Contact - Hardcover

Clarke, A.F.N.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805238794 ISBN 13: 9780805238792

Publisher: Schocken Books, 1988

Synopsis

This newly expanded edition of AFN Clarke's best selling and controversial memoir CONTACT is a raw, visceral, "no-holds-barred" account from one of the men we paid to kill. When first published it caused a furore for its devastating honesty and chilling revelations. Clarke takes us into the private world of soldiers operating under extreme stress and living each day with their senses on high alert. Where the enemy wears no uniform and shoots from the shadows, and the bomber's trip-wire is an ever-present nightmare. We experience their emotions, fear, courage, humour, bravado and the anguish of death.

In this powerful classic, Clarke vividly recounts his experiences of two tours in Northern Ireland (in Belfast and Crossmaglen) as a Platoon Commander with Britain's elite Parachute Regiment during the blood soaked 1970's. The dangers, political agendas and religious roots underlying the conflict are eerily and heartbreakingly similar to Iraq and Afghanistan today, where soldiers are ordered to hold the lines in an ancient quarrel they have little affinity for, but whose consequences are deadly.

This expanded edition includes a section omitted by the publisher from the original book, where Clarke reveals what it was like to be in his twenties, go to hell and come back having nearly died with half his insides missing, suffering from PTSD and being expected to return to a "normal life". It’s a story of the scars of war that affect generations on all sides of a conflict. Of heartache, courage and hope for peace. (Available as an ebook and paperback.)

REVIEWS

"...the best account we have had of what it is like to serve in Northern Ireland..." Richard West, The Times Literary Supplement.

" ... a major contribution to our understanding of war and how people act ... Contact is the work of a brave writer." Kevin Toolis, Irish News.

“Clarke's tale of his actions in Northern Ireland are eye-opening to this American... like the stories I have heard first-hand from the men who served in Vietnam.” Robert, USA.

"...Contact is one of the best military stories that I have ever read and I recommend it to you in the highest terms; it's a book from a past conflict that has timely and resonant lessons for a present one.” Steven McLaughlin, Author of Squaddie: A Soldier's Story. UK.

“A very truthful account... As an ex Infantry man myself of the era, this book speaks for us all about our time in Ulster.” Peter Poland, UK.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

CONTACT was reviewed by soldiers who served with Captain Clarke as verification of his recollections. It was first published in the UK in 1983 by Martin Secker & Warburg, was serialized for 5 days in The Mirror, and became an instant best seller. In 1984 it was published in paperback by PAN Books, by Schocken Books New York and made into an award-winning BBC TV film, directed by the renown Alan Clarke. The expanded eBook edition was published in 2012, the paperback in 2014.

AFN Clarke is a full-time author with 8 published works. Though his latest books “The Orange Moon Affair” and “The Jonas Trust Deception” are thrillers and works of fiction, they do continue a thread established in CONTACT, revealing the inner turmoil of a former soldier who wants nothing more than to forget his past and live a "normal" life but whose circumstances make it difficult to do so.

“CONTACT” - BOOK CATEGORIES

· Biography and Memoirs of Military People · Memoirs of a Soldier · Military Best Sellers · Biography and True Accounts · Classic Best Seller · Books Made Into Film · Controversial Books · Leaders and Notable People · Parachute Regiment · History of Northern Ireland · Politics and Philosophy

About this title

About the Author:

AFN Clarke is a full-time author, screenwriter, the son of a British MI6 operative, pilot, sailor, racecar driver, father of four who’s lived all over the world, served in the British Army and recovered from the physical/emotional traumas of war. His bestselling memoir, CONTACT, was serialized in a British newspaper and made into an award winning BBCTV film. He now writes fiction of various genres and his latest Thomas Gunn thriller series has captured the imagination of readers world-wide. He’s insatiably curious, loves heated discussions and has a rascally sense of humour. Books include: Contact, The Orange Moon Affair and The Jonas Trust Deception (Thomas Gunn thriller series), Collisions, An Unquiet American, Dry Tortugas, Dreams from the Death Age and Armageddon (The Book of Baker Satire Series) with more coming soon. Visit afnclarke.com for more information, and leave your email for future notifications about new releases and special promotions.

About this edition

• Publisher: Schocken Books
• Publication date: 1988
• ISBN 10: 0805238794
• ISBN 13: 9780805238792
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 159