. I’m sure it’s not true in all cases, (though I could point a few fingers), but still – always fun to read a good slagging-off.
Can you recommend book that, like Manhunt, captures and explains simply and effectively a complicated global topic, while remaining interesting? Please leave a recommendation in the handy comment box below.
Not like manhunt but equally brilliant is In Extremis by Lindsey Hilsum about the journalist Marie Colvin who was killed in Syria in 2012 – it’s utterly gripping and brilliantly written.
Not a book but I’ve just listened to Caliphate, the New York Times podcast. It’s brilliant. Had put off listening to it because I thought it might be too graphic but it’s not.
War on Peace by Rohan Farrow.
For anything to do with economics, capitalism and inequality (which arguably contributes to global unrest and conflict) Yanis Varoufakis is brilliant. Would particularly recommend Talking to My Daughter About the Economy Xx
Agree!
I vividly remember reading PJ O’Rourke’s ‘Holidays in Hell’ in about year 10 or 11 for English class. I think it was written late 1980s, so heavily focussed on Lebanon. Loved it. Very funny, droll and captures that competitiveness between war journalists to be first in/ closest to danger. Might not pass the test of time but introduced me to journalism, war/ world/ social issues reporting.
Also John Pilger. He’s gone a bit loopy but his early stuff was formative. I sent him a fan letter when I was 17. I was that kind of earnest teenager. He wrote back.
I found William Dalrymple’s ‘Under The Holy Mountain’ beautifully written and gives the long, long history of religious diversity, intensity and craziness in the Byzantine Levant and how it affects the politics of today. I mean, like, going back to 3rd century. It was written in late 1990s I think, but he predicted precisely what would happen in Syria if/ when the Assad regime fell. I loved it so much my husband and I followed in his journey’s footsteps 8 years ago when we went backpacking… only to be interrupted by the imminent arrival of our eldest 😉
Gosh I didn’t realise I’d have so many recommendations!
Finally a novel.
Aminatta Forna’s ‘The Hired Man’. Set in post war Croatia. I’m married to a Serb so i’m very interested in how a war blew up and as a regular visitor to that part of the world, I can see some of the fallout. I absolutely loved it. Beautifully written and compelling. It’s set in current day rural Croatia and flashes back to the narrator’s childhood & youth in the 60s & 70s, the current day and during the war years. The catalyst for events is an English family arriving to renovate an old house and the narrator, a local handyman who helps do the renovations, is strongly connected to the past of the house. It’s not so much a book about war, but a book about how small town rivalries, selfishness and grudges get amplified. The most beautifully written book I’ve read in ages.
Like you Esther, I can’t read too much grisly stuff about what happens in war. So I’m not going to read Slavenka Drakulic’s novel ‘S’ about a woman in the rape camps in Bosnia. It is very well reviewed if others are made of stronger stuff.
I read ‘Highways to a War’ by Christopher J Koch about 20 years ago. It’s always lingered in my mind.
Wild Swans by Jung Chang – I was completely gripped, and also learned all about China’s recent history as a by-product… double win!
Yes, I totally agree. Wild Swans is pretty epic. I highly recommend!
Currently reading Antisemitism: Here and Now by Deborah Lipstadt (the historian who was sued by that utterly poisonous piece of 🤬🤬🤬🤬 David Irving – as a young trainee I got to sit in court for some of the proceedings against Irving in the late 90s – to say that it opened my eyes to a side of life that, as a young rather idealistic person, I hadn’t yet come face to face with, is something of an understatement). It’s written in an interesting style (as a collection of letters), which makes it very accessible I think. The chapter on antisemitic “enablers” (eg Trump!) is unnerving. I would definitely recommend everyone to read this.
Heirs to forgotten Kingdoms by Gerard Russell is v interesting about the various religions and sects in the Middle East and how the Isis ideology was formed.
Also very much liked Meet me in Gaza by Louisa B Waugh.
I really struggle to read non fiction these days unless it’s people stuck up a mountain, or on a boat, or about a woman on a walking-and-sex holiday (sorry, physical and spiritual journey). In fact I have a dreadful habit of downloading 99p Kindle books thinking I’m going to get all clever about stuff and then never read them. I keep meaning to get round to Nothing to Envy as people have recommended it. The last non-fic I read was Prisoners of Geography, though it was more of a dipper than a gripper it did take an interesting angle on the complex relationships that exist between countries and was a reasonable overview of global politics.
I second the Caliphate Podcast. Rukmini Callimachi is totally badass, and is tenacious in her quest to get to the truth.
I found Prisoners of Geography a really interesting look at geopolitics, not requiring any prior knowledge (athough given I have a degree in History & Politics, I should probably have known more…)
I’d also second the above recommendation for Caliphate!
I am not currently in the correct headspace to think about books like this, but fair play to you Esther. I used to work with war correspondent type journalists a bit. A strange and fascinating breed. Elaine x
Just reading Home Fire by Kamila Shamsie. Brilliant, intimate and powerful look at the story behind a jihadi
The Big Short by Michael Lewis about the origins of the financial crisis but much more entertaining and gripping than that sounds.
The movie is also excellent