From Publishers Weekly
McGeough, veteran war correspondent and a former editor of the Sydney Morning Herald, offers a sobering look at the disparate battlefields of America's war on terrorism in his new collection of musings from the front. An eyewitness to the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York, he travels on assignment through Central Asia and the Middle East, ending up in Baghdad in October 2002 to report on the impending U.S.-led military action against Iraq. The book is presented as a collection of journal entries in which the author reflects on a world defined, for better or for worse, by its relationship with the U.S. According to McGeough, the road to Baghdad runs through Israel, and he devotes a good share of the book to the events of the second intifada, interviewing the families of Palestinian suicide bombers and surveying the destruction done by Israeli troops in the Jenin refugee camp. His most compelling analysis comes from Afghanistan, where he profiled the legendary Northern Alliance commander Ahmed Shah Masoud in the days before his assassination, and offers his reader an insider's view on the culture and leadership of the alliance. He is quick to point out the irony of the allied "bombs and bread" campaign and remains skeptical of Western resolve to rectify the mounting humanitarian crisis in the region. McGeough is an adept reporter but he lacks the sweeping historical knowledge and intellectual firepower that a journalist like Thoomas Friedman can bring to frontline dispatches.Nevertheless, his book provides valuable insight on the responsibilities of America and the repercussions of its expanding international footprint.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
For readers interested in still more takes on the post-9/11 world, here's a fascinating collection of essays written by an experienced and compassionate foreign correspondent whose familiarity with Afghanistan gives him a particularly insightful point of view. McGeough, fresh off a reporting assignment in Afghanistan, was in New York City on September 11, 2001; after George W. Bush declared open war on terrorism, he embarked on a year-long, around-the-world odyssey that took him to Afghanistan, Palestine, Iraq, and Washington, D.C. He visited villages and cities and met with soldiers, politicians, and military leaders. The book, written with a sharp eye for detail and an expert's knowledge of its subject, captures the anger, hope, fear, and desperation that spread across the world after the 9/11 attacks. Whereas many post-9/11 books are about politics, this one is about people, which should give it a considerably longer shelf life. David Pitt
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Review
"A boon for news junkies, full of solid, eye-opening reporting and smartly delivered opinion." -- Kirkus, May 15, 2003
"The timing of this book couldnt be better." -- KLIATT
About the Author
Paul McGeough is the foreign correspondent assigned to Afghanistan and the Middle East for the Sydney Morning Herald. He witnessed the collapse of the World Trade Center and spent the following year reporting in Afghanistan, Iraq, Israel, and Saudi Arabia. He lives in New York City.
