The Most Dangerous Place on Earth - Softcover

Fergusson, James

Softcover

ISBN 10: 059306836X ISBN 13: 9780593068366

Publisher: Bantam Press, 2013

Synopsis

The Horn of Africa is the most alarming and least known of all the fronts in the seemingly endless war on terror. And in Somalia, where James Fergusson fearlessly dares to tread, the soldiers of Al-Shabaab fight a guerrilla war with the firm backing of Al Qaida, as well as shadowy links to the pirates who patrol the Somalian coast. Now for the first time, James gets to the heart of Somalia's issues. Who are Al Shabaab? What do they want? And how much of a threat do they pose to their home nation and to the wider world? Informative, compassionate and often deeply shocking, the answers to these questions will change the way you see the world around you.

About this title

Review:

"One of the best narratives of discovery I have read for years. The sense of place is acute, the characters and landscapes vivid ... rivals Ryszard Kapuscinski and Robert Byron at their best." -- Robert Fox Evening Standard "Fergusson has a talent for shedding light in dark places. While most reporters have opted to stay away, Fergusson has risked his life to cover the ground and, an even greater achievement, succeeded in making the Somali mess understandable and relevant. It is this insight, alongside his harrowing account of life in the grief zone that gives Fergusson's book its power." -- Anthony Sattin Observer "Essential reading for those who seek to counter the menace. With ingenuity and no little courage he has travelled far and wide, within Somalia and among the Somali diaspora in Britain and America, delving into the soul of a ravaged community." The Economist "What [Fergusson] has done, with heroic tenacity and no little courage, is to spend much of the last two years wandering from one end of the country to the other, interviewing politicians and presidents, fighters and pirates, foreign advisers and security guards, and above all scores of ordinary Somalis, whose lives have been destroyed by 20 years of carnage and whose tales he eloquently recounts. An elegant writer, with a scholarly understanding of history, he brings to terrible light the catastrophe that is Somalia." -- Caroline Moorehead The Spectator "If you meet James Fergusson on your travels, look out, you are most definitely in the wrong place. The writer has earned something of a reputation as a specialist on the dark side of the troubled world in which we live. From the Balkans to Afghanistan and the modern-day hell that is sub-Saharan Africa, the adventurous journalist and best-selling author has put his life on the line to become a global authority on Al Qaeda, the Taliban, boy soldiers in Somalia - and the worst aspects of human behaviour in the most inhospitable and dangerous regions." -- Jim McBeth Daily Mail

Book Description:

The first authoritative account of the Somali region, its history, and the Islamic extremists operating there today.

About this edition

• Publisher: Bantam Press
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 059306836X
• ISBN 13: 9780593068366
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 416